15.07.81 Philadelphia, PA, intro to “Prove It All Night”
“(Ed Sciaky: “Good evening, ladies and gentlemen, and welcome, I’m Ed Sciaky from WIOQ, back in 1975 at the Main Point I said they were gonna conquer the world and they did and now they’re back, please welcome Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band!”) (crowd cheers)…”
15.07.81 Philadelphia, PA, intro to “Independence Day”
“I remember when I was, I was growing up…I lived in this house where nobody, nobody seemed to ever talk to each other…unless, unless it was to yell at each other for something…and…I used to think…that my old man was the way…I remember him getting up in the morning, going to work, coming home, sitting in the kitchen at night…and always drinking too much…and it seems like when I was a kid, I used to think that it was always that way, that he was never…that he was never different than when I’d, I’d known him… then I went to my aunt’s house one, for dinner, I think it was one Thanksgiving…and she gave me a picture of my dad when he was, it was in 1946 so he was…oh, about…about 22…and he had on this suit, this John Garfield-type-suit, he was looking straight into the camera…and he looked so full of, full of life and full of…full of himself…and I watched him…as I got older I watched all the things that…that were good about him…get turned away…and…he got turned real hard inside…it’s hard not to let that happen to you in the world the way it is today, you know, it’s hard…it’s hard not to cover up…and…but I watched him and in the end it seems…if you cover up your feelings too much and you cover up the things that hurt you, that run you down…somehow in the end they just stay inside you and they just eat, eat you alive…and…I remember when I left home, I thought…that I was gonna get out from underneath all those things…that I was gonna get away from all those things that turn you that way…but you never really do and all you can do is live with ‘em…try not to let ‘em beat you down…this is a…this is a song I wrote for my father in 1977 when I realised…that he was like me…”
15.07.81 Philadelphia, PA, beginning of “Thunder Road”
“(After the sing-along) Are you talking to me? (crowd cheers)…”
15.07.81 Philadelphia, PA, after “Thunder Road”
“Thanks (crowd cheers) thanks (crowd cheers) we’re gonna, we’re gonna take a short break and then we’re gonna be back, we got another whole set to do for you so (crowd cheers) we’ll see you in a little while, ok? (crowd cheers)…”
15.07.81 Philadelphia, PA, intro to “Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out”
“Alright now…what’s that sign say up there?…no, the one over there to my left…does that say “Cool us with the Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out”? (crowd cheers)…”
15.07.81 Philadelphia, PA, middle of “Rosalita”
“Alright now, folks…now we have…the most important part of the show…I’m talking about the band introductions…first, to my far left, a man on the thing that we like to call the piano, let’s have a nice round of applause for Professor Roy Bittan (crowd cheers) now, next the man in the black shirt…comes to you from Asbury Park, New Jersey (crowd cheers)he’s the master of soul, the poet of rock’n’roll, he 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,” “Daddy’s Come Home,” I’m talking about the great Miami Steve Van Zandt (crowd cheers) next we got a man that plays all the low notes, I’m talking to you about the bass player, Mr. Garry W. Tallent (crowd cheers) and now back on the drums, we got a man that plays so hard, plays so mean, brings grown men to their knees and they cry, good girls go bad and bad girls, that’s right, they get worse, I’m talking about the Mighty Max Weinberg on the drums (crowd cheers) we’ve got a gentleman all the way from Flemington, New Jersey, he’s the mysterious member of the band, the only member of the band with red hair, I’m talking about Phantom Dan Federici on the organ (crowd cheers) and now, last but not least (crowd cheers) that’s right, I don’t blame you, I don’t blame you for being excited because I’m gonna introduce to you now a man we know, he’s the king of the world, he’s the master of the universe, he’s the emperor of all things, he’s faster than a speeding bullet, more powerful than a locomotive, able to leap tall women, I mean tall buildings in a single bound, ladies and gentlemen, gimme a C-L-A-R-E-N-C-E, what’s that spell? (crowd: “Clarence”) what’s that spell? (crowd: “Clarence”) what’s that spell? (crowd: “Clarence”) Spotlight on the Big Man!…”
15.07.81 Philadelphia, PA, towards the end of “Detroit Medley”
“Goodnight!…thanks for coming down to the show (crowd cheers) Philly! (crowd cheers)…”
Compiled by : Johanna Pirttijärvi
