1984-08-16 Brendan Byrne Arena, East Rutherford, NJ

Scheduled: 19:30 Local Start Time ??:?? / End Time ??:??

Info & Setlist | Venue

First "Johnny Bye-Bye" of the tour, similar to the "I'm On Fire" b-side rather than the slow River Tour version, furthermore it does not contain lines from "Mystery Train", as it will later in the tour. "Backstreets" again has a lengthy intro and a short "Sad Eyes" in the middle. Bruce sings a bit of Chubby Checker's "Let's Twist Again" as an introduction to "I'm A Rocker". "Detroit Medley" includes "Travelin' Band".

16.08.84 Meadowlands, NJ, intro to ´´Open All Night´´
´´Alright…this is….here´s a song dedicated….to that golden roadway of the East, the New Jersey Turnpike….now…I used to ride home all the time….from New York City, taking south ….I didn´t run into too much trouble….but there´s this one stretch of road, if you get off Exit 8, which takes you down into Freehold….through Heightstown….now, out in Heightstown…. them cops ain´t got nothing to do out there but to sit and wait for you all night long….so I´d got off Exit 8….and I´d always be extra careful not to go too fast ´cause I´d got caught a couple of times….so that night I must´ve been going suspiciously slow….´cause I got pulled over….´License, registration´….´Uh, Sir, I don´t have my license or my registration´….that didn´t go over too good….goes back to the car, calls me back….I give him my name….he says ´Son, are you that….that rock and roll singer?´….I said….´Yeah, that´s me,´ you know…. he says ´Did you, did you write that, uh, that, that ´Born to Run´-song?´….I said ´Yeah,´ you know, ´I wrote that one,´ he says ´Well, Son, you´re in a lot of trouble´….so I got my ticket but then….insult to injury, I had to go to traffic court, now, if you go to traffic court….usually there´s three kinds of pleas, either you plead innocent, which almost nobody pleads….or you plead guilty, which you are, but nobody pleads any way, or you plead that famous plea, guilty with an explanation….now….if you sit in traffic court all night, you find out that the whole world is guilty with an explanation….so….I´m sitting there and, God, some guy recognises me and he comes over and he says, you know, ´Are you Bruce?´ I say ´Yeah´….I knew that I was Bruce and he was definitely drunk, there was no doubt about it, he was like ….did you ever get one of them people that sit so close to you that you gotta lean away like this?…(?) anyway, he got called before me, and he was caught doing 60 on a residential street, on a side-street….and he gets up and his explanation, he says ´Judge, I was drunk and I thought I was on Route 35´….that´s the kind of explanation people have….so, anyway, I get up there and I don´t have no explanation so I´m thinking real hard….and I say ´Well, Judge, now, this is gonna sound kind of wild but….But I had the carburetor, baby, cleamed and checked….
(….) Now…they found me guilty….I paid my fine….and then I went out….and ran her open all night….´´

16.08.84 Meadowlands, NJ, intro to ´´Nebraska´´
´´Oh, thanks, this is, uh….this is a song about….I guess, what happens when you end up living inside your head too much…..´´

16.08.84 Meadowlands, NJ, intro to ´´Glory Days´´
´´(singalong)….This is where we start to get the groove going….you see….I always love to do this song….´cause this is a song about all of them people….that come up to you ten years later and try to tell you about what a great time you had in high school….I always go out into a bar, always somebody comes up to me, sits down on a stool next to me….says ´I remember you when´….that means they remember me when they wouldn´t speak to me….and then they always tell me about what a great time we had in high school….´I remember the night we went out and you were with that girl you really liked and a guy come over and he spilled a beer on your head and, oh, man, that was fun´….well, right now….personally….I had a lousy time in high school….I hated high school….I hated studying….I hated gym….I hated all them coaches making me do all them stupid exercises….when fall comes around, I´m still glad I don´t have to go to high school….I had a terrible time there….but I´m making up for it now ….boys, ready?….you guys in the backseat ready now? (cheers) backseat drivers….´´

16.08.84 Meadowlands, NJ, intro to ´´Johnny Bye Bye´´
´´This is, uh….it´s around this time of year I always….think about how long it´s been since somebody called me up and told me that Elvis had died….I remember it was real hard, I couldn´t understand it at the time….I guess sometimes a dream coming true is a dangerous thing….´´

16.08.84 Meadowlands, NJ, intro to ´´The River´´
´´This is ´cause you gotta have someplace to go when you can´t go home….´´

16.08.84 Meadowlands, NJ, ´´Thunder Road´´
´´(crowd sings) That´s better than me….Don´t run back inside….´´

16.08.84 Meadowlands, NJ, middle of ´´Cadillac Ranch´´
´´That´s the Hoboken cowboy!….´´

16.08.84 Meadowlands, NJ, intro to ´´No Surrender´´
´´Yeah, alright (chuckles)….this is, uh….this is a song about trying to find something that you can hold on to….everything changes so quick these days….I always figured I was real lucky, when I was, when I was real young, I found something that I really loved to do and, uh…in the end, I guess, it´s your, it´s friends and your family….and whatever dream you´ve got to hold on to that counts….so this is for Little Steven wherever he is tonight….he´s got a, he´s got a new record out called Voice of America, it´s a really, really great record….if you get a chance, you ought to listen to it….´´

16.08.84 Meadowlands, NJ, intro to ´´Pink Cadillac´´
´´Take it easy now, boys….now…they say that back in the beginning….there was a place called the Garden of Eden….now….I´ve been studying up on this and they originally believed that the Garden of Eden was in the Middle East somewhere….but according to the latest theological studies….by their best calculations, they found out that the Garden of Eden was about ten miles outside of Passaic….now….initially in the Garden of Eden there was….no sin, there was no TV, there was no sex (crowd boos) there was (chuckles) what the hell were they doing all the time? (chuckles)….playing with the animals? you can do that at the zoo!
….anyway….imagine….sometimes I….lay down at night and I think would I rather be in the Garden of Eden or would I rather be on Earth….and I always add up that I´d rather be on Earth….on Earth there is….cheeseburgers….on Earth there is….women….I´ve even worked out something called the Earthwalk….you see, Michael Jackson, he does the Moonwalk, see, now me, I do the Earthwalk….now….this can be very tricky at 2am, coming out of a bar in Asbury Park (chuckles) basically it goes just like this (chuckles)….so….anyway, what they didn´t tell you was that in the Garden of Eden there was a man, there was a woman, there was (feedback from the mike) there was no feedback (chuckles) but there was temptation and there was sin and parked curbside, there must´ve been….a pink Cadillac….´´

16.08.84 Meadowlands, NJ, middle of ´´Backstreets´´
´´I remember that we swore on it….I remember that we swore on it, we said if….if you got out first, you´d help me….and if I got out, I´d help you….I remember that we swore on it…. we said it would last forever….we said it would last forever and forever and forever….and then you said that it was nothing but a promise….then you said that it was nothing….it was just a promise….´´

16.08.84 Meadowlands, NJ, middle of ´´Rosalita´´
´´Ladies and gentlemen…children of all ages….it is now my pleasure to introduce to you the members of the E Street Band….I´d like to begin at my far left….a gentleman….who gave up a scholarship to Harvard in unusual sexual practises to do the 1984 tour with the E Street Band….a man who (?) you may have read his study of the lost tribes of Hoboken, you may have read his theory of promiscuity, ladies and gentlemen, the only member of the E Street Band with a full high school diploma, the educated, the dedicated Professor Roy Bittan….and next, an alumni of Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes….from Long Branch, New Jersey, on vocals, Miss Patti Scialfa….and then the gentleman who brings you the thunder from way down under, his mother was a Tallent, his father was a Tallent, Mr.Garry W.Tallent on the bass guitar….and next, ladies and gentlemen, a man who´s been with the E Street Band longer than any other member, matter of fact I believe it´s been almost 15 years tonight….and then….to show my appreciation, bring out the gifts, Jim, bring ´em out….we have for you for 15 years of dedication, that´s right, a portable hairdryer….and two tickets to tonight´s show ….and next….we have a man who performs the whole night without a net, ladies and gentlemen, drumroll, please….on the guitar, Mr.Nils Lofgren (Nils does his trampoline stunt)….and last but not least….next to last but not least….a man who….he´s an author of a book called The Big Beat….a drummer….on the drums, the one, the only, the Mighty Max Weinberg….oh yeah, oh yeah….and now that lean, mean love machine….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´) Clarence Big Man Clemons….´´

16.08.84 Meadowlands, NJ, intro to ´´Twist and Shout´´
´´Do you surrender? (crowd: ´´No´´) have you had enough yet? (crowd: ´´No´´) now, some of you guys gotta get up for work tomorrow now (crowd: ´´No´´) you´re gonna miss them Kojak-reruns on television (cheers) do you surrender? (crowd: ´´No´´) are you sure? (crowd: ´´Yeah´´)….
(….) Take it easy now, boys….oh yeah….how low can you go, baby? (chuckles) this is my favorite part of the night….I get to stand here and….groove a little bit, get to look out and watch all the people dancing….I can see who´s out there….
(….) Are you ready, Big Man?….now all I wanna know is….is how´s you guys doing way back there up on the hill? (cheers) you got some high-altitude twisting going on there….you gotta get your aviator´s license to do some dancing up there (chuckles) yeah….how are you guys in the back here? (cheers)(?)….oh, you´re looking good!…now there´s only one thing I wanna know…before I go….to make my night complete….there´s only question that I gotta ask….and that´s….that´s….that´s….Do you love me?….
(….) Ladies and gentlemen, I confess….I´m a sick man, get ready….Shake it a-baby…´´

Compiled by : Johanna Pirttijärvi

Brucebase Wiki

Site Navigation