Bruce Springsteen and Halloween Night (and Rochester wishlist)

With the news that the Rochester show has been postponed to Wednesday brings the first Halloween night show for Bruce since 1992.

History and past performances tell us that this is one of Bruce’s favorite holidays. Now that Halloween festivities at his house are no longer an annual event – a victim of “catastrophic success” and too many visitors in his neighborhood, as he wrote on his website a few years ago, here’s hoping he has something up his sleeve for the fans in Rochester instead.

Bruce has had four prior special performances for Halloween:
1. October 31, 1980 – Los Angeles Sports Arena

Bruce is carried on stage in a coffin and starts the show with a cover of “Jumpin’” Gene Simmons’ “Haunted House.” Youtube (audio) link is here. This performance was previously discussed on this site as one of Bruce’s best one-time-only covers. Lesser known about this show is that Bruce also did a special cover this night to start the show’s second set: the instrumental “Out of Limits” (a takeoff on the “Outer Limits” television show theme), originally done by the Marketts in 1964.

2. October 31, 1984 – Los Angeles Sports Arena

The show starts with a skit about “midnight in Dr. Frankenstein’s laboratory,” and how “they were trying to awaken the monster. They tried all sorts of scientific methods, such as the mystery of electricity…then they tried to awaken his sexual perceptions…and then they performed an attack on his auditorial system (as “Louie Louie” is blasted)…but nothing seemed to work.”

“But then they tried Professor Frankenstein’s foolproof monster-wake-up, and then out of the darkness came a mystery man” – and Bruce is presented a guitar, leaps out of the coffin, and starts playing “High School Confidential.”

(A further description of the night’s proceedings can be found in Dave Marsh’s Glory Days).

3. October 31, 1992 – Target Center, Minneapolis

A special keyboard introduction by Roy leads into a rare “Spirit in the Night” opener.

Bonus – October 30, 2007 – Los Angeles Sports Arena

No special song this time, but back at the Sports Arena (this time, the night before Halloween), Bruce is again carried on stage in a coffin. Steve presents him a guitar and he asks “Is there anybody alive out there?” as he starts the standard “Radio Nowhere” opener. Video of these events was originally shown on Bruce’s website and can be found on Youtube here.

Note: there was also a Halloween show during the Born to Run tour in 1975 but there is no known tape and no known details about anything “special” for the holiday.

Special Songs for Rochester?

What might Bruce break out on Wednesday night? There are many possible choices, and not just the ones discussed above:

5. “4th of July, Asbury Park (Sandy)”. Yes, it’s obvious. Yes, it’s cliched. But that didn’t stop Bruce from playing this rarity in Paris this past July 4, either.

4. Wages of Sin.” This Nebraska era-outtake may only have a tenuous connection to Halloween – one particular lyric about “the devil snapping at my heels” (a line that was also used in “My Father’s House”) – but the general mood of the song and the verse about the narrator trying to make it home through the woods before darkness falls are plenty spooky on their own. Never before performed live, this song resides on the famous Disc 2 of Tracks, well known to be a favorite of Steve Van Zandt. The past three tours have included the live premieres of “Ricky Wants a Man of Her Own,” “Restless Nights,” and “Living on the Edge of the World,” all from that same Disc 2, so perhaps this one’s not totally out of the question.

3. “Monster Mash.” Novelty songs have their place, and that the crowd will know it certainly helps its chances. The band (in particular, the backup singers) should have no problem with this. A possibility for the encore, particularly if there’s a sign requesting it.

2. “Werewolves of London.” Part of what has made Hurricane Sandy so big of a storm is the high tides associated with the full moon. Technically, the full moon is today but that’s close enough for some howling on Wednesday night. Even without the connection to the storm, this classic by Bruce’s friend Warren Zevon would perfect for the occasion.

1. “A Night with the Jersey Devil.” Notable as the first time Bruce released original material on his website, this composition was made available on Halloween 2008 as an MP3 download with an accompanying video. Halloween night in Rochester seems as likely a time as any for the live debut of this composition, which gave writing credits to “Bruce Springsteen / Robert Jones / Gene Vincent.” Check out the official video here and keep your fingers crossed for Wednesday!

On “Frankie” and When Live Performances Can’t Beat the Studio Version

More than “Jungleland,” the thing that really caught my eye in the Gothenburg show (and pre-show soundcheck) was that Bruce was giving another try to “Frankie.”

He’s had a complicated history with the song ever since it debuted on the final leg of the Born to Run tour in 1976. It was recorded during the Darkness sessions but went unused, having much more in common with the lost fourth album than the released version of Darkness. Rerecorded in its definitive form during the Born in the USA sessions, it remained in the vault until the release of “Tracks,” although being considered (losing out to “Murder Incorporated”) as an option for the “Greatest Hits” album.

These series of events (the song being considered for three different albums) certainly suggests an affinity towards the song from Bruce, but sadly, its live performance history has been somewhat checkered.

It was tried live for the first time in years during the Reunion tour in New Jersey: it was night 13 (August 9, 1999) of the 15-night stand, played in the wildcard spot in the setlist in the show, after “Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out.” Things started out promisingly but by the time the band reached the bridge, the playing was a bit heavy handed, and descended into trainwreck territory by the time they reached the instrumental coda. Reports from the show indicated that the crowd, save the hardcore fans, were lost to the significance of the song’s reappearance in the set. Audio can be heard here: (link to YouTube).

After exactly one performance on the Reunion tour, “Frankie” returned for exactly one performance on the Rising tour. Its second appearance, on September 7, 2003 at Fenway Park went a bit better, helped in part by several soundcheck performances. Things still weren’t quite right, however, as the band notably flubbed the opening, with Bruce and Danny not playing in sync with each other for the introductory organ/guitar line. Bruce’s vocal delivery wasn’t the greatest here, and I think Bruce oversang it. The instrumental coda flowed pretty well but Clarence’s solo wasn’t his finest moment. Bringing the song back to the introductory riff gave it a clean ending but also truncated the best part of the song.

Bruce tried the song on piano a few times during the Devils and Dust tour, and in its solo-piano debut in Milwaukee on August 7, 2005, Bruce provided probably his best vocal and harmonica performance of the song. His piano skills were sufficient only to get through the verses, though, and he ended things quickly, rather than including the instrumental portion at the end. Bruce even commented that “I can’t guarantee I get through it without any mistakes, so any mistakes are intentional.” A subsequent performance, captured on video (link) from the Meadowlands on November 17, 2005 shows him rushing through the performance, and singing it in what I’d call a lackadaisical manner. Whether disinterest or self-consciousness of his piano skills, this performance could charitably be described as “not very fulfilling.”

Almost seven years later, “Frankie” reappeared on Saturday night in Gothenburg. Video can be seen here: (link). It was soundchecked again before the show, and this time Bruce tried a rearrangement, adding a violin part for Soozie at the beginning of the song. The mid-song story telling was distracting in my opinion, but save that, there’s no denying that from the beginning to the end, this was the best performance in totality.

Unfortunately, neither Gothenburg nor any of the other performances can compare to the studio version. The last two minutes of that song, with the interplay between the piano, guitar, drums and saxophone is, according to a description I once read, “the E Street Band playing like an orchestra.” The precision of the solo has never been effectively replicated live (even when Bruce tried omitting the sax part altogether, as he did in Gothenburg, replacing it with a guitar part). Perhaps it’s just not meant to be. This doesn’t mean I don’t want Bruce to keep trying though.

For me, “Frankie” is the clear #1 on the list of songs that have never been able to be performed live better than they were in their studio incarnation. The balance of the list:

#5: Jackson Cage
I never understood why he dropped the harmonica part from the bridge.

#4: Magic
In fairness, Bruce never tried to perform a version in the album arrangement, with the organ line and percussion that added the mystical effect to the song. There was definitely power in the acoustic duet between Bruce and Patti but that was something he’d tried the two tours previous (“Mansion on the Hill,” “Empty Sky”) and seemed like taking the easy way out in 2007. With a little more rehearsal, the album arrangement could’ve worked live.

#3: Worlds Apart
On the studio cut, the drum machine kept the tempo moving. Live performances of the song were great in their own way but the piped-in vocals were troublesome and the various different parts played by the band didn’t coalesce as well as they should have.

#2: Pink Cadillac
A casualty of the size of the band, unfortunately. The dirty groove captured when just Bruce, Garry and Max were playing is lost with all of the extra players.

Bruce Springsteen’s Most Surprising Cover Songs

Opening Bruce’s May 30, 2012 show in Berlin was a cover of Wizz Jones’ “When I Leave Berlin.” Yes, really.

Yes, Berlin is obviously a city of great geopolitical and historical importance. And yes, the city has inspired plenty of music, both before (Heroes, Berlin) and after (Achtung Baby) the wall came down. Yes, Bruce’s 1988 concert in East Berlin was a significant moment in his career, both for the location of the show and the size of the audience.

But this was not Bruce’s first return visit to Berlin (that was in 1993) or even his first return visit with the E Street Band (1999). Nor was this a cover from Bruce’s usual repertoire. Doing “Get out of Denver” in Denver (September 25, 2003) might have been unexpected, but given Bruce’s friendship with Bob Seger, the choice was easily understandable. However much it makes sense that Bruce would appreciate the music of Wizz Jones, actually doing a song at an E Street show — as the opening song — ranks pretty high on the “surprise” list.

The top 5, “most surprising” covers by Bruce Springsteen:

5. Run Through the Jungle
Premiered May 29, 1981 in Rotterdam

The third of four John Fogerty-penned songs that Bruce would play on the River tour, this song qualifies for the list primarily for its total rearrangement. Rather than played “straight,” Bruce and the band did a ethereal version to start the show on three different occasions. Changing the music wasn’t enough; he also created new lyrics, including “man’s pulling shotguns out of the trunk/city’s on fire tonight” and “baby look out your window/can’t you see the tide’s turning,” themes that he would later expand on when creating the song “Murder Incorporated” during the Born in the U.S.A. sessions.

4. Have Love, Will Travel
Premiered April 23, 1988 in Los Angeles, CA

A perfect choice for the tour, with Bruce being able to declare the song’s title “my motto” as the encores climaxed. On a tour with mostly static setlists, this addition to the encores was one of the most significant changes to the show. This garage rock song (popularized by the Sonics) was turned into a horn-filled rave-up, complete with a trombone solo from La Bamba. It disappeared from the set shortly after the tour reached Europe and has not been played since.

3. I Wanna Be Sedated
Premiered April 22, 2009 in Boston, MA

First, the signs were for classic E Street repertoire, such as “Rosalita,” “Thunder Road, and “Jungleland” and Bruce was happy to oblige.

Then, the signs started requesting covers from E Street’s past, such as “Mountain of Love” or “Good Rockin’ Tonight,” and Bruce obliged those “sassy” requests (“the elephant never forgets!”)

But until this sign request was granted, Bruce had only granted requests for songs the band had already played. With this Ramones cover, the floodgates for the “stump the band” feature were open wide.

2. Satan’s Jeweled Crown
Premiered May 14, 1993 in Berlin

The 1993 leg of the world tour in support of Human Touch and Lucky Town featured a significant development: an acoustic three song mini-set by Bruce to start the show. For all of the shows in Europe that spring, Bruce’s three song set would always end with “This Hard Land,” preceded by two songs out of a roster of “Darkness on the Edge of Town,” “Mansion on the Hill,” “Seeds” and “Adam Raised a Cain.”

Opening the show with a singular acoustic number had happened plenty of times in the past, but doing the three songs in a row was a big change and also foreshadowed Bruce’s future live plans. The three-song set was expanded for the only time all tour in Berlin, when Bruce debuted this “country gospel song,” accompanied by Roy and the five backup singers on the tour. An obvious feature for the the singers’ abilities, the song would be added to the main set, alternating with the other cover added that tour that featured the singers, “Many Rivers to Cross.”

The song’s last performance was at the “Concert to Fight Hunger” on June 24, 1993, at the close of the 92-93 tour. After 6 performances, this Louvin Brothers song (from their 1959 album Satan is Real) was never heard from again.

1. Dream Baby Dream
Premiered May 11, 2005 in Rosemont, IL

During the encore of this show, Bruce finished “Land of Hope and Dreams,” and gave his usual end-of-show thanks to the crowd. He then began his acoustic version of “The Promised Land,” which had ended every show on the tour to date, and as the song finished, it seemed as if the show was over.

But Bruce then walked to the pump organ, stage right, and sat down. The organ had previously only been used for the show-opening “My Beautiful Reward,” so it was clear that something was up. With no introduction to the song, Bruce starts singing: “Dream baby dream / keep on dreaming / dream baby dream / come on, baby, keep on dreaming”

As a member of the audience that night, I was both transfixed and completely baffled. What WAS this? Bruce was playing the pump organ for most of the song, but he eventually got up and walked to the front of the stage — and the music kept going — before he walked off stage without further comment.

The song was identified in short order as a cover of synth-punk band Suicide, and remained as the show closer for the balance of the tour, and while it may never have been quite the shock it was that night at the Rosemont Theatre, it kept most of its power for the remaining shows.

There was some Bruce-Suicide history, of course, as Bruce did identify their song “Frankie Teardrop” as a favorite of his in 1984 interview with Rolling Stone. A Backstreets interview with Suicide singer Alan Vega later in the tour revealed the previously unknown fact that Vega and Springsteen were doing shots of vodka together in the bathroom of the the studio in New York were both were recording at the time.

Even so, this choice holds the #1 spot on this list, and remains one of the most surreal moments I’ve ever seen at at Bruce show.

Also considered:
“Achy Breaky Heart” (March 23, 1993) and “You Sexy Thing” (December 7, 2001). (Both were played jokingly rather than as serious inclusions in the set).
Bryan Adams’ “Cuts Like a Knife,” at Sting’s Rainforest Benefit in 2010.
The aforementioned “When I Leave Berlin.”

Dishonorable Mention:
Centerfield
Premiered October 1, 2004 in Philadelphia, PA
No, it’s technically not a cover, as Bruce was singing the song with John Fogerty. But it makes the list, if only for the horrible surprise that was Fogerty’s baseball-bat guitar and the fake handclaps that started this song during the Vote for Change tour.

Bruce is playing a set with his most clearly focused theme since the Tunnel of Love tour. He brings the “Hank Williams of our generation,” author of numerous classic rock and roll songs, many with political overtones, as a special guest on the tour. Perhaps “Who’ll Stop the Rain” would be too obvious, but “Centerfield,” a contender for the title of worst song of all time? It remains perhaps the most inexplicable setlist decision of Bruce’s career. Maybe it was Fogerty’s choice. Let’s all keep our fingers crossed that this is not revisited in Hyde Park this July.

Springsteen’s Best “One Time Only” Covers

The E Street Band’s performance of “The Weight” in Newark on Wednesday night was not just a great performance; it was notable as the only time Bruce has ever performed the song. So where does it fall in the rankings of Bruce Springsteen’s best “one-time-only” covers?

Many of Bruce’s greatest covers (“Sweet Soul Music,” “Rockin’ All Over the World,” the “Detroit Medley”) have been played numerous times over the years, and the audiences’ familiarity with them often adds power to their performance. But there are also those lighting-in-a-bottle moments where the band tries something for the first time and nails it. Hence this exercise.

The songs presented here are those performed once and only once. I was fully prepared to include the performance of “Ain’t Too Proud to Beg” from October 4, 1975 in Detroit (Audio: Link) — it would have come in at #3 on the list below — until research revealed that Bruce had done the song a few other times (albeit without the E Street Band). Additionally, performances where the songwriter was on stage are excluded. Is it really a “cover” if you’re singing “Better Man,” “Bad Luck,” or “Keep the Car Running” with the person who wrote and performed the song? A debate for another time, but those “covers” are also excluded here.

The top 5:

5. Expressway to Your Heart, May 4, 2009, Nassau Coliseum
Video: Link
Ostensibly a “sign request,” but rehearsed in the pre-show soundcheck, to obvious great effect.

4. When I Grow Up to Be a Man, June 1, 1985, Slane Castle
Audio: Link
Dave Marsh suggested in Glory Days that Bruce sounded miserable due to the large, sometimes-out of control crowd at Slane Castle that afternoon and coming out for the encore with a mostly acoustic number was a clear attempt to change the direction of the show, if only temporarily. The choice of song is also notable as this was Bruce’s first show after getting married (for the first time).

3. Haunted House, October 31, 1980, Los Angeles Sports Arena
Audio: Link
The first of the Halloween shows in Los Angeles with Bruce carried on-stage in a coffin. Originally by “Jumpin’” Gene Simmons, and a classic example of the humorous Bruce-Clarence interaction on stage.

2. I’ll Fly Away, April 22, 2008, St. Pete Times Forum
Video: Link
Essentially the public memorial service for Danny Federici, this entire show featured a setlist tailored specifically to emphasize Danny’s role in the band. And then, to start the encore, the entire band (yes, even including Max on the backing vocals) came to the front of the stage for this, a moment too powerful to ever be repeated.

1. Ballad of Easy Rider, August 20, 1981, Los Angeles Sports Arena
Audio: Link
A big part of why the benefit concert for the Vietnam Veterans of America Foundation remains one of the most important (and best) shows of Bruce’s entire career.

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Also considered: Night Train (Atlanta ’78); Little Bit O’Soul (Philadelphia ’09); I Sold My Heart to the Junkman (Boston ’74).

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So where does “The Weight” come in? Outside the top 5, but not by far; it would likely be somewhere between #6 and #9, a remarkable feat, as all of the songs in the top five were likely rehearsed and practiced ahead of time.

Ranking the Fallon Appearances

Where do Bruce and the E Street Band’s appearances on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon rank within a list of Bruce’s television appearances?   As posed in the comments on a below post, it’s certainly an interesting question.

For the exercise, only appearances on television “shows” are considered.  Portions of full shows, such as the MTV Europe live broadcast of the Barcelona 2002 show is out, as is the Live in New York City HBO special.  Also out are things like the SOS Racisme Concert, or the Carousel House or the Super Bowl.

The top five:

1. “My City of Ruins,” America: A Tribute To Heroes Telethon – September 21, 2001

I’m not sure this could ever be topped.

2. “Death to My Hometown,” “Jack of All Trades,” and “The E Street Shuffle,” Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, March 2, 2012

I’d put this at number two due to a confluence of factors: the performance (excellent), the use of the special guests (Morello and the Roots), and the high stakes nature of the performance, debuting two new songs and the first use of saxophone in the E Street Band after Clarence’s death.

http://www.nbc.com/assets/video/widget/widget.html?vid=1388769

3. Spectacle: Elvis Costello with…, September 25, 2009

There was Bruce and Elvis doing a Sam and Dave song on the stage of the Apollo Theatre.  There was the solo acoustic “American Skin” and the definitive version of “Galveston Bay.”  And the three songs with Bruce, Roy and Nils joining Elvis and the Impostors, bringing a new power to “The Rising” plus an incendiary “Seeds.”

4. “Kitty’s Back” and “Merry Christmas Baby,” Late Night with Conan O’Brien, December 11, 2002

The band in mid-tour form, basically bringing a small part of their then-annual Christmas shows to national television.

5. “Lonesome Day” and (in particular) ”You’re Missing,” Saturday Night Live, October 5, 2002.

“Lonesome Day” was solid if unspectacular, but the still-never-repeated solo piano “You’re Missing” was unexpected: conventional wisdom dictates either second new song or a live classic for the second SNL song.

Missed the cut:

SNL ’92, Letterman ’93, Letterman ’95, MTV Where It’s At ’98, Conan ’99, MTV VMAs ’02, Fallon ’10, Fallon ’12 (first appearance)