Back in 2014, Bruce Springsteen okayed the idea for his live shows performed over the years to be released, something that fans had been clamouring for him to do for a long time. Live releases had been a rarity from Springsteen, with less than twenty live performances officially released between 1986 and 2013. Since the Archive Series was introduced there have been 58 shows officially released (not to mention the additional 119 from 2014 and 2016/17), with plenty more still to come. The purpose of this guide is to let you know about the shows released so far, and to highlight the positive and negative aspects of them, to give a definitive idea of what you need to listen to, and what you can give a miss.

I’ll be looking at the releases in chronological order from the year they were performed, and in this first part of the guide, I’ll be talking about the releases from 1975 – 1985.

18th October, 1975 – West Hollywood, CA

The first release of a show from 1975 since February 2015 gives listeners a perfect blend of Springsteen’s earliest hits, Born to Run classics and sublime covers that can be heard in the finest of audio quality thanks to John Altschiller’s perfect mix. Springsteen and The E Street Band are on top form with great performances of “Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out” and a slower “The E Street Shuffle” – the latter having Sam Cooke’s “Havin’ a Party” interpolated. While I can understand the trepidation from some fans about this one being under two hours and having only fourteen songs played, that concern proves to be trivial as this is essentially a must-have based on the covers of Carole King’s “Goin’ Back” and Jackie DeShannon’s “When You Walk in the Room” alone. When comparing this alongside Upper Darby below and the famed Hammersmith Odeon show, this is the one to have.

For a more detailed review of this show.

Rating: 9.75/10

31st December, 1975 – Upper Darby, PA

As great as The Roxy show above is, that doesn’t negate the quality of the New Year’s Eve show that also sounds like it was recorded yesterday, thanks to the work of Toby Scott and Adam Ayan. This is an excellent show that gives the listener a perfect glimpse into the Born to Run era, filled with the youthful hopes and dreams – as evident in the performances of “She’s the One”, “Born to Run” and “It’s Hard to be a Saint in the City” – that made the album and tour such a success. This show also benefits from the storytelling aspect, with haunting and hilarious tales woven into covers of The Animals’ “It’s My Life” and Manfred Mann’s “Pretty Flamingo”, and they’re a great example of what sets E Street Band shows so far apart from many others.

Read about this show in more detail here.

Rating: 8/10

7th February, 1977 – Albany, NY & 8th February, 1977 – Rochester, NY

Acquired from soundboard recordings, these two “never before heard” releases from the obscure 1977 “Lawsuit Tour” provides an insight as to what The E Street Band were up to in-between the famed Born to Run and Darkness tours, with glimpses of what was to come in the next year through an early performance of “Something in the Night” alongside Darkness outtakes, “The Promise”, “Rendezvous” and “Action in the Streets”, the first ever performance of the latter.

Unfortunately, the quality of these two shows is affected by the sound issues coming from cuts in specific songs: Albany features incomplete versions of “Rosalita (Come Out Tonight)” and “Born to Run”, while Rochester suffers with incomplete performances of “Something in the Night”, “Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out” and “The Promise.”

The silver lining here, of course, is that while these performances are incomplete on one show, you can hear the full performances on the other.

I’d suggest if you’re torn between downloading one or the other, go for Albany, as “Rosie” and “Born to Run” are available on many other archive releases, whereas there aren’t many versions of “Something in the Night” and “The Promise.”

You can read my complete write-up of these two concerts here.

Albany Rating: 6.75/10

Rochester Rating: 6.5/10

7th July, 1978 – West Hollywood, CA

The twenty-ninth release from the series to mark the fortieth anniversary of the show, the release of The Roxy ’78 makes the famed bootleg recording of the legendary KMET radio broadcast redundant, and provides an excellent three hour listening experience of one of the many celebrated Darkness tour shows, where alongside the drum-pounding and guitar-shredding music, the best example of Springsteen the storyteller is now evident on a ’78 show release.

The show’s audio quality is stunning, and in contrast to previous recordings this actually allows you to feel like a member of the audience. It’s one of best sounding ’78 releases, though not quite on the level of Passaic. The only downside is that there are a couple of moments where you can hear microphone feedback – this is nothing that will ruin the show, but it’s worth being wary of if you’re listening to the release loudly through earphones.

The Roxy show is perfectly balanced in regards to songs played, with plenty from the Darkness album. Highlights include the album’s title track and “Racing in the Street”, alongside a plethora of covers such as Buddy Holly’s “Rave On” and Elvis’ “Heartbreak Hotel”, which is a notable improvement from the bootleg. Classics from the first three Springsteen albums, and some debuts from the yet-to-be-released River album, also feature, with the now definitive, complete version of “Backstreets” featuring the “Sad Eyes” interlude finally available after the infamous editing on the Live 75 – 85 box-set.

If you’re a diehard Springsteen fan or someone wanting an idea why the ’78 shows are so famed, this is a show you need to hear.

For more about this show, read here.

Rating: 9.5/10

9th August, 1978 – Cleveland, OH

The famously revered Agora show of the summer of 1978 was a long-awaited Holy Grail of releases from Springsteen fans, and fittingly, it was one of the first shows released from the Archive back in 2014. The show epitomizes the Darkness tour, with outstanding performances of Darkness tour classics such as “Factory”, “Racing in the Street”, “Growin’ Up” and “Backstreets”. The only downside to this one is that the audio quality is hardly different from that on the radio broadcast bootlegs fans had been listening to for years whilst awaiting an official release.

This show is obviously worth downloading for the historical value, but if you’re hoping to experience Springsteen’s greatest tour in the finest audio quality possible, you’re better off giving this a miss in favour of Passaic ’78.

Read about this concert in more detail here.

Rating: 7/10

19th September, 1978 – Passaic, NJ

When I wrote the piece for the second show of the three night stand in the Capitol Theatre, that you can read below, in June 2018, I didn’t have it in mind that it would be bettered just over a year later. Now, I’m not going to criticise the 20th September show, because as you can see beneath it’s truly fantastic. It’s just not the Pièce De Résistance of Springsteen’s live career. What the 19th September, 1978 show offers is the finest first set you’ll ever hear as a Springsteen fan, the most magical versions of “Racing in the Street” from 1978 and of “Thunder Road” in general. Including more Darkness tracks such as the rare “Streets of Fire” and the Darkness Tour staple “Prove It All Night”, they show just how amazing the guitar, piano and organ playing was in ’78 and along with the sublime versions of “She’s The One” and “Backstreets”, there was no doubt in my mind about breaking my rating scale for it after listening, as for as great as the rest of the Archive Series releases are, they don’t touch this one.

FOR MORE ON SPRINGSTEEN’S GREATEST LIVE SHOW

Rating: 10.25

20th September, 1978 – Passaic, NJ

In stark contrast to The Agora show, the audio quality on this release of another of Springsteen’s greatest shows is arguably the measuring stick to which all other archive releases will be compared. Similarly to the 1975 Upper Darby release, this show sounds like it was recorded yesterday. It perfectly conveys everything needed to admire and appreciate the Darkness tour the way it deserves to be listened to.

The quality of the audio would be redundant if it wasn’t for the quality of the actual show. The second of three nights in the Capitol Theatre is Bruce Springsteen and The E Street Band at their very best, three hours of arguably the best 22 song set you’re ever likely to hear. Many of the core Darkness tour songs featured on the Agora release are present here alongside outstanding renditions of songs from Springsteen’s first three albums – the trifecta from WIESS of “Kitty’s Back”, “Incident on 57th Street” and “Rosalita (Come Out Tonight)” steal the show – as well as two songs that would find themselves on The River album two years later in “Independence Day” and “Point Blank.” The show is filled with highlights, with the only shame being that Darkness tour favourites “Racing in the Street” and “Backstreets” weren’t performed on the night, but their absence isn’t enough to bring this show down.

This is a must-have for any Springsteen fan.

TO READ MORE ABOUT THIS SHOW

Rating: 10/10

8th December, 1978 – Houston, TX

Released to raise funds for the MusiCares® Hurricane Relief Fund following Hurricane Harvey in August 2017, this show that had been previously released on DVD gives fans a chance to focus more so on the music itself without the ‘distractions’ of what Springsteen and The E Street Band are doing onstage. While it pales in comparison to the aforementioned Passaic shows, both audio and performance-wise, this night in The Summit is sequenced excellently with two unique themes being explored in the first and second sets. Additionally, this one offers amazing performances of “Prove It All Night”, “The Fever” and “Because The Night”, alongside unique, early performances of “Independence Day”, “The Ties That Bind” and “Point Blank”, which would find themselves on The River two years later. It’s not perfect, but it’s Springsteen and The E Street Band in 1978 – what else could we ask for?

Check out my full review of the show here!

Rating: 7.4/10

15th December, 1978 – San Fransisco, CA

Another Darkness Tour radio broadcast, another all-time great Springsteen show. Winterland is one that fans have been wanting to be released for forty-one years now and many have considered it to be the Holy Grail of live Springsteen. It can’t be disputed that it’s in the conversation either. While the setlist isn’t too dissimilar to other Darkness shows, the performance level from Springsteen and The E Street Band in this one, for my money, comes close to the Piece De Resistance that is Passaic night one, with “Darkness on the Edge of Town”, “Prove It All Night” and “Backstreets” standing out as possible Archive Series bests.

READ AN EXTENDED WRITE-UP OF WINTERLAND NIGHT ONE HERE.

Rating: 9.75/10

16th December, 1978 – San Fransisco, CA

This one might not have been on the radio, but it’s another Darkness Tour show that has Springsteen and The E Street Band playing like they’ve (still) got something to prove. Likewise with the show above, there’s twenty-five songs played, and while there’s only four changes – “Good Rocking Tonight” opening, “Rendezvous” played instead of “Streets of Fire”, “Independence Day” in the “Factory” slot and “It’s Hard to be a Saint in the City” opening the second set in favour of “The Ties That Bind” – there’s plenty to love and “Saint” is the pick of that particular bunch. This one’s also got a peculiar “Backstreets” for the tour with no lengthy interlude in the middle, which might be just for you if you’re just wanting songs the way they were originally penned, and a “Racing in the Street” that both suffers and flourishes because of Bruce momentarily forgetting the words to the chorus. Moments like that and an all round performance that isn’t quite to the standards of the previous night stop it from being as good, but when you hear Bruce’s singing on songs such as “The Promised Land” and “Born to Run”, you’ll be having the time of your life regardless.

CHECK OUT MY REVIEW OF THE FULL SHOW HERE.

Rating: 8.5/10

21st September 1979 + 22nd September 1979, New York, NY

Released as the 2018 Christmas special, the two performances from Madison Square Garden for the No Nukes concert presented by the Musicians United for Safe Energy (M.U.S.E) not only gives fans an opportunity to experience Springsteen and The E Street Band post Darkness and pre-River, but a chance to hear a rare combination of rousing Darkness tracks, Springsteen’s live warhorses and early previews of River album material. In particular, the first two live performances of “The River”. Additionally this features splendid covers of “Stay” featuring additional vocals from Jackson Browne, Rosemary Butler and Tom Petty, “Detroit Medley” showcasing The E Street Band at a time when they were arguably on their finest form and a performance of “Quarter to Three” that has been revered for over forty years. While these two shows are very similar in setlist and last for less than ninety minutes, they’re really worth checking out.

To read an extended review of No Nukes 1979, check out my New from the Springsteen archive post.

Rating: 8.75/10

5th November, 1980 – Tempe, AZ

Unlike the rest of the shows available on http://live.brucespringsteen.net, this doesn’t really qualify as a true archive release due to the fact there are only 10 songs featured in comparison to the 32 songs performed on the night of the show. These 10 songs are the performances not recorded and included on the official DVD release included in The Ties That Bind: The River Collection.

Initially a free download, this sample of the great Tempe show now costs $7.95, so my suggestion would be to hesitate from buying in the event of the full show being released in the future. There’s nothing wrong with any of the songs included here, but out of context they fail to truly captivate the listener.

For a review of the full show from Tempe, check out my retro review.

Rating: N/A

29th December, 1980 – Uniondale, NY

While it might have three songs less and run at 3hrs34 in comparison to the show below’s 3hrs42, the second show from the Nassau stand is a jewel in the crown of Springsteen fans invested in the Archive Series. Highlighted by the quintessential “Incident on 57th Street” into “Rosalita (Come Out Tonight)”, this marathon show has just about everything a Springsteen fan could desire from one of his greatest tours. Featuring thirteen tracks from The River album, including sublime versions of “Hungry Heart”, “Point Blank”, “The Ties That Bind” and “The River” – with an intro where Roy Bittan plays Ennio Morricone’s theme for “Once Upon a Time in the West” – as well as back-catalogue live staples and rarities, I’d strongly advise checking this one out.

To read about this show in more detail, click here.

Rating: 9.25/10

31st December, 1980 – Uniondale, NY

At one point the longest show of Springsteen’s career, the New Year’s Eve show from Nassau (like above) contains everything you need to hear from The River Tour of 1980.

Lively River era rockers such as “Out in the Street”, “Two Hearts” and “Ramrod” are complemented and contrasted by the album’s bleak material such as “Fade Away”, “Wreck on the Highway” and the stunning changed version of “The Price You Pay.” With material spanning the last ten years scattered throughout, powerful performances of “Who’ll Stop the Rain” and “This Land is Your Land” are a great indicator of Springsteen’s mindset at the time and a glimpse of the political themes he would explore in the future.

Around two and a half hours into the show is the New Year’s countdown where River outtake “Held Up Without a Gun”, covers “In the Midnight Hour” and “Auld Lang Syne” bring the audience, and the listener into 1981 for the final portion of the show, which lasts over an hour. With 38 songs totalling up to a near-four hour-long show, there is plenty here to enjoy. It’s a classic show that all hardcore fans need to hear, and a perfect introduction for new fans to a multitude of songs in the Springsteen catalogue.

This show was remixed and re-released in July 2019, meaning this show that I initially had no issues with the audio of can now be heard with sound quality that the initial release pales in comparison to. This fresher sound brings performances of “Racing in the Street”, “This Land is Your Land”, “The Price You Pay” and more to life with vibrancy they simply didn’t have for the last four years. Though I had no qualms with the sound, I always felt the show wasn’t as special as it’s been made out to be, despite the thirty-eight songs and 3hr40min run-time, so I felt a rating of 8.75/10 was fair. I’ve decided to revise this show’s rating to 9.25/10, and while this is the same rating as the December 29th show, I truly feel that by themselves they only tell half a story, and that they need to be heard back-to-back for a greater listening experience.

You can read my full review of the remixed show here.

Rating: 9.25/10

5th June, 1981 – London, UK

The first official release from 1981 and the thirtieth release from the Archive is an excellent example of Springsteen and The E Street Band at their very best.

There’s a fantastic blend of famed Springsteen tracks from the first six years of his career, twelve River album tracks and a plethora of covers all brilliantly performed, leaving you questioning why this relatively unknown show isn’t as famed as The Roxy and Passaic.

For a show recorded in 1981, you’ll be amazed at just how great this sounds on the ears, as everything from Bruce’s vocals to the intricacies of instrumentals from The E Street Band members can be heard in the finest of audio quality. Each and every one of Springsteen and his Band members shine over the course of this near-three hour show. There are few downsides amongst many highlights. While some may be critical of the decision to fill in the unrecorded last ninety-five seconds of “Detroit Medley” with audio from a fan’s bootleg recording, others may be thankful that this section of the show has been included to provide a full version of one of Springsteen’s greatest live songs, and also optimistic that this move has increased the chances of many other not fully recorded shows being released in all their glory. Additionally, the biggest lowlight of the show for me is the version of “Follow That Dream” that is much changed from the perfect cover Springsteen would perform from 1984-onwards, but what is a downside to me may be nirvana for others.

Regarding the feeling of nirvana, that’s something you’re likely to experience when listening to the rest of this thirty-one song set; classics like “The Promised Land”, “The River” and “Thunder Road” are stunning, while covers such as “Who’ll Stop the Rain” and “Jole Blon” leave you thinking they’re the definitive versions.

This is a show that should be listened to as soon as possible.

For a more in-depth review of what’s great about this show, check out my New from the Springsteen Archive review.

Rating: 10/10

9th July, 1981 – East Rutherford, NJ

Returning from a massive European Tour as homecoming heroes, Springsteen and The E Street Band deliver one of the finest shows of the entire River Tour. Featuring sublime versions of “Trapped”, “The Ties That Bind” and a “Jersey Girl” that’s so good, Springsteen selected it to end his legendary Live 1975-85 box set. While there are drawbacks in how “Racing in the Street” sounds off and Danny Federici’s organ is often distant in mix, don’t let that turn you away from this stellar release where Springsteen continues to explore his changing worldview with Elvis Presley inspired performances of “Follow That Dream” and “Johnny Bye-Bye” and Vietnam driven renditions of “Who’ll Stop the Rain” and “Badlands”.

To read about this concert in more detail, you can check out my extended review here!

Rating: 8.8/10

5th August, 1984 – East Rutherford, NJ

The first show to be released from the 1984-85 Born in the USA World Tour took many fans by surprise. Never deemed to be an all-time great, the first of ten consecutive shows at the Brendan Byrne Arena combines stunning performances of Nebraska and BITUSA album tracks alongside an array of songs befitting Springsteen’s return to New Jersey. What stands out here are the excellent vocals of Patti Scialfa during “Out in the Street”, the greatest performance of “Highway Patrolman”, and the homecoming theme that is notable through emotional performances of “Used Cars”, “My Hometown”, “Bobby Jean”, the incredible cover of Tom Waits’ “Jersey Girl”, and further emphasised with fun stories from Springsteen about his youth in “Glory Days” and “Growin’ Up.”

The only downside to this particular release is that it bears many similarities to the next show to be released from 1984, and in regards to emotional resonance and historical context, it pales in comparison.

You can read about the full show here.

Rating: 8.25/10

6th August, 1984 – East Rutherford, NJ

Unsurprisingly similar in setlist to the opening night above – and also the final night below- there are more than enough unique tracks featured on this one to make it a fresh listening experience in comparison. Whether it’s the riveting renditions of “Open All Night”, “I’m a Rocker” and “Street Fighting Man”, or the staggeringly great and powerful “Racing in the Street”. For a year where Springsteen and The E Street Band played well over one hundred gigs, another release from a stand where we’ve already had two releases can be frustrating. Unfortunately, it’s been said that there were only four shows from this year recorded in multi-track and they all happened to be from the Brendan Byrne Arena, and while that doesn’t rule out Bruce Inc. having soundboard recordings in that vault, at the moment this is the only chance we’ll get to hear the likes of “Open All Night”, “Racing in the Street” and “Street Fighting Man” from this tour in the best possible quality.

You can read about this full show here.

Rating: 9.1/10

20th August, 1984 – East Rutherford, NJ

When Bruce Springsteen opens a show claiming “Tonight’s the night!“, it’s a clear indication that there’s something special ahead, and this night is the epitome of special. With the theme of brotherhood prevalent throughout, from Bruce’s story about his band mates during “Glory Days” to his monologue about New Jersey preceding “My Hometown”, it’s blatantly apparent after an hour in that this is a show full of emotion.

The contributions of the Miami Horns during “Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out” increase the jovial tone that follows an excellent “Cadillac Ranch”, but “Tenth’s” context of being about Clarence Clemons and The E Street Band becomes interesting with a heart-rending, but at the same time, jubilant “No Surrender” being performed next, dedicated to Little Steven who had left The E Street Band prior to the BITUSA World Tour beginning, but would return for this very night to perform two songs with Bruce: “Two Hearts” and “Drift Away”. The first says it all, that “two hearts are better than one“, while the second – one of the greatest moments in Springsteen’s career – is triumphant, with the Miami Horns again adding to that jovial feeling while Bruce and Stevie pour their hearts out to one another.

Words can do this show little justice. It’s one for the ages, and thanks to the Archive Series it can finally be heard the way it was performed on that summer night in 1984.

More can be read about this show here.

Rating: 9.5/10

27 th September, 1985 – Los Angeles, CA

Showcasing Springsteen and The E Street Band at the greatest height of their popularity, this Nils Lofgren inspired show is the first of a final four-show stand on the Born in the U.S.A. World Tour. Featuring ten of the twelve songs from the tour’s respective album – “I’m Goin’ Down” and “Downbound Train” stand out – as well as a couple of studio outtakes in the form of “Seeds”, “Stand On It” and “Janey Don’t You Lose Heart”, there’s plenty of BITUSA to delve into on this one. Alongside those are tremendous covers of “Trapped”, “This Land is Your Land” and Springsteen’s live debut of “War” following an excellent and emotional extended version of “The River”. When comparing this to the two BITUSA World Tour shows above, I have no reservations in saying this one blows them out of the water.

READ ABOUT THIS SHOW IN MORE DETAIL

Rating: 9.75/10

All of these shows can be found on http://live.brucespringsteen.net if you’re interested in listening to them.

Part 2 available here.