Bruce Springsteen 27/5/1981

This gig vies for top spot of all gigs I have ever been to. I have been to gigs that peaked at higher levels but for its sheer sustained brilliance and energy(for around three hours) this has a special place in my gigography. It is fair to say that Springsteen was at his creative best around this time and that the band had a whole stack of great musicians but I was not ready for the rock'n'roll blast that started with the first chord of the opening track 'Born to Run' which then segued into 'Prove it all night' and then finally into 'Out on the Street' without pause. That was some opening. 'The River' had been released the previous year and Springsteen took us through much of this impecable double album as well as playing songs from his previous albums. The River is not just about great rock songs but also has a number of outstanding ballads. 'The River', 'The Price You Pay' Independence Day, 'Point Blank, 'Stolen Car and 'Wreck on the Highway' were all included in the gig and that is part of what made it a great night. Springsteen who could sing up a storm on both types of track kept the emotional rollercoaster going at a high pitch and even looked like he was enjoying every minute. The band was fantastic musically and also up for the rock'n'roll theatre that Springsteen put out. When your three guitarists are Springsteen, Nils Lofgren and Steve Van Zandt then you already have a great band. Adding in Roy Bittan on keyboards and the superb Clarence Clemons on sax just about seals the deal. There were innumerable outstanding songs and I am going to resist naming favourites in the interests of brevity as I would probably end up pretty much listing all the tracks. I take away a memory of Springsteen, long after I had expected the gig to finish,shouting at the audience that if anyone had a weak heart they'd better leave now. I don't think anyone did.