11.11.80 Baton Rouge, LA, intro to “Darkness on the Edge of Town” (following “Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out”)
“Alright! (crowd cheers) how you doing? (crowd cheers) it’s the mighty Big Man on the saxophone (crowd cheers) E Street Band (crowd cheers) thanks…you guys in the aisle, if you could help these guys, help you find your seats ‘cause it’s gonna be a real long show, you’re gonna be standing up the whole time so (crowd cheers) yeah, so sit down so the people around you can see and I’ll see youse later, alright? (chuckles) thank you…”
11.11.80 Baton Rouge, LA, intro to “Independence Day”
“I grew up in this little town, it was about an hour and a half from New York City (crowd cheers) but it was like it was a million miles away, like I don’t think I was…I was never in New York till I was about 16 or 17 years old…and I remember I would go to school every day and I never did good in school, if you don’t do good in school, everybody would think you’re dumb, think you’re stupid and …and the first time that, that I got…got a feeling for the, for, there was a bigger world out there was when I started listening to the radio back in the early 60s…and in school, I remember, they would always, they would always try to bang stuff into your head, try to make you remember things and on the radio, I just, I’d turn on a New York station, it was called, it was WMCA, it was a Top 40-station in New York City (crowd cheers) and those guys, somehow they used to get, they used to get to your head but they’d get to your head through your heart in a lot of the songs they were singing…and…it was the first time that I got the idea that…that there was a better way of living than the way that my parents lived and the way that I was living and that if I had the guts, I could take a chance and maybe I’d get lucky…that’s…that’s a lot harder today because, because some of that, that, that purity that was, that was coming across the airwaves back then is missing now…but it’s still out there…so if you just left home this year, if you’re out on your own, this song’s for you, ok (crowd cheers)…”
11.11.80 Baton Rouge, LA, intro to “Factory”
“My father got married when he was real young, in his early twenties and the only time he ever got to go anyplace, leave town, was when he went to World War II…and there’s a lot of people that never get to hear those songs on the radio…”
11.11.80 Baton Rouge, LA, intro to “The Promised Land”
“How are you guys down there in the outback? (crowd cheers)…”
11.11.80 Baton Rouge, LA, intro to “Out in the Street”
“Are you ready to meet me (crowd cheers) out in the street?…”
11.11.80 Baton Rouge, LA, intro to “Fire”
“It was late…one dark, spooky night…”
11.11.80 Baton Rouge, LA, intro to “Stolen Car”
“The hardest thing when you meet somebody…is always making it last (chuckles)…it’s hard to make it last…”
11.11.80 Baton Rouge, LA, intro to “Drive All Night”
“This is, uh…(long pause)…this is for, uh, I think her name was Katie, Cathy Smith, she sent me a letter backstage, she drove all night (?)…so if you’re out there, this is for you…”
11.11.80 Baton Rouge, LA, middle of “Rosalita”
“We have…(?)…we have with us at the far left of the stage… Professor Roy Bittan on the piano (crowd cheers) and on the guitar…that poet of the soul, master of rock’n’roll, Miami Steve Van Zandt (crowd cheers) on the bass, Mr. Garry W. Tallent (crowd cheers) on the drums the mighty one, Mighty Max (crowd cheers) on the organ…wanted in 13 states…now you see him, now you don’t – Phantom Dan Federici (crowd cheers) and last but not least…king of the world (crowd cheers) master of the universe (crowd cheers) faster than a speeding bullet…more powerful than a locomotive… able to leap tall women, oh no, I mean tall buildings in a single bound…is it a bird? (crowd: “No”) is it a plane? (crowd: “No”) is it the Big Man? (crowd: “Yeah”) on the saxophone (crowd cheers)…
(…) This is his last chance to let his daughter have some fun… ’cause my brand new record, Rosie, is gonna be number one, one, one, one…”
11.11.80 Baton Rouge, LA, middle of “Detroit Medley”
“Wait a minute now, hold on a minute…Big Man…what time does that big clock on the wall say?…(?) I don’t know…it’s time we catch a ride…I see it coming…we’ve got to go now…I see it coming, it ain’t no bus, no…(?) we ain’t gonna take no planes, I hate that flying, I hate going up, I hate going up in them airplanes…what I see is…I see a train…coming ‘round the bend…I see a train…coming on ‘round…gonna come along and gonna take us, it’s gonna take us to some other town…I hear a train coming ‘round the bend…I hear a train coming on ‘round…it’s gonna come along and gonna take us, it’s take us to some other town…I hear a train coming down the track…I hear a train, train, train, train coming down the track…it’s gonna come along and gonna take us, I don’t know if it’s gonna bring us back…hold that thing, boys – I see it coming, Big Man…it’s coming, taking that local route…(?) everywhere and every place, take us rocking in some other town…it’s coming on through Detroit, Michigan – all aboard…Cincinnati, Ohio – all aboard…Ann Arbor, Michigan – all aboard…Milwaukee, Wisconsin – all aboard…going up to Chicago – all aboard…St. Louis, Missouri – all aboard…Portland, Oregon – all aboard…Seattle, Washington – all aboard…over California – all aboard…Los Angeles – all aboard…Phoenix, Arizona – all aboard…Dallas, Texas – all aboard…Austin, Texas – all aboard… Baton Rouge – all aboard (crowd cheers) come on, Louisiana, all aboard (crowd cheers) Baton Rouge – all aboard (crowd cheers)…”
Compiled by : Johanna Pirttijärvi
