In the first part of my guide to Springsteen’s Archive series I briefly talked about the collection of 10 songs performed on November 5th 1980 in Tempe. While experiencing the rest of the show this past week through the official DVD released as part of The Ties That Bind: The River Collection – released in December 2015 – I thought it would be beneficial to write this E Street Review and have a look as to what makes the entire show so great, and arguably one of the greatest E Street Band shows of all time.

If you’ve seen Springsteen and The E Street Band perform live in the last decade, or were fortunate enough to see them in the 70s or during the Born in the USA and/or Tunnel of Love tours, you’ll be aware that if you want to hear “Born to Run”, you’re going to have to wait a while. However, that wasn’t always the case during The River tour, and it wasn’t the case on this night in Arizona. Arriving onstage to a thunderous ovation, Springsteen asks the crowd “how you doing!?” and then shouts “Let’s go!” amongst their cries of joy. A quick ‘one-two’, and the night kicks off with Springsteen’s magnum opus. It sets the tone for the night, with The E Street Band sounding energetic, the atmosphere being lively, and the song’s optimism perfectly conveying one major theme of Springsteen’s coming-of-age record being represented on this tour. The theme continues, with a fiery “Prove It All Night” up next, followed by a tease to the rapturous crowd from Springsteen: “Oh yeah!?! Oh yeah, huh!?!” and one of the very best versions of “Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out,” with an outstanding added sax solo from Clarence Clemons and some remarkable vocals from Bruce, which would be a recurring theme during the night in songs such as “Jackson Cage” and “Hungry Heart.”

It’s not until twenty minutes in and after an intense performance of “Darkness on the Edge of Town” where Bruce, known for his storytelling, properly talks to the audience during the opening of “Independence Day” – a song mainly about the relationship between Bruce and his dad – with his message being about taking chances in life, and before the song he gives a shout-out to those “away from home.” This personal theme is continued with another song about Springsteen’s dad in “Factory”, where Bruce perfectly contrasts the youthful hopefulness of “Independence Day” and his monologue of chances by stating, “My old man never got many chances, and, for most of his life, he only knew one thing”: “Early in the mornin’, factory whistle blows…”

The next forty-five minutes of the first set are a perfect indication as to why this show is so great: There isn’t a dull moment and you’re invested throughout. Roy Bittan and Danny Federici are masterful during “Racing in the Street”, with the highlight of this set, and arguably the entire show being Roy and Danny transitioning from the song’s outro into “Once Upon a Time in the West”, which then leads into one of the greatest versions of “The River” ever performed, due to the intensity and the fury with which Bruce sings, at times making him look like a man possessed. It is simply quintessential.

It could be said that Bruce’s sense of anger here and in the performance of “Darkness” early in the show were caused by the events he speaks of prior to “Badlands”, Ronald Reagan’s win of the 1980 Presidential Election. Dedicating the song to the young fans in attendance, the build up to the song is like a melting pot that simply explodes into action. Springsteen’s music would become more political as the years went on, but something about the song choice here conveys the the anger of living under a specific government so well: “you’ve gotta live it every day.“

An excellent “Thunder Road” closes the first set, and opening the second is a spoken version of Chuck Berry’s “No Money Down”, which Bruce uses to lead into, for my money, the greatest version of “Cadillac Ranch” ever performed. Alongside “The River” and “Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out”, this is a major reason to watch the official DVD, Springsteen and Clemons side-by-side is something special, so go out of your way to watch this.

The second set is more River themed than the former, with thirteen tracks from the album played here, and a ten-song sequence starting with “Sherry Darling” and ending with the definitive, most legendary performance of “Drive All Night.” In-between are rousing versions of “The Ties That Bind”, with a guitar intro like no other, and “Ramrod”, a double-header of despair in “Stolen Car” and “Wreck on the Highway” and a great, comedic performance of “Crush on You.” It’s an amazing testament to Springsteen and The E Street Band how they’re able to convey so many contrasting themes throughout the night, yet still keep the crowd enamoured.

Following the always emotional “Backstreets”, the night ends on a jubilant note, with “Rosalita (Come Out Tonight)” where Bruce introduces his band and notes that Clarence is “able to leap tall women.. I mean buildings! In a single bound”; “I’m a Rocker” is fun with Roy and Danny switching keyboards and “Jungleland” which is triumphant with Bruce jumping onto Bittan’s piano and pumping his fist while Clemons plays his most famous solo.

Halfway through my favourite performance of “Detroit Medley”, Springsteen sums up the energy spent during this three and a half hour show better than you or I ever could: “Big Man… I can’t walk no more”, but he still finds the strength to keep the crowd going for another five minutes through his addition of “I Hear a Train” where he runs through the many cities he and The Band have visited and were going to visit, telling them, “all aboard!” It’s a great ending to a stunning show.

Tempe ’80 features Springsteen and The E Street Band on top form, performing a stellar setlist with 18 of 20 songs from The River being played – “Fade Away” and “The Price You Pay” are the only River album tracks not played, but excellent 1980 versions of these shows can be heard on the 31/12/1980 Nassau Coliseum Archive release. While this has yet to be released fully through the Archive, the entire show can be experienced through the official DVD and the 10 song collection, which when played in order, presents one of the best listening experiences a Springsteen fan will ever have.

Rating: 10/10

The official DVD features: “Born to Run” / “Prove It All Night” / “Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out” / “Jackson Cage” / “Two Hearts” / “The Promised Land” / “Out in the Street” / “The River” / “Badlands” / “Thunder Road” / “Cadillac Ranch” / “Hungry Heart” / “Fire” / “Sherry Darling” / “I Wanna Marry You” / “Crush on You” / “Ramrod” / “You Can Look (But You Better Not Touch” / “Drive All Night” / “Rosalita (Come Out Tonight” / “I’m a Rocker” / “Jungleland” / “Detroit Medley”

The audio on live.brucespringsteen.net features: “Darkness on the Edge of Town” / “Independence Day” / “Factory” / “Racing in the Street” / “Candy’s Room” / “The Ties That Bind” / “Stolen Car” / “Wreck on the Highway” / “Point Blank” / “Backstreets”