Scheduled: 19:30 Local Start Time ??:?? / End Time ??:??
Info & Setlist | Venue
Bruce introduces the show-opening "Better Days" with a line of "Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!". Patti Scialfa joins on "Brilliant Disguise" and "Human Touch", and Jon Landau guests on "Glory Days" and "Santa Claus Is Comin' To Town". "The Star-Spangled Banner" is played as a lead-in to "Born In The U.S.A.".
- Jon Landau (Guest)
- Patti Scialfa (Guest)
incl. Rehearsals.
© All credits to the original photographer. We do not monetize a photo in any way, but if you want your photo to be removed, let us know, and we will remove it.
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: 3:19:21
Audience tape.
Intro to “Local Hero”
“There I was driving through my hometown, looked over, saw myself painted on a black velvet next to a German shepherd and Bruce Lee….on sale for 19.99….I should´ve suspected (?)….“
Intro to “The Big Muddy”
“(?)….this is a song, I think, uh….you know, when, when we´re brought up, we´re all kind of ….taught to believe that there´s, there´s good and there´s evil, there´s the right thing to do and there´s the wrong thing to do….and those lines are always gonna be discernible in some fashion….when you get a little older and you get out there a little bit, you find about all those spaces in-between….all those hard choices….and everybody, uh, certainly in this country someday finds himself down in the Big Muddy….”
Intro to “57 Channels”
“1992….you can American cities burning again…..well, you reap what you sow….”
Intro to “If I Should Fall Behind”
“Thank you, thank you…..oh…..thanks, how´ve you been since we´ve been back here, huh ? (cheers) it´s nice to be in town….yeah…..(?)….it´s easy to sweat in this building (chuckles) oh !….this next song, uh, well, that last song, I wrote that last song a little while after my son was born…..yeah….got my….have a beautiful boy and a beautiful little girl at home….and uh ….this next song, I guess….it´s kind of my best song about connection, one of ´em anyway…. it´s sort of, uh….before you have those kids, the future´s a funny thing, you know, it´s….it´s hard to get your hands on it, it´s hard to make it feel tangible or, or real, it´s hard to get drawn out of yourself….into thinking about it, doing something about it….but once you have those kids, you sort of, the future is usually right there pissing on your leg so…..sort of brings it home real fast….uh…..but uh…..I guess this next song, this is sort of a….you know, we lived through those Los Angeles riots, as I´ve been kind of telling people around the country, as everybody had a chance to kind of do thanks to television, we had a glimpse of the country on a day when it didn´t matter who you were or what you thought or what you believed in or where you stood, all that mattered is what you look like as to whether you were gonna live or die…..that´s kind of a scary future to….bring your kids into….so this is a song sort of about getting the small things right…..and hoping that the big things will follow ….so I….I´m gonna do this tonight for all the husbands and wives out there in the room….I wanna do this also for Bill Clinton, wishing him good luck…..oh yeah….as you get older, it´s sort of, uh…..it´s hard to put your faith in politicians or, or in rock stars, for that matter (chuckles) but you gotta start somewhere so here we go…..”
Intro to “Leap of Faith”
“Alright….this next song, this is kind of a song about second chances…..about, uh…..the search for love, faith, hope…..in the, uh, in the belief that sex will surely follow….and this is kind of my own, uh, I like to think of this song as my own version of Erotica, you know, it´s a sort of a…..yeah, it´s sort of a diary of my own personal sexual habits…..in thinly disguised imagery….a book will shortly follow….of me in my large collection of leopard skin underwear….look for it at Walden Books….there ain´t gonna be any title, it´s just gonna say on the cover ´50 bucks please´….so…..do we have any faith out there tonight ? (cheers)…..”
Middle of “Light of Day”
“I came thousands and thousands of miles just to get here tonight….I came thousands of miles through some real shitty weather just to get here tonight…..I came via Sweden, via France, via Italy, via Rome (?) via Dallas, Texas…..via New York City, via Philadelphia, via the great state of New Jersey….via San Diego, via San Francisco, via Los Angeles….spent a shitload of money on a real fancy house…..but I kept on driving…..I kept on going…..I´m here tonight with one thing in mind…..I know you´re downhearted…..I know you´re depressed…..I know you´re disappointed…..I know you´re disillusioned….I know there´s 57 fucking channels and nothing on…..and I´m here tonight…..I´m here tonight…..to raise your spirits….I´m here tonight….´cause I´ve got something I´ve got to testify to…. ´cause I´ve got something I´ve got to bring witness to….I wanna say that I….I….I….I….I….I….I…..I….I´m just a prisoner…of rock and roll !…..”
Middle of “Glory Days”
“….and last but not least, a special guest…..how can I put it, uh ? producer, weight reducer, uh, the man whose guitar licks are honey, who goes to the record company and gets me more money, the master of managerial disaster, Jon Landau on the guitar….”
Intro to “Thunder Road”
“I´d like to just take a second and I´d like to thank the fans in Boston for the support that you´ve shown me (?)….(?) like the chance to come back into the area and uh….I just wanna say I wanna thank all my old fans and my new fans, thanks for sticking with me, thank you ….this is for you….”
Intro to “Born to Run”
“Thank you….Jonny !….this is for my good friend Jon, this is the town we met in….outside a little joint that was called Charlie´s…guess it´s gone now (chuckles) well….this is for you, pal, here we go….”
Middle of “Santa Claus Is Coming to Town”
“Oh, I think I see him coming now….straight from the North Pole….where he runs a gambling casino….come on out, Santa…..has everybody been good ? (cheers) no cheating on your babies ? (cheers) no cheating on your taxes ? (cheers) alright, here we go….”
Compiled by : Johanna Pirttijärvi. |
Sorry, no Eyewitness-report available.
© All credits to the original photographer. We do not monetize a photo in any way, but if you want your photo to be removed, let us know, and we will remove it.
Thousands of Miles for Some Rock and Soul |
It has been some time since the Live Archive series revisited Bruce Springsteen’s 1992-93 World Tour in support of Human Touch and Lucky Town. This chapter in his live performance history can be tricky to contextualize, in part because it’s a rare full-band tour that does not list E Street as its home address. As such, there’s no point comparing “Born to Run” played by the 1992-93 band to an E Street Band performance from any year, because there is simply no comparison. That’s okay. It was never their mission.
The selection of Boston 12/13/92 is driven by a setlist that features 16 songs from Human Touch and Lucky Town, many of which never graduated to the Reunion era. Bruce assembled his new, expanded band with that recent music in mind, not “Darkness on the Edge of Town” (though, to be fair, they play the latter rather well). The one constant from E Street to the new crew was Roy Bittan, with whom Springsteen co-wrote “Roll of the Dice” and “Real World” for Human Touch.
I’ve always viewed the 1992-93 band as an attempt to mix roots-rock with gospel-influenced soul music and reminiscent of Bob Dylan’s 1986 True Confessions tour, which saw him backed by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers augmented by the Queens of Rhythm backing singers. In fact, it was the late Debbie Gold, a mutual friend of both Dylan and Springsteen, who encouraged the former to work with Petty and helped the latter assemble his 1992-93 touring musicians.
If anything, Bruce was tipping that mix toward soul. The catch was that much of his new music featured heavy synthesizers and keyboards. Synthesizers and classic soul can mix marvelously (see Aretha Franklin’s “Freeway of Love”), but it requires very particular attributes. There are many words one could use to describe the extraordinary talent of Roy Bittan as a keyboard player, but funky is not one of them.
Boston 12/13/92 effectively captures the strengths and stretches fundamental to the 1992-93 tour. Listening anew proves refreshing, as several HT/LT songs and other arrangements are distinct from the many E Street Band performances that followed. As fluent as many of us were in the sound of that tour at the time, hearing it now is an entertaining time tunnel to a unique period.
Jon Altschiller’s multitrack mix puts Bittan first chair on the bandshell, and you’ll hear the Professor loud and proud as the show starts winningly with “Better Days,” “Local Hero,” and “Lucky Town.” The aforementioned “Darkness” follows, with Roy hard right channel, guitarist Shayne Fontayne hard left. It isn’t a classic version, but a compelling one just the same, with intriguing vocal rephrasing from Springsteen, a frequent event this night. The song ends not with Bruce’s voice but a gorgeous vocal run from Angel Rogers.
“The Big Muddy” gets an infrequent airing here. It’s a kind of swampy, narrative cousin to “Atlantic City” that rides a big Bruce vocal and sinewy synth work from Bittan. “57 Channels (And Nothin’ On)” taps television news audio a la U2’s Zoo TV tour, but the attempt to graft the social issues of a post-Rodney-King-verdict America on to a humorous ditty about modern media remains a difficult sell.
Things get back on track with an excellent version of “Trapped” that showcases the powerhouse voices Bruce assembled as his choir. I love the way he biblically tweaks, “good conquers evil, the truth sets you free.” “Badlands” is highly credible, too, filled with small arrangement changes that pulled me into a song that has been played the same way by the E Street Band forever.
The emotional heart of Lucky Town is the life-affirming “Living Proof,” written by Sprinsteen after the birth of his first son. Boston gets an excellent performance, vocal nuances reinforcing that Springsteen is in the moment. The same can be said for “If I Shall Fall Behind.” I prefer this arrangement to the Reunion edition, with lush harmonica and dark synthesizer tones along with a robust Bruce vocal. Listen for how the harp and keyboards play off each other at the end.
Bruce makes the title literal in “Leap of Faith.” We can clearly hear when he enters the crowd, with a funny “Whoa, oh!” soon followed by a surely deserved “Yikes!” The backing singers are at their church-choir best, lending the song gospel gravitas. Bobby King moves front and center for “Man’s Job.” Beneath those period synths a classic soul song is fighting to be heard, one that could have been the uptempo A-side to a “Back In Your Arms” B-side in a parallel universe where Bruce cut singles for Stax.
“Roll of the Dice,” carried by Roy’s memorable piano melody, is the signature sound of Human Touch and in its live incarnation brings out the best of this band. It also provides another showcase for the talented Mr. King—when Bruce says, “Take me to heaven, Bobby,” the singer responds by holding a long, sweet vocal note.
From the sublime to the, er, stretches. “Gloria’s Eyes” is a slight and underpowered set opener, there’s no getting around it. The fact that Springsteen never played the song again after this tour, solo or band, seems to validate that characterization. “Cover Me” gets the second set properly ignited. While it is a synth-soaked arrangement, Bruce does some excellent and distinctive guitar soloing. “Brilliant Disguise,” featuring special guest Patti Scialfa, sounds just like it should, in a pure and emotive reading.
Next comes the vexing case of “Soul Driver,” a fine song in search of the right arrangement. “Soul Driver” debuted at the Christic Institute shows in November 1990 in a memorable, vocal-led acoustic reading. The studio incarnation on Human Touch is an odd, lilting number with a massive snare sound. In Boston, a keyboard sound from somewhere in the marimba/kalimba neighborhood starts the song, then a wailing guitar joins, but no drums or rhythm part to speak of. The result is superior to the album version and paced more like the Christic, but “Soul Driver” remains an unrealized if tantalizing prospect.
The pairing of “Souls of the Departed” into “Born in the U.S.A.,” however, is fully realized. Where “57 Channels” struggled, “Souls” blossoms, news audio setting the stage for the show’s most powerful performance as Springsteen’s lyrics and a hard-hitting arrangement tap into the American darkness of 1992. It was a masterstroke to connect “Souls” to “Born in the U.S.A.” with Jimi Hendrix-inspired strains of “The Star-Spangled Banner.”
The second set rounds the bend into another arrangement challenge, “Real World,” and the outcome is even more confounding. Again, the stunning solo piano debut performance of “Real World” at the Christic shows in 1990 is the lens through which all other versions are viewed. As on the studio version, synthesizer carries too much of the load in Boston, losing the majesty the piano reading has in spades.
But the instinct that this song could be a showstopper—an uplifting, full-band anthem—is understandable. In the end, Bruce and the band give “Real World” everything they’ve got, and through sheer willpower and commitment, the song does transcend the arrangement and dated synth sound in an otherwise overlong performance. Ah, what could have been.
The set ends with the good fun of “Light of Day,” and everyone on stage gets the chance to shine. Zack Alford feels especially at home on this one, clobbering his drum kit to drive the “Light of Day” train to the station.
The encore opens with a sharp “Human Touch,” again featuring Miss Patti Scialfa, and manager Jon Landau straps on an axe for “Glory Days,” earning a funny introduction by Springsteen in the process (“The master of managerial disaster”). The 1992-93 arrangement of “Thunder Road” has aged nicely, with Bruce on acoustic guitar and Bittan offering sweeping organ accompaniment. Bittan’s keyboards also fare well on “My Beautiful Reward,” a lovely coda to the show and to the entire Human Touch/Lucky Town body of work. But maybe there’s time for just one more.
It was only 37 degrees at showtime (“I came thousands of miles through some real shitty weather just to get here,” Bruce points out out during “Light of Day”), but it did make the bonus gift of “Santa Claus Is Comin’ to Town” that much more fitting.
It’s been 28 years since Springsteen toured with the “other band,” but their soulful mission lingers; the Boston 12/13/92 set is unique to the Live Archive thus far for being centered around the songs he packed especially for their journey. While the 1992-93 experiment wasn’t always successful, Springsteen’s attempt to explore a different sound offers refreshment to ears so accustomed to hearing a beloved but familiar style of performance. It is worthy of a deep relisten.
By Erik Flannigan via Nugs.net. |
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