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New archive release for Jan '18: Brendan Byrne Arena, NJ - June 24, 1993

desa33desa33Tougher Than The Rest

Source:

http://live.brucespringsteen.n...t-Rutherford-NJ.html

 

BS

 

Past and present unite as E Street Band members and special guests drop in on Bruce and the 1992-93 band at the penultimate show of the Human Touch/Lucky Town tour. A stirring 35-song set opens with a mini acoustic set and rolls on through key tracks from both albums plus a few rarities (“Satan’s Jeweled Crown”) before wrapping with an epic, 11-song encore extravaganza featuring Southside Johnny, Joe Ely, Little Steven, Max Weinberg, Soozie Tyrell, the Miami Horns and the Big Man himself.

 

BRENDAN BYRNE ARENA
EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ

  • Bruce Springsteen - Lead vocal, guitar, harmonica; Zack Alford - Drums; Roy Bittan - Piano; keyboards; Shane Fontayne - Guitar; Tommy Sims - Bass; Crystal Taliefero - Backing vocal, guitar, percussion; Gia Ciambotti - Backing vocal; Carol Dennis - Backing vocal; Cleopatra Kennedy - Backing vocal; Bobby King - Backing vocal; Angel Rogers - Backing vocal
  • Additional musicians: Clarence Clemons - Saxophone, backing vocal; Joe Ely - Guitar, vocal; Patti Scialfa - Guitar, backing vocal; Southside Johnny - Vocal, harmonica; Soozie Tyrell - Violin; Stevie Van Zandt - Guitar, backing vocal; Max Weinberg - Drums; The Miami Horns: Ed Manion - Baritone saxophone; Mark Pender - Trumpet; Richie “La Bamba” Rosenberg - Trombone; Mike Spengler - Trumpet; Joey Stann - Tenor saxophone
  • Joe Ely plays on I Ain't Got No Home, Settle For Love and Blowin' Down This Road
  • Patti Scialfa plays on Brilliant Disguise, Human Touch, Blowin' Down This Road and Having A Party
  • Stevie Van Zandt plays on Glory Days, It's Been a Long Time, Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out, Born To Run, Having A Party and It's All Right
  • Southside Johnny plays on It's Been A Long Time, Blowin' Down This Road, Having A Party and It's All Right
  • The Miami Horns play on It's Been A Long Time, Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out, Having A Party and It's All Right
  • Clarance Clemons plays on Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out and Born To Run
  • Max Weinberg plays on Jersey Girl
  • Soozie Tyrell plays on Blowin' Down This Road
  • Recorded by Toby Scott
  • Mixed by Jon Altschiller, additional engineering by Danielle Warman
  • Post Production by Brad Serling and Micah Gordon
  • Mastered by Adam Ayan Gateway Mastering, Portland, ME, December 2017
  • Artwork Design by Michelle Holme
  • Photography by Paul Natkin
  • Tour Director: George Travis
  • Jon Landau Management: Jon Landau, Barbara Carr, Jan Stabile, Alison Oscar, Laura Kraus

Setlist:

01. I AIN'T GOT NO HOME 04:43
02. SEEDS 03:58
03. ADAM RAISED A CAIN 04:28
04. THIS HARD LAND 04:48
05. BETTER DAYS 05:08
06. LUCKY TOWN 05:49
07. ATLANTIC CITY 06:15
08. 57 CHANNELS (AND NOTHIN' ON) 06:01
09. BADLANDS 07:12
10. SATAN'S JEWEL CROWN 05:03
11. MY HOMETOWN 05:40
12. LEAP OF FAITH 06:37
13. MAN'S JOB 06:35
14. ROLL OF THE DICE - EVERYBODY NEEDS SOMEBODY TO LOVE 11:46
15. DOES THIS BUS STOP AT 82ND STREET? 03:13
16. BECAUSE THE NIGHT 05:56
17. BRILLIANT DISGUISE 07:06
18. HUMAN TOUCH 08:24
19. THE RIVER 06:42
20. WHO'LL STOP THE RAIN? 03:27
21. SOULS OF THE DEPARTED 05:22
22. LIVING PROOF 06:46
23. BORN IN THE U.S.A. 05:46
24. LIGHT OF DAY 17:22
25. SETTLE FOR LOVE 05:22
26. GLORY DAYS 08:50
27. THUNDER ROAD 06:59
28. IT'S BEEN A LONG TIME 05:45
29. TENTH AVENUE FREEZE-OUT 05:22
30. BORN TO RUN 06:28
31. MY BEAUTIFUL REWARD 06:22
32. BLOWIN' DOWN THIS ROAD 06:53
33. HAVING A PARTY 08:32
34. JERSEY GIRL 06:03
35. IT'S ALL RIGHT 05:41

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living is easy with eyes closed

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desa33desa33Tougher Than The Rest

Source:

http://blog.nugs.net/2018/01/0...-silent-edge-i-soar/

 

Down Along The River’s Silent Edge I Soar

 

Bruce Springsteen
Brendan Byrne Arena, East Rutherford, NJ, June 24, 1993

By Erik Flannigan

In contrast to the periods that preceded it, the Human Touch/Lucky Town era has never established the same kind of collective characterization within Bruce Springsteen’s career narrative. We, the fans, have a consensus of opinion on, say, the Darkness tour or Europe ‘81, but 1992-93 remains more unsettled.

By definition it was an aberration, in that it broke from the norm of always touring with the E Street Band. But in hindsight, the greater aberration would have been if Bruce had never toured with other musicians.

For he was hardly alone in choosing to work without his most familiar and beloved bandmates. Neil Young, Bob Dylan, Van Morrison and Elvis Costello, each to varying degrees, changed up who they recorded and toured with more than Springsteen. And like Dylan had done many times before, the 1992-93 line-up was assembled specifically as a touring band that would have to learn both old and new songs. In fact, it was Dylan’s friend and unofficial musical adviser, the late Debbie Gold who Springsteen turned to for help finding new musicians to fill some very big shoes.

The result was a diverse, multi-generational, big-band line-up that, with its five gospel-trained back-up singers, wouldn’t have looked out of place on stage with Dylan circa 1978-81. In fact, Carol Dennis had toured (and more) with Dylan and Bobby King has recorded with him. Elsewhere, Lone Justice veteran Shane Fontayne stepped in on guitar, while session musicians Tommy Sims (bass) and Zack Alford (drums) formed the rhythm section. They were augmented by multi-instrumentalist Crystal Taliefero and familiar face Roy Bittan on piano and keyboards. Gia Ciambotti, Cleopatra Kennedy and Angel Rogers rounded out the back-up singers. This was the 11-piece new band.

We can only imagine the pressure these musicians felt at the start, with the shadow of E Street looming over them, and, to be fair, when the tour kicked off in June 1992, the cohesion of a band wasn’t there yet. An 11-night run in New Jersey later that summer (not coincidentally one more than the famed 10-night stand in 1984) was a bold statement of commitment to the new, but at times the striving was palpable.

One year later, back at Brendan Byrne Arena for a benefit concert to fight hunger and kick off a two-show wrap-up to the tour, things felt decidedly different. After touring Europe a second time and having not played a stateside show in six months, Springsteen and the his band returned with newfound ease, cohesion and quiet confidence.

The June 24, 1993 show, captured on multi-tracks by Toby Scott and newly mixed by Jon Altschiller, is a fascinating listen and offers a chance to reassess the 1992-93 band at their best. It also documents the blending of past and present, as guests from E Street and adjacent neighborhoods also share the stage on this genuinely special night.

As he had begun doing so effectively in Europe, the show starts with a strong mini-acoustic set. Bruce and Joe Ely had shared each other’s stages in Dublin a month earlier, and Ely makes his first guest appearance of the night dueting on Woody Guthrie’s “I Ain’t Got No Home.” Springsteen then plays sharp solo acoustic versions of “Seeds,” “Adam Raised a Cain” and “This Hard Land” that point the way forward to The Ghost of Tom Joad two years on.

The rest of the first set (this was the last band tour with an intermission) serves as a fine showcase of new and old material and the strengths of the musicians. Soul and gospel flavors run rich in these versions of “Better Days,” “Leap of Faith,” “Roll of the Dice” (with its “Everybody Needs Somebody to Love” Solomon Burke coda) and especially the vocal exchange with Bobby King on the in hindsight quite charming “Man’s Job.” The traditional “Satan’s Jewel Crown” is a particular high point and something clearly born from the singers’ gospel heritage. The rock edge is there, too. “Atlantic City” and “Lucky Town” pack the right punch, and though “Badlands” without a saxophone solo still takes some getting used to, it is well played.

The outstanding second set is sharper still, opening with an acoustic guitar and piano version of “Does This Bus Stop at 82nd Street?” that is worth the price of the download alone. Bruce and Roy intertwine magnificently and it is but one of many moments of Bittan’s masterful playing this night. You’ll hear keyboard and piano parts throughout the show that you’ve likely never noticed before as on many songs Roy leads the way.

Elsewhere in the second set, the strength of the gospel chorus is brought to bear powerfully in compelling arrangements of “Because the Night,” “Who’ll Stop the Rain” and “Light of Day.” Patti Scialfa joins her husband for “Brilliant Disguise” and a terrific, long version of “Human Touch.” But the heart of the set lies in the three-song sequence of “Souls of the Departed,” “Living Proof” and “Born in the U.S.A.”

“Souls of the Departed” is a sober elegy, accented with audio from newscasts about the Iraq war that make its sentiments crystal clear (similar audio augmentation of “57 Channels [And Nothing On] in the first set isn’t quite as effective). It flows straight into “Living Proof,” a song of rebirth and arguably some of Bruce’s finest writing of the period. From that point of hope and renewal, the light darkens again with a Hendrix-flavored “Star-Spangled Banner” preface and “Born in the U.S.A.,” in which Bruce emotionally pleads, in manner not heard on other tours, “I got nowhere to go. I got nowhere to go. I got nowhere to run.”

The legendary encore that would see old friends like Stevie Van Zandt, Southside Johnny, Max Weinberg, the Miami Horns and Clarence Clemons take the stage largely speaks for itself. It sounds just as fun now as it surely was then. To their credit, the new band plays songs like “Glory Days” and “Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out” capably, and the performance of Joe Ely’s “Settle for Love” is a surprise highlight. A Springsteen cover of the song wouldn’t have been out of place on High Hopes.

Beyond the undeniable fun of “It’s Been a Long Time,” “Having a Party” and “It’s All Right,” two other encore songs merit attention. Like “Does This Bus Stop,” “Thunder Road” is another Bruce and Roy showcase, this time with Bittan adding sweet organ fills to Springsteen’s acoustic strumming. Finally, if a single song captures the spirit of this era, it the spiritual dream of “My Beautiful Reward,” played here with sparse beauty.

The 1992-93 tour was a shock to the system for fans at the time. But viewed through the lens of nearly two decades of a reunited E Street Band, the expanded Wrecking Ball line-up and the Seeger Sessions Band, this particular period of musical exploration now feels kindred. Meadowlands ‘93 provides a fine snapshot of a hot, soulful summer night when Springsteen’s past and present united.

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living is easy with eyes closed

DenverBrianDenverBrianTougher Than The Rest

While I like many of the songs from the 2 albums (enough of them that it would have made for one really good album), I think it's a mix of his image from the time (the stupid vest and bedazzled guitar strap) and the band (who I am sure are excellent musicians in their own right) that I couldn't get over.

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LBLB"old enough to know better"

It's been years, a lot of years (probably 24) since I've listened to anything from this tour. Now I know I haven't missed a thing. As Julius said, this band was soulless.  I'll condense this down to a single disc for any future listening.

Okay, we've got the Seeger tour and this tour out of the way. And a Joad show and Devils and Dust show. So hopefully, for the next year it will be  from everything else.

 

"I've done my best to live the right way"

Last edited by LB
R RusboudJukebox Graduate

We know is not the best period of Bruce....but it's fair we have one of this concerts in perfect quality sound...and this show was a very special show of this tour...so well done...

Now let's wait for 2018....a show of summer '81...a show of september '85...a show of december '78....a show of march '77....and another Born to Run show.....in this order...

Then will be a great 2018 year for the bootlegs download series...

Thanks to all this people involved in this fantastic historics and necessary downloads of the Bruce 's career...

Have a nice year 

Last edited by Rusboud
B bcpkidTougher Than The Rest

I am not a fan of this band, this era, this tour.  BUT...I think the soul we find missing is primarily a lack of sax.  Musically I think the engine of the band is piano/guitar/sax--taking nothing away from Max and Gary, who are a fantastic bedrock.  Roy is there, the guitar is there, but there's a Big Man sized hole.  It was the one element that couldn't be replaced, at least for me.  Watching a (very competent) back-up singer take the BTR solo was painful.  Listening to Badlands with an additional guitar solo was close to heresy.  It mattered to the fans and it mattered musically.  It's no coincidence that after a full year on the road the defining moment of this tour came when Clarence took his 10th Ave solo in this show--it was like the air was breathed back into the stadium.  Elemental indeed.

J JuliusTougher Than The Rest

There's no need to feel any guilt about calling this era a terrible mistake.  Given how infrequently Bruce returns to any of it, with only a couple of songs being played from the combined 24 songs with any kind of regularity, you can be assured that you aren't alone in your displeasure.  Bruce doesn't like this stuff either.  I remember one night in Jersey...the 2nd show I think...Bruce played All Or Nothin' At All and some people around me went crazy.  I stood there scratching my head, wondering what it was about this song that would make these people go insane.  And then I realized...from Bruce's quote later in an interview (years later)...he is Santa Claus in New Jersey.  He can do no wrong.  A song like All Or Nothin'...utter dreck...

There was an interview on MTV after the opening night of a bunch of fans outside the arena....and you could see the look in the eyes of the fans who had been around for a while that they really wanted to be more excited about coming from a show...but they couldn't muster it.  They offered praise...but there was so much missing. 

Bruce had to do this.  He had to go out on his own.  I get it.  I'm certain his depression had already reared its ugly head at this point in his life.  Getting out on his own, away from the comfort of the E Street Band was a must.  But let's not ever be so blind to believe that any of this music is any good.  It's not.  It's as simple as that. 

You know, I would think that since he followed Sting's lead, he would do what Sting did and actually hire some outstanding musicians with whom to tour.  Don't forget what an impact Sting had on Bruce on the Amnesty tour.  But he couldn't.  Think about who Sting hired to tour Dream of the Blue Turtles, and ...Nothing Like the Sun.  Branford M., Kenny Kirkland, Davey S et al....among the very best musicians available on the planet.  Virtuoso musicians.  And to great effect.  Bruce hired the Lone Justice guitarist (really?  Lone Justice? wtf?), the B-52's drummer, and a bass player with little-to-no resume at the time, outside his work as a bassist in a Christian rock band.  Woah.   Overwhelming.  Basically a bunch of guys he could "boss" around and do exactly what he wanted them to do.  In other words, "fellas, play these notes, exactly as I tell you".   You don't (and can't) tell Sancious, Kirkland, and Marsalis et al what to play, like you can tell Simms, Alford, and the kid with the long hair.  And why would you want to?  The idea of surrounding yourself with great musicians is to let them ADD to your music.  Why have Tommy Simms play one note for an entire song?  Why even have him on stage?  Roy could play it on a pedal.  My point is that Bruce took a chance in trying to maintain that kind of control...he had to get 2nd tier musicians...and the price was stale white bread.   I give Crystal T. credit for having the balls to play sax on Born to Run.   She was the only one on stage with any balls.   

And if I ever hear that ridiculous introduction to 57 Channels again...

 

Last edited by Julius
Bobby_GBobby_GHoney I'm...

Well said. The problem wasn't he wanted to play with other musicians. The problem was he chose THOSE musicians. All you have to do is listen to this show. It sounds like Bruce Springsteen backed by a Bruce Springsteen cover band. 

That whole era just sucked. It was ill-conceived and half baked. It's funny reading Erik flannigans essay trying very hard to convince us it didn't suck. 

Last edited by Bobby_G
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