1980-11-05 ASU Activity Center, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ

Scheduled: 20:00 Local Start Time ??:?? / End Time ??:??

Info & Setlist | Venue

33-song set is one of the finest and most intense shows of the River Tour, perhaps related to the fact that Ronald Reagan had been elected president the day before – which Bruce notes with displeasure prior to a fiery "Badlands". Many highlights in this show, including perhaps the definitive performance of "Drive All Night". Roy plays the piano intro before "The River" and "Cadillac Ranch" includes a lengthy "No Money Down" introduction. "Detroit Medley" includes "I Hear A Train". According to Dave Marsh, during "Rosalita (Come Out Tonight)" Bruce fell off a speaker stack: "Bruce made one of his patented leaps to the speakers at the side of the stage. But this time he missed. The crowd just kept on cheering, but back at the sound-board where Jackson (soundman Bruce) and I were sitting, the tension was thick. Bruce might do anything, but this was weird; the band was holding the chord, and the chords of 'Rosalita' are not meant to be held for five seconds, much less fifteen. It's a good long drop from the speakers, two feet high, to the floor, a good eight or nine feet away. All there was between Bruce and the hard concrete floor was the band's monitor mixing board, but as he tumbled down, roadie Bob Werner reached out and broke the fall. (He sprained his wrist in the process.) Neither the band nor the crowd could see any of this. The next thing any of us knew, the guitar appeared, tossed atop the speakers. Then a pair of hands and at last, Springsteen's head, with his silly-faced-little-boy grin. He shook his head, pulled himself the rest of the way up, and strapped on his guitar, went back into action as if nothing had occurred."

Soundboard and multi-track audio recording of the entire show, and four-camera professionally-shot video comprised of twenty-three songs are available. Audio recording of “Badlands" from this show (minus spoken intro) was officially released on the Live 1975-85 box set. The 160-minute film was officially released on DVD and Blu-ray as part of The Ties That Bind: The River Collection box-set. A complete video of "Ramrod" was posted to YouTube on the 35th anniversary of the show, followed by "The River" on November 16 and "Out In The Street" on December 1. Shot on three-quarter-inch U-matic videotape for promotional use according to Thom Zimny, for posterity according to Springsteen. Ten songs are missing from the thirty-three song set: "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" and "Backstreets". Thom Zimny has stated that these songs were not filmed. It seems possible that the four songs from Darkness On The Edge Of Town were not required for a film shot to promote The River, and some of the other songs may have been too dark and poorly lit. Our information previously noted that the show was filmed by producer/director Howard Lamden (who also served as Executive Editor). Lamden had previously filmed Pink Floyd and was the Director of Jackson Browne’s early 80s Downtown documentary. However, the credits clearly note that Barry Rebo produced and directed the video footage, and was assisted by his crew. Rebo was a longtime Springsteen fan and was responsible for filming concerts and recording sessions throughout the 70s. The very brief snippets of River Tour performance footage seen in the promotional ‘10 Years Burning Down The Road’ advertisement for the Live 1975-85 box set emanate from the film of this concert (see the Media-tab for this advertisement). Another tantalizing snippet believed to be from this show can be seen in the 2012 documentary Wrecking Ball: A Conversation With Bruce Springsteen.

Official concert recording available for purchase in multiple formats, including CD and high definition audio, from Springsteen's official live download site at nugs.net/bruce (previously live.brucespringsteen.net).

Running Time: 0:57:25

^{Note: Multi-track audio mixed by Bob Clearmountain of the ten songs not captured on video. These ten songs in MP3 were initially available as a free download.}

Soundboard tape available on CDs 'Heart and Soul' ^{(E Street)} and 'Live In Tempe' ^(Palace), and remastered on CDR 'Love Soul & A Broken Heart' ^(Ev2). Brucebase also believes that some of the concert was filmed from the audience.

Intro to "Darkness on the Edge of Town"
´´Thanks, oh….won't you guys here….all you guys in the aisle find your seats, ok, there´s gonna be a real long show…so find….so find your seats so everybody can see standing, sitting around there, ok?….yeah, you guys too, you guys too….alright, thanks, oops, here's somebody's seat (chuckles) somebody really lost their seat….I see you, man, I see you….I see you, go sit down now, I´ll see you later, alright? (chuckles)….”

Intro to "Independence Day"
´´Any folks from back East? (cheers)….who´s from out West? (cheers)….holy smokes (chuckles) ….goddamn….you all took the bus, right?….(music starts)….this is for all you easterners out there….I grew up in this town, was about an hour, hour and a half south of New York City and uh….and I can remember….that when I used to go to school….I never did good in school, never did good…..and they always figured that if you´re not smart in school, it´s because you´re dumb (chuckles) but…..and I always felt that I never….I never really learned anything or learned anything that was important to me till I, till I started listening to the radio back in the early 60s….and it seemed that the stuff that I was hearing off the radio in all those, in all those great songs was stuff that if they knew how, they´d be trying to teach you in school….but, but they just didn't know how to, they didn't know how to, they always talked to your head, they could never figure out how to talk to your heart, you know, and it seems that, like all those singers and all those groups, there´s one thing that they, they just knew what it was about….and when I started listening….I found out that the first time….that instead of like the fantasies that you have when you´re a little kid that I had, I had different, I had dreams now and that they were different, it was different….and that if….and that it was possible that I didn't have to live my life the way that I was, that things could be better….if you just go out, take a chance….find out what´s going on….anyway, so if you´re out there and if you´re out there away from home, this song´s for you…..”

Intro to "Factory"
´´My old man never got many chances….and….for most of his life, he only knew one thing…”

Intro to "Badlands"
´´I don´t know what you guys think about what happened last night but I think it´s pretty frightening….you guys are young, there´s gonna be a lot of people depending on you coming up so this is for you….” (Bruce is referring to the fact that Ronald Reagan was elected President of the United States)

Intro to "Cadillac Ranch"
"We flew into town…sat down in my room, turned on the television set…on came a fella by the name of Tex Earnhardt…and Tex wanted to sell me a car…well I shut off the TV…and I laid down to get some sleep…but, I had a dream…you see, I was motivatin'…back in town…I saw a big Cadillac sign, it said no money down…I eased on the brakes…I pulled in the drive…I gunned my motor twice, then I walked inside…well Tex said to me, he said "Boss! Trade in that Ford, and I'm gonna put you in something that's gonna eat up the road. Now just step over here and sign your name right on that line, and I'll bring it over to the old motel in just, in just two hours time…" Well I said "Tex! I want a yellow convertible, four-door DeVille, a Continental spare…and wire chrome wheels. I want air conditioning, and I want some automatic heat now, and a full fold-out bed…in my back seat. I want a TV, a stereo, a eight-track tape deck, and I want a 'phone…so I can talk to my baby when I'm driving all alone…"

Intro to "I Wanna Marry You"
´´There´s a lot of pretty girls in this town, you know (chuckles) it's funny, must be the weather, it must do something to your genes or something (chuckles)….me and Clarence, we used to sit on my porch….oh, let me see, 31, 11, 12 years ago….and uh, we used to watch this one girl go by all the time, she used to, I guess she used to work downtown…..and she was, she seemed like a lot older than we were, she had a couple of kids and…..we used to just watch her…and….sometimes….sometimes there´s people that you only see for a little bit, you….you don´t forget ´em for some reason, people that you've only seen for…driving by in a car or who walk by you on the street….and uh….remember that one girl, Big Man?….”

Intro to "Crush on You"
´´The story you´re about to hear is true….the names have been changed to protect the innocent….I was walking down the street….and what did I see?….let me tell you, was she fine? (band : ´Oh yeah, oh yeah´) was she sweet? (band : ´Yeah´) did she belong to me? (band : ´No!´) No!….so I ran up to the car, she took off, I caught her down at Route 34 where she locked the windows, no, she rolled up the windows and locked all the doors…I said ´Darling, come out….it´s sad but true….for the rest of my life….I´ve got a crush on (crowd: ´You´)….”

Middle of "Rosalita"
´´On the piano….´Professor´ Roy Bittan….on the guitar….poet of the soul, master of rock´n´roll, a man who brought you such great hits as ´I Don´t Wanna Go Home´, ´Sweeter than Honey´, ´This Time It´s for Real, ´Some Things Just Don´t Change´, ´Miami´ Steve Van Zandt….on the bass guitar, Mr.Garry W.Tallent….on the drums, ´The Mighty´ Max Weinberg ….on the organ, coming to you all the way from Flemington, New Jersey….now you see him, now you don´t….the strangest member of the band….been in the band five years, I haven´t met him yet so (chuckles) on the organ, Mr. Dan ´Phantom´ Dan Federici….oh, there he is, I didn't know…and last but not least….faster than a speeding bullet….more powerful than a locomotive….able to leap tall women, I mean buildings in a single bound….is it a bird?….is it a plane?…is it the Big Man?….”

Middle of "Detroit Medley"
´´Wait a minute….wait a minute….Big Man….I can't walk no more….we've got to hitch a ride on something….we've got to hitch a ride….I see something way back there….something coming this way….but it's way back there….it's way back there, way up, way up in the cheap seats….it's, it's way back there, looks like a….no ain't no bird….ain't no plane….look like a big bus? no?….I think….I think….I hear a train…..”

^{Compiled by : Johanna Pirttijärvi.}

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