I can remember the moment I was introduced to this show remarkably well given it happened about eight years ago now. I’d gotten back from watching Sunderland play away at West Ham (We drew 1-1 I believe) and was played a “Jungleland” featuring, believe it or not, a guitar solo. I was a relatively newer Springsteen fan and knew a lot less than I know today, but even back then I was aware that Clarence Clemons’ sax solo is the equivalent of Michelangelo’s David and that to even consider tampering with it is the greatest of disrespects. I’d quickly learn on the night that this performance took place six months prior to the release of Born to Run, and so began my everlasting affection of The Main Point Night 1975, and all of the special, mystical and essential song performances within it.

The Main Point Night ’75 is well and truly one of the most famous audience Springsteen recordings ever and it’s fitting that I discovered it as a newer fan because it really is one of the best introductory bootlegs for someone just getting started listening to The E Street Band live. It’s a fantastic performance – I know, at this point I don’t really need to say this about Springsteen and The E Street Band shows – and despite the quality dip halfway into “Kitty’s Back” it still holds up remarkably well as the WMMR-FM radio broadcast it is recording against many of the fifty Archive Series releases since 2014. What really makes it continue to shine though are the unique song performances within. With only eighteen songs played – more than The Roxy ’75 and Hammersmith Odeon for what it’s worth – there’s about ten in this that are so grand that these two and a half hours feel as important as the four hours+ Springsteen would be playing in 2012 and 2016.

Playing in front of less than three hundred people, Bruce and his bandmates: consisting at this point in time of Roy Bittan, Clarence Clemons, Danny Federici, Garry Tallent, Max Weinberg and a violinist/backing vocalist named Suki Lahav, open with one of the most spectacular versions of “Incident on 57th Street” I can ever recall listening to, and it’s primarily down to Suki’s hauntingly beautiful instrumentals and vocal contributions. We all know at this point what Roy brings to the song on piano, but fans unfamiliar with this era may be unaware of the magic brought to “Incident” courtesy of Lahav’s violin. Think about it this way, the absence of the famed guitar outro is fine because of how good it is. The interpolation of siren sounds to fade the song out are a nice touch as well, not quite as good as the wailing guitar Bruce would use in later years, but if anything it serves as a nice confirmation of Spanish Johnny’s fate.

Followed by Springsteen’s most perfect cover of “Mountain of Love”, a rapturous version of “Born to Run” and that slow, soothing rendition of “The E Street Shuffle”, it’s the unfinished version of “Thunder Road” going by “Wings For Wheels” that I’d say gives The Main Point Night its status as truly legendary. Singing about Angelina instead of Mary, “Wings” is similar in several ways to the finished product including melody and even lyrics, but that rawness and freedom Bruce has in singing something yet to be perfected makes for one of the most outright fun song performances he’s ever given. Suki once again shines on violin, but she’s given a bit more competition for song stealer during this one by Roy, Danny and Clarence in particular. Clarence also aces a quick rendition of “I’m forever blowing bubbles“, the anthem of West Ham United after the song. Remember who I said I was watching Sunderland play earlier in the day before I heard this show? I’d say that’s fate.

Not too many Springsteen concerts are written into lore less than forty minutes in, but this one was and if the ending of “Wings For Wheels” didn’t confirm it then the first two minutes of “I Want You” – a cover of Bob Dylan’s Blonde on Blonde track – did. I’ve talked in the past about Bruce and his bandmates having such an incredible knack of covering songs as far back as their formative years and alongside the fun “Mountain of Love” earlier on this beautifully powerful ballad emphasises that. They weren’t finished with the covers either on this show as Bruce’s own “A Love So Fine” would include a snippet of future show closer and all round fan favourite “Shout”, and Chuck Berry’s “Back in the U.S.A.” would end the night on a rocking note.

Until they appeared in the encore though, the two hundred and seventy fans inside this Bryn Mawr club would witness remarkable performances of “Spirit in the Night”, “She’s the One” – featuring alternate lyrics, “Growin’ Up” and “It’s Hard to Be a Saint in The City” before the aforementioned alternate “Jungleland” wowed them and started a four song run that lasted just under an hour itself, culminating with “Rosalita (Come Out Tonight)”. Guitar solos aside, one factor that complements this “Jungleland” a lot today is the gritty radio feedback that leaves it even further from polished and much more uncooked, which is really the way “Jungleland” should always be. Following “Kitty’s Back” is one of the more peculiar live versions in Bruce’s catalogue: The twenty minute “New York City Serenade”. It’s experimental for sure and is definitely worth listening to once for historical purposes alone, but don’t be surprised or feel guilty if you’re finding yourself returning to any other version in favour of it in the future, because it’s not everyone’s cup of tea, regardless of how mint it is when it kicks in at 2:25. Just remember though, if you’re ever asking yourself where “hey little stranger what you doin’ tonight?” is from after thinking about it for ages, it’s this song!

So, this show’s encore consists of four songs. The opener, “4th of July, Asbury Park (Sandy)”, is like “Rosie” and the four tracks after “I Want You” in how it’s very solidly played and not too dissimilar to its album version or future live versions, and also featuring are the two aforementioned covers in “A Love So Fine” and “Back in the U.S.A.”. It’s the penultimate song of the night though that will always stand out as my personal highlight of this show. It’s one that I can listen to now and still feel the same way about as I’ve done every other time, including my first ever play. I don’t think Bruce Springsteen was that good a singer back in 1975, but my lord did he pull it out of the bag when he’d perform “For You” solo on piano – please listen to 4:24 – 4:49 of this if you want a fundamental example of that. Once again I think the quality of the recording somewhat benefits the ruggedness of the song, but it’s undoubtedly Bruce’s vocals that make this perfect. I remember writing back in September 2018 about the Hammersmith version that I’d really love to hear one that competes against it. The combination of professional audio and video gives Hammersmith the win over this, but this performance, this show in general, is a special example of the magic that was already there and the lightning that was just waiting to be let out of the bottle. It’s a perfect song performance.

One of the greatest live shows and bootlegs in Springsteen’s career and a quintessential example for all fans of the quality of Bruce and The E Street Band so early on in their careers, as well as a great showcase of Suki Lahav both on violin and in providing backing vocals. It’s been affirmed that this is unlikely to be released from the Archive Series due to Nugs not having the master tapes available, but really any recording you can find will be of listenable quality and also good enough to where you can appreciate just how good this night in The Main Point is.

Rating: 9/10