While I'm open to ideas about how to do the list -- and will surely change the format and criteria as we go along -- let's start off with this premise: Let's name the Top 5 bootlegs for each tour, with as many as 5 more suggestions. The sound has to be pretty damn good for a boot to make the list, but sound quality is not the sole criteria. We'll weigh in the performance (i.e., the energy level, the setting, the setlist, etc.) because that matters, too. Otherwise we'd all be listening to the Atlanta Rising boot, which won't even make the list.
I'll keep a running list here at the top of what the consensus seems to be for each tour. It will change, of course.
Anybody who wants other ideas can probably dig through this thread someday for suggestions that fell short. There are going to be a lot of excellent boots that don't make the list.
So let's get started.
Let's use a slightly modified version of Patrick's list as a jumping off point. It will be modified swiftly.
THIS IS A WORK IN PROGRESS. IT IS FAR FROM DONE.
Pre-Columbia
1970-01-13 - The Matrix, San Francisco, CA - Live At The Matrix
1970-04-24 - Monmouth College, Long Branch, NJ - Sunlight Soldiers At The West End
1971-01-18 - D'Scene, South Amboy, NJ - Right The Fuck On!
1971-05-15 - Newark State College, Union, NJ - Bruce Springsteen Story Vol. 5 / Springtime In Asbury Park
1971-07-23 - Damrosch Park, Lincoln Center, New York City, NY - The Bruce Springsteen Story Vol. 6: Dance, Dance, Dance / Summertime In New York City
1972-03-14 - Challenger Eastern Surfboards, Highlands, NJ - Prodigal Son Meets The Uber's # 5
1972-03-17 - Richmond Arena, Richmond, VA - Non Uber Project Volume 1
Greetings & WEISS
Greetings & WEISS discussion thread
Born To Run
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Born to Run discussion thread
Chicken Scratch
Chicken Scratch discussion thread
Darkness
Darkness discussion thread
River
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River tour discussion thread
Born In The USA
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Born in the USA discussion thread
Tunnel Of Love
Tunnel of Love discussion thread
Human Rights Tour
15/10/1988 Boss Lament on United Records with arguably the best ever Twist and Shout
Lucky Touch
Lucky Town/Human Touch tour discussion thread
Ghost Of Tom Joad
Brixton Nights
Asbury Park Night
Freehold Night
1996-03-13 Cirkus Night
Reunion
Philly Serenades (by the way, is the "original" recording still around somewhere? I liked that one very much, Ev2's is unlistenable on my stereo system, there is no bass, just bassdrum)
2000-06-20 Prodigal Meets The Ubers
2000-07-01 Uber series
2000-05-08 Hartford Uber series
1999-10-23 LA Night (Crystal Cat)
1999-10-23 Prodigal Son in the City of Angels
Rising
2003-08-31 Giant House Party in Jersey (Uber)
London Night
Midsummer 2nd Night
San Siro Night
Prodigal Son Tampa
Vote For Change
2004-10-13 CAA, East Rutherford (VFC Meadowlands Night)
2004-10-02 Gund Arena, Cleveland (Matrix)
Devils & Dust
Buffalo IEM/AUD
Prodigal Son Night Of Debuts
Cleveland Neo Remaster
Seeger Sessions
2006-04-30 New Orleans Jazzfest
2006-10-05 Verona (I prefer the full audience tape to the SBD/Aud compiliation)
2006-10-30 Globen, Stockholm (Stockholm Tonight CC)
2006-11-11 Wembley Arena, London (Wembley Sessions Second Night CC)
2006-05-10 St. Lukes, London (BBC Broadcast)
2006-05-21 Hovet, Stockholm (Stockholm Session Night)
Magic
San Jose
Red Bank Ev2 if that counts as a Magic Show
St.Louis Ev2
Milano ?07 CC
Gothenburg 2nd CC
We Swore We'd Live Forever EV2 (Tampa 22/4/2008)
Working on a Dream
2009-04-16 The Dump That Jumps, LA
2009-05-23 Izod Centre, East Rutherford
2009-07-21 Stadio Olimpico, Torino (CC)
2009-07-23 Stadio Friuli, Udine (CC)
2009-10-02 Giants Stadium, East Rutherford (Bossman?)
2009-10-20 Spectrum, Philadelphia (flyinggonz)
Non-tour Shows
1990-11-17 Prodigal Son at The Shrine
1995-04-05 Sony Studios (Crystal cat)
1998-01-31 Blood on Blood
2003-02-19 Double Take Night (Crystal Cat)
2005-10-04 Half a Day of School (uber)
2008-05-07 Count Basie
MUSE
1986-10-13 Shoreline Ampitheatre, Mountain View
1990-11-16 Shrine Auditorium, Los Angeles (Ev2)
2003-02-19 DoubleTake Benefit, Somerville (CC)
2003-12-08 Convention Hall, Asbury Park (Peace, Love & Understanding EV2)
2004-12-19 Harry's Roadhouse, Asbury Park LATE SHOW (Uber Series #31)
Holiday shows
2000-12-17 Convention Hall, Asbury Park (Uber Series #9)
2001-12-08 Convention Hall, Asbury Park (Big Big Christmas Show EV2)
Compilations
All of Flynn's compilations, of course.
Studio boots
I think we need to add the dates of the boots (ex., 1975-02-05 Prodigal Son at the Main Point)
One of the hardest things will be figuring out which version to cite as the best, but I think that's crucial. If we can't decide, we can say it's a toss-up. But let's try to make this easier on people who don't want to look at eight different versions of Passaic '78 and wonder which one to get. I also think that once we get this list done, we should make sure we keep all the shows on it seeded on Jungleland and uploaded as a series on ABMS. Not everyone has them all.