1979
Jump to the most recent show/event, or view the tour statistics.
1979-01-01 - RICHFIELD COLISEUM, RICHFIELD, OH
RAVE ON / BADLANDS / RENDEZVOUS / SPIRIT IN THE NIGHT / DARKNESS ON THE EDGE OF TOWN / FACTORY / STREETS OF FIRE / HEARTBREAK HOTEL / THE PROMISED LAND / PROVE IT ALL NIGHT / RACING IN THE STREET / THUNDER ROAD / MEETING ACROSS THE RIVER / JUNGLELAND / FOR YOU / IT'S HARD TO BE A SAINT IN THE CITY / SANTA CLAUS IS COMIN' TO TOWN / I FOUGHT THE LAW / THE FEVER / BECAUSE THE NIGHT / FIRE / CANDY'S ROOM / POINT BLANK / MONA - SHE'S THE ONE / BACKSTREETS / THE LAST TIME / ROSALITA (COME OUT TONIGHT) / BORN TO RUN / DETROIT MEDLEY / TENTH AVENUE FREEZE-OUT / QUARTER TO THREE
Last night of the tour, and a 31-song setlist, the longest of the tour. Last "Streets Of Fire" until 2002, last "Meeting Across The River" until 1999, last E Street Band version of "The Fever" until 1999, and the last E Street Band "Heartbreak Hotel". Rare performances of "I Fought The Law" and "The Last Time". Unusually for the tour, "Spirit In The Night" includes the "Stagger Lee" introduction. "She's The One" includes "Gloria". Although many setlists are not fully known, seven songs may have appeared at every show of the Darkness Tour – at least, there are no shows at which we can say with certainty that they were not played. Those songs are: "Badlands", "Thunder Road", "Spirit In The Night", "Prove It All Night", "The Promised Land", "Rosalita (Come Out Tonight)", and "Born To Run".






End of the "Darkness On The Edge Of Town" tour |
1979-01-11 - LOCK STOCK AND BARREL, FAIR HAVEN, NJ
MOUNTAIN OF LOVE / MUSTANG SALLY / KANSAS CITY / I SAW HER STANDING THERE / ROCK AND ROLL MUSIC / QUARTER TO THREE / TWIST AND SHOUT / HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU
Incomplete setlist.
A private 37th birthday party for Clarence Clemons, with Springsteen and the entire E Street Band (except for Steven Van Zandt) attending and performing a rollicking set of classics for the invitation-only gathering of close friends and family. Clarence’s pre-E Street band compatriot, Norman Seldin, was playing an extended residency at the club at the time and both Clarence and Garry Tallent had made guest appearances with Seldin at the club the previous week. The listed setlist is incomplete and not necessarily in the correct performing sequence – there were many other songs performed, although no Springsteen compositions. Apparently Bruce took the lead or co-lead vocal on the listed titles.

1979-03-00 - ZEVON RESIDENCE, LOS ANGELES, CA
JEANNIE NEEDS A SHOOTER
Bruce gets together with Warren Zevon for a brief, one-off, writing session. According to Zevon’s 1980 comments to Rolling Stone, he’d heard through the grapevine about the unreleased Springsteen song "Jamie [sic] Needs A Shooter", was highly intrigued by its title, but had never heard any demo. Zevon indicated he composed the new melody for the Springsteen-Zevon re-write, as well as the first verse of lyrics. Springsteen contributed most of the lyrics to the other three verses, as well as the refrain lyrics. Zevon recorded this re-written version a couple of months later in Los Angeles (Bruce was not involved in the studio session) and this recording was issued on Zevon’s Bad Luck Streak In Dancing School album in January 1980.

1979-03-14 - THE FAST LANE, ASBURY PARK, NJ
FIRE / HEARTBREAK HOTEL
With Robert Gordon. Not only did Bruce jam that night, but so did Garry Tallent (on guitar, not bass).



1979-03-25 - THE FAST LANE, ASBURY PARK, NJ
Springsteen attends a show by the Ramones. Although he doesn't join them onstage he spends some time with the group backstage, apparently sitting and harmonizing a few songs with Joey Ramone, who half-jokingly asks Bruce to write them a song – Bruce goes home that evening and begins to write what turns out to be "Hungry Heart", although he ultimately decides (upon recommendation of Jon Landau) to keep the song for his own use.


1979-04-13 - THE FAST LANE, ASBURY PARK, NJ
ROSALITA (COME OUT TONIGHT)
Setlist may be incomplete.
With Beaver Brown. Stan Goldstein recalls that Bruce performed "Rosalita (Come Out Tonight)" with the band during the encores; it is not certain if he appeared on any other songs.



1979-04-15 - THE FAST LANE, ASBURY PARK, NJ
YOU CAN'T SIT DOWN / HAVING A PARTY / AIN'T THAT A SHAME / ROSALITA (COME OUT TONIGHT)
With Beaver Brown. In addition to Bruce jamming with Beaver Brown, they are also joined by four members of the Asbury Jukes: Kevin Kavanaugh on piano, Ritchie "La Bamba" Rosenberg on trombone, Ed Manion on baritone sax, and Joel Gramolini on guitar (his brother Gary being the lead guitarist of Beaver Brown).


1979-04-00 - THE FAST LANE, ASBURY PARK, NJ
CAROL
Bruce guests on an extended workout of Chuck Berry's "Carol" with the Charlottesville, Virginia -based blues outfit The Allstars.

1979-04-00 - POWER STATION, NEW YORK CITY, NY
Bruce and at least some members of the band are in the studio, recording tracks for The River, and they are visited by Robin Williams.


1979-05-27 - PARAMOUNT THEATRE, ASBURY PARK, NJ
FIRE / HEARTBREAK HOTEL
Bruce joins Robert Gordon on stage for two songs, including "Fire". In addition, Garry Tallent joins for "Heartbreak Hotel".




1979-06-03 - WHISKY A GO GO, WEST HOLLYWOOD, CA
WEDDING MARCH / YOU NEVER CAN TELL / WEAR MY RING AROUND YOUR NECK / FIRE / RAVE ON / SHERRY DARLING / IT'S GONNA WORK OUT FINE / HAVA NAGILA / ALL I HAVE TO DO IS DREAM / HIGH SCHOOL CONFIDENTIAL / GOOD ROCKIN' TONIGHT / THE FEVER / MOTHER-IN-LAW / MY GIRL / THUNDER ROAD / IN THE MIDNIGHT HOUR (with Rickie Lee Jones and Boz Scaggs) / SLOW DOWN (with Rickie Lee Jones and Boz Scaggs) / UNKNOWN (x2, with Rickie Lee Jones and Boz Scaggs) / TWIST AND SHOUT (with Rickie Lee Jones and Boz Scaggs)
Setlist order may be incorrect.
Wedding of Marc Brickman to June Rudley, Bruce's lighting director and travel agent respectively. Springsteen and members of the band join Rickie Lee Jones and Boz Scaggs for a three hour celebration at West Hollywood's Whisky a Go Go on Sunset Blvd. They play for three hours, a mixture of classic covers and Springsteen originals. Covers include Ernie K-Doe's 1961 #1 hit "Mother-In-Law", The Everly Brothers' "All I Have To Do Is Dream" and Larry Williams' "Slow Down", which was also recorded by The Beatles on their Long Tall Sally EP in 1964.




1979-08-00 - THE BOTTOM LINE, NEW YORK CITY, NY
Bruce visits Rachel Sweet's show at one of her many Bottom Line shows in August (or late July), and meets her in person backstage.

1979-09-21 - MADISON SQUARE GARDEN, NEW YORK CITY, NY
PROVE IT ALL NIGHT / BADLANDS / THE PROMISED LAND / THE RIVER / SHERRY DARLING / THUNDER ROAD / JUNGLELAND / ROSALITA (COME OUT TONIGHT) / BORN TO RUN / STAY (with Jackson Browne and Rosemary Butler) / DETROIT MEDLEY / RAVE ON
First of two MUSE (Musicians United for Safe Energy) Benefit concerts, also known as "No Nukes". Twelve-song set includes the premiere of "The River". The crowd sings "Happy Birthday" to Bruce before "Thunder Road". "Rosalita (Come Out Tonight)" includes the "Stagger Lee" introduction. Jackson Browne and Rosemary Butler guest on "Stay".









1979-09-22 - MADISON SQUARE GARDEN, NEW YORK CITY, NY
PROVE IT ALL NIGHT / BADLANDS / THE PROMISED LAND / THE RIVER / SHERRY DARLING / THUNDER ROAD / JUNGLELAND / ROSALITA (COME OUT TONIGHT) / BORN TO RUN / STAY (with Jackson Browne, Tom Petty, and Rosemary Butler) / QUARTER TO THREE
Second MUSE (Musicians United for Safe Energy) Benefit concert, also known as "No Nukes". "Rosalita (Come Out Tonight)" features an instrumental snippet of "Wipe Out" after Max's introduction. Contains the infamous Lynn Goldsmith moment during "Quarter To Three" - Goldsmith (Bruce's ex-girlfriend) was taking photos, which Bruce thought she had agreed not to do. He drags her up on stage, announces her as "my ex-girlfriend" and then has her escorted away. Tom Petty joins along with Jackson Browne and Rosemary Butler for "Stay".









1979-10-05 - THE FAST LANE, ASBURY PARK, NJ
ROSALITA (COME OUT TONIGHT) / AIN'T THAT A SHAME / TWIST AND SHOUT
Springsteen makes a surprise appearance at The Fast Lane (actually early in the morning of October 6), playing with Beaver Brown, Vini Lopez, and Dave Marsh. Bruce asked Vini (who was working on the fishing boats at the time) if he wanted to play. Despite wearing big fishing boots Vini was never going to say no, and so played in his boots - the first time in over five years that he had shared a stage with Bruce. Springsteen at this time only played oldies or covers when making surprise appearances at clubs, so for him to play an original is very unusual. Springsteen called Dave Marsh up on stage ("let's bring up the Duke"), and he jumped around at the front of the stage with a tambourine.





1979-10-06 - THE FAST LANE, ASBURY PARK, NJ
TWIST AND SHOUT
Bruce jumps on stage at an Ellen Shipley gig at The Fast Lane. Ellen herself takes up the story: "I remember it well….. It was my gig and Bruce had come to watch. He stood in the back at the bar trying not to be noticed! At the end of my set, the audience knew Bruce was there and began screaming for him. He jumped up on the stage and we did an unbelievable version of Twist N Shout! Kids stood up on their tables to see us perform with Bruce, breaking them down! I had a blast!"

1979-12-00 - POWER STATION, NEW YORK CITY, NY
ENDLESS NIGHT / PARALYZED
Springsteen drops into another studio at the Power Station (during the River sessions), and jams with Graham Parker & The Rumour. He records support vocals on "Endless Night", and possibly sings and plays on "Paralyzed". Danny Federici also played organ. According to Christopher Sandford in his book Point Blank, Parker and his band were recording The Up Escalator (in late 1979), when he happened to meet Springsteen at the Navarro hotel, New York. As a third party adds, Jon Landau said "Bruce was wiped out, kaput, doing twelve-hour days at the studio." We talked, then Springsteen came up and asked how Graham was doing. "Knackered," he replied. "Just barely making an album." Bruce immediately laughed and said. "Can I help?" The result, brokered by producer Jimmy Iovine, was two tracks on The Up Escalator.


< Previous | Listing | Next >
Disclaimer | © 1996 - 2025 | Brucebase