When I first started writing blogs in January 2018, one of my first ideas was to possibly review that months Archive Series release. For some reason I didn’t get around to it and didn’t start reviewing the releases until February. As you might expect, it’s always bothered me that this is the one show released in 2018 I didn’t written about in-depth, so let’s get to fixing that!

The first official release of a full concert – MTV Plugged remains the first actual release – from The 92-93 World Tour, aka “The Other Band Tour“, sees Springsteen and his new bandmates play a benefit to help fight hunger, playing a mixture of setlist regulars and surprising new additions for the occasion. I’ll immediately say that I’m not too fond of this show as a whole, as I like setlists to be structured and flow in a somewhat connected manner. In contrast, this is very stop-start with too many acoustic songs and one too many guest appearances. Not to say it’s all bad, it’s just consistently inconsistent.

In fact, there’s a lot to like music-wise, and with thirty-five songs in the set, it’s no surprise that there’s a scattering of soulful and beautiful tracks performed on the night. There’s also a few song sequences that relate nicely to the benefit’s theme, and we get an example of that from the off with “I Ain’t Got No Home”, “Seeds” and “This Hard Land” really emphasising the struggles of living in poverty, not just of those going hungry.

“I Ain’t Got No Home” sees Bruce give all of his key vocalists on the night a chance to showcase their talents, “Seeds” is without the “Rockaway The Days” melody that he’d play it with at the Bridge School Benefit in ’86, but it’s enjoyable regardless with it’s scathingly upbeat tempo. On the other hand, “Adam Raised a Cain” – which precedes “This Hard Land” in his solo mini-set – is very similar to the version he’d be playing in Belfast three years later on the Joad Tour, with the pace it’s being played at being the only noticeable difference. Bruce monologues a little before “This Hard Land”, talking about it being a song he wrote in the mid-eighties and halting the audience’s excitement by suggesting it could one of the bad ones (he does say it a tad more crudely than that). He quickly runs through the song’s themes and nicely dedicates it to Little Steven before playing a delightful rendition of the U.S.A. outtake. Roy pops up on the synth and Bruce’s singing is fantastic, a lot smoother than it is on the many 2016 versions, and while I wouldn’t say there’s more purpose in his voice than there was in 1996, he definitely sounds more joyous singing on this occasion.

“Better Days” properly kicks off the show and it’s the third most enjoyable Human Touch – Lucky Town track of the night after “Man’s Job” and “Roll of the Dice”. I’ve alway thought that the LT album opener is fantastic and I still believe it’s an under-appreciated gem of Springsteen’s back catalogue, so I really like how these releases from 1992 and 1993 give more fans a chance to enjoy it. This version is driven by Roy’s magnificent synth playing, and it’s not the last song of the night where that’s the case. The use of the synthesiser in Springsteen concerts isn’t loved by everyone, and there’s a few who think it’s an aspect that hasn’t aged well at all. Speaking as someone who wasn’t around during in the eighties/early nineties though, I think it’s a great way of stepping into that era. It’s something that The Duffer Brothers have executed perfectly to recreate the necessary period in Stranger Things, and alongside that being the case here, the synth adds an otherworldly, almost unsettling aura to the song its being played in, particularly this “Atlantic City”. Introduced as “a song about running out of choices“, it may lack the soul of E Street – not as much as the lifeless “Badlands” and a version of “The River” that’s sang with a tranquil passion rather than a frustrated one – but it’s sang remarkably well and Bruce’s 1992-93 Band do a fine job. It’s that synth playing from Roy, however, that makes for the song being one of this show’s must listens. Firstly at 1min56 and again at 4mins27, these adrenaline shots from The Professor guarantee no slacking from the listener for Bruce’s following lyrics, while also making us hope Electric Nebraska exists somewhere and that it has a ton of moments like this in every song.

After a relatively underwhelming opening five-pack also featuring a “Lucky Town” that isn’t sang very well, the “No justice, no peace” remix of “57 Channels (And Nothin’ On)” and the above mentioned “Badlands”, we get one of those beautiful covers in “Satan’s Jewel Crown”. Sang very well by Bruce and his harmonists, this one time only track in the Archive Series is most certainly a jewel in its crown. The downside of it is how it’s one of those performances that makes for the show being stop-start. Five songs in after a four song acoustic opening, this semi-acoustic cover seems really out of place after a “Badlands” that you’d expect to start a run of rockers.

It’s a similar story with the acoustic “Does This Bus Stop at 82nd Street?” (again) five songs later. Yeah, it opens the second set so you can give it the benefit of the doubt, but it falls a bit flat following the rousing HT-LT trio of “Leap of Faith”, “Man’s Job” and “Roll of the Dice” / “Everybody Needs Somebody to Love”, where the vocals of Springsteen and Bobby King shine. You can’t say the 92-93 Tour wasn’t different! For as good as these three are though, the highlight of the late first set and early second is “My Hometown”. From the many versions I’ve heard, it seems very difficult to produce a poor rendition of the Born in the U.S.A. album closer, and thankfully this one contains a lot of that previously mentioned E Street-esque spirit courtesy of Bruce’s singing and, particularly, Crystal Taliefero’s guitar playing, which is perfectly tender for the performance.

As for the second set, following “Bus Stop” there’s a few heavy hitters including a “Because The Night” that’s incredibly exotic thanks to Shane Fontaine’s use of whammy bar on the guitar and a double shot of Bruce and Patti expressing their love for one another in “Brilliant Disguise” and “Human Touch”. The Tunnel track sounds much more easygoing than the Detroit ’88 version a lot of us will have been playing to death the last week, and the two serve for a good comparison and contrast as to where Bruce was in his life at this point in time, while “Human Touch” is excellent. The song mightn’t get the amount of praise it deserves, but everything about it is representative of the change in character that was Live Springsteen, and Springsteen outright in the nineties, and that’s evident here. The tonal shift is evident thanks, once more, to Shane’s guitar, Roy’s keyboards and Tommy Sims’ bass that add a psychedelic and melancholy atmosphere to proceedings. I also need to mention the brilliant balance between Bruce and Patti’s vocals, with the grit in Bruce’s voice being contrasted by Patti’s flawlessly smooth sound. Following this Bruce dedicates “The River” to his sister, Ginny, before covering “Who’ll Stop The Rain” and if you’re playing this one expecting Wembley 1981, you’re going to be disappointed. This is unfortunately one of the weaker songs played on the night, as much like with “Badlands” and “The River”, Bruce has no fire in his throat and the way he’s singing seems to suggest the rain stopped years ago. I’m also not a fan of the backing vocals from Ciambotti, Kennedy and Rogers because the song doesn’t call for them, it needs to be urgent and heart wrenching, not wistful. As I’ve said before though, the joy of the Archive Series is in how it gives us the gift of choice to pick our favourites, and maybe the versions we love wouldn’t sound as good if not for the ones we don’t.

One thing I will give this CCR cover, and to a degree “The River”, is their placement in the setlist leading into the magnificent trio of “Souls of the Departed”, “Living Proof” and “Born in the U.S.A.” that acts a sister sequence to the great “Spare Parts”, “War” and “Born in the U.S.A.” combination from the 1988 tour. This time the difference being is that the little boy being born into a country and world full of Jimmy Bly’s, Raphael Rodriguez’, the protagonist of “BITSUA” and all others who’ve suffered in wars, is his own. I think “Living Proof” is the best song on this show and one of the Archive Series’ diamonds, but I have to say without “Souls” preceding it and that lyric, “at night as I put my own son in bed, all I can think of is what if it would’ve been him instead” standing out, it might not have hit me as hard as it did (and continues do) the first time I heard it. You also have to think that Bruce may have intentionally sang “Who’ll Stop The Rain” the way he did so “Souls” and all of his scathing rage towards its finale was more emphasised. Along with Shane’s guitar playing this isn’t one to miss. If, though, it comes down to a choice of having to listen to either “Souls” or “Living Proof”, well I’d advise you take the latter everyday of the week and twice on Sundays. Sang with such power, but with a calming sense of reflectiveness at the same time, this entire show was worth releasing so we could hear this alone. Everything from Alford’s drumming, to Roy’s keyboard riffs and Fontayne’s contributions is spot on, and if you’re listening to this after playing Detroit ’88 wanting a definitive idea of where Bruce was in his life at this point, listen to the way he sings “I swear I’ve seen it baby” at 4:29. That’s a man at peace.

We even get that “Star Spangled Banner” intro to “Born in the U.S.A.” as a Brucie Bonus too, which is absolutely mint, even if “BITUSA” isn’t as immense as it could be due to Bruce (once more) altering his vocals and singing the song tamely as a result. That’s really the only issue, as The 92-93 Band do an exceptional job in the background, and even though their offering isn’t grand to the levels of The E Street Band at their peak in 1988, they definitely should be given some credit.

Right, so it’s at this point where the show becomes a bit of a chore to listen to. You all know that I’m usually an advocate for extended songs like a twenty minute “Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out” or thirteen minute “Mary’s Place”, but fifteen minutes of “Light of Day” is too much. I probably wouldn’t mind if it had Bruce going on a rant to the levels of the MSG 2000 version, but without that this isn’t worth playing more than once. And the same can be said about Joe Ely’s “Settle For Love”, sang by Joe Ely without any vocal contribution from Bruce. Now I don’t think it’s a bad song, but I’m not listening to Bruce Springsteen concerts to hear Joe Ely sing his own songs. If you’re both a Springsteen and Ely fan this will be heaven, if not I can only hope the song strikes a chord with you, ultimately for me this is the one too many of guest performances on the night.

There’s a few more guest performances afterwards too, and thankfully they’re regulars in Springsteen concerts singing Springsteen penned tracks. Little Steven joins for “Glory Days”, plays a class guitar instrumental, and comes back for the second song of ‘The Jersey Set’ and my second favourite performance of the show, “It’s Been a Long Time”. Before we get to that though I do need to mention how tremendous the 1992-93 version of “Thunder Road” is. In this write up I’ve talked about the E Street warhorses lacking soul, but this one is stunning and I’d even put it on a pedestal above many other versions of the song including the Reunion Tour rendition and the acoustic finales Bruce has played in recent years. The nineties were the start of a new life for Bruce Springsteen, and this variation from the norm for his greatest song acted as a lovely invitation to his audiences to join him on this new journey into the unknown. Of course, it’s Roy’s work on the organ that gives the song the bulk of its sentimental beauty, but that raspiness in Bruce’s voice as the song goes on adds a lot too. Whether you’re checking this version out or the ones from MTV Plugged or the first 1992 Archive release, just as long as you check it out.

Ok, now we’ll get to “It’s Been a Long Time”. This is the first of four songs featuring Southside Johnny on vocals (“Blowin’ Down This Road”, “Having a Party” and “It’s All Right” follow) and while Taliefero, Ciambotti, Kennedy, Rogers and The Miami Horns do a fine job with backing harmonies, this is all about Southside, Springsteen and Stevie and their phenomenal chemistry. It’s a really nice song about brotherhood, ageing and looking back at the times they’ve shared, and all three do a damn good job vocals-wise. Listen to it immediately and listen to it over and over again.

So, this section of the show has seen The Miami Horns, Little Steven and Southside Johnny making appearances, Patti has appeared earlier on and even Bruce’s friend, Joe Ely has appeared. It still feels like something’s missing, though, doesn’t it? Bruce seemed to think that and decided this New Jersey audience needed to be hit with the “Tenth”. And we know that to play “Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out” in New Jersey, you need something very Big. The Archive Series has received some criticism over the years regarding how audience noise is mixed in, with some shows being lambasted for sounding lifeless, while others have a bit too much. I’ll give Jon Altschiller his due on this one, as the reaction here as Clarence Clemons makes his way onstage is like nothing I’ve heard on any other release. You can bet that it’s hair-raising and it’s a special E Street moment done justice. The Big Man and Stevie hang about for “Born to Run”, and if I had one criticism, it’s that they should have released this show after a couple other 92-93 shows featuring just Bruce’s new band, making us wait for this reunion. And, with respect to Crystal Taliefero, it would have been worth the wait to hear the real thing as far as the “Born to Run” sax solo is concerned.

The last half hour of the show is slightly underwhelming given the previous five songs, but there’s positives to be found in the “My Beautiful Reward” and “Blowin’ Down This Road”, the two highlights. Unsurprisingly on “My Beautiful Reward” it’s Roy’s keyboards that add beauty alongside Bruce’s vocals – I’m just about convinced this song is about his daughter, Jessica – and the duet between Bruce and Joe Ely is excellent on the latter, with it calling back to the night’s theme of fighting hunger as Ely sings, “our children need three square meals a day“. This is so good they should have played it twice rather than have Ely sing “Settle For Love” on his own! “Having a Party” is fine with Southside on lead vocals and The Miami Horns in the background, but it’s another song where Bruce takes a backseat, which is a little bit irksome. He does participate in the song, however, and his contributions along with Bobby King are very good.

The Mighty Max Weinberg jumps onto drums for “Jersey Girl”, and honestly this just makes me appreciate the Live 75-85 version all the more, because the way Bruce sings it really sounds out of key and unnatural. Max and the rest of the band do a fine job, but their work is made redundant as the vocal change makes this nearly unlistenable. Following thirty-four tracks and three hours, forty six minutes of music, “It’s All Right” brings the show to a close and regardless of Bobby King’s excellent, soulful vocals, this is a dud of a show closer. I suppose it’s a clear example of Bruce wanting to change up his live act, but this achieves so much less than “Twist and Shout” or even “Raise Your Hand” would.

For a benefit show, this long listen does offer a wide variety of Human Touch and Lucky Town tracks alongside a bunch of E Street warhorses, including the biggest being played with Little Stevie and Clarence Clemons. Back in June 2018 I gave this a rating of 6.25/10 and taking into account now all of the excellent: “Atlantic City”, “Living Proof” and “It’s Been a Long Time”, and the not very good: “Badlands”, “Light of Day” and “Jersey Girl”, I’m going to bump this show’s rating up slightly to 6.5/10. This is a concert where the positives should outweigh the amount of stop start and guest vocalists over Springsteen. Thankfully there’s more than enough of the good stuff.

Rating: 6.5/10

Kieran’s recommended listening from June 24th, 1993 – East Rutherford, NJ:

“I Ain’t Got No Home”, “Better Days”, “Atlantic City”, “Satan’s Jewel Crown“, “My Hometown”, “Roll Of The Dice – Everybody Needs Somebody To Love”, “Human Touch”, “Souls of the Departed”, “Living Proof“, “Thunder Road“, “It’s Been a Long Time“, “Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out”, “My Beautiful Reward” and “Blowin’ Down This Road”.

You can download this official live release here.