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: 2:53:37
Note: Also part of the 'Darkness on The Edge Of Town Tour 1978 8-Show CD Box Set', available on February 1, 2021 via Nugs.
Fascinating soundcheck taped from outside the venue. In the middle of a three-night stand at the Capitol, Bruce works through several Hank Williams and Johnny Cash classics, tackles the 1964 Hollies single "I'm Alive," Led Zeppelin's "Whole Lotta Love" and addresses new material as well. "Go Away (Come Close)" is a moody, minor key ballad, either newly written or from the Darkness album sessions. Another one that got away. Meanwhile, "The Ties That Bind" may well be the band's first performance, as Bruce carefully reviews chord changes before they try it out. The raw, edgy arrangement is very different from the Searchers-styled rendition Springsteen would debut in concert in November, being more like Jeff Beck-era Yardbirds, a la "You're A Better Man Than I". The careful arrangement of "Wedding Bells" is stark and moving, with slower versions approaching the mood Bruce would later achieve with "Used Cars" on 1982's Nebraska.
Note: These recordings all likely derive from this one soundcheck. Previously Brucebase has placed this soundcheck session under September 19, with the reasoning that there would be no need to do a soundcheck before the second night of the stand since Bruce carried his own sound crew on the road. However, it seems unlikely that Springsteen would carry out a soundcheck with such experimental content prior to an important radio broadcast. There may not have been a necessity to perform a soundcheck in the middle of a three-night stand, but that doesn't mean that Springsteen wouldn't use the opportunity to work on new material. In addition, the soundcheck has historically been considered to have taken place on this date (prior to Brucebase listing the soundcheck on September 19, we had it listed here, on September 20). Finally, during "Point Blank" Bruce can be heard referring to something that happened in the song "last night"; there was no concert on September 18.
Audience tape and partial in-line video with soundboard audio also circulate. Complete show available on pro-shot video, soundboard audio sourced from the video feed and a 2011 transfer of a two-track recording recorded by the Record Plant's mobile unit. Early 2012 saw new audio and video sources of this show emerge; 'Douceur de Vivre' (JEMS) (translates as 'the sweetness of life') is possibly one of the best quality recordings of Springsteen in existence (both official and unofficial) and is a must for any collector. This tape does not have the cuts to "Jungleland" and "Incident On 57th Street", but does lack the start of "Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out" and the end of "Twist And Shout". 'Douceur de Vivre' uses patches from the video source to fill in the missing parts. Subsequent to the JEMS version, a copy is released on CD 'Second Night At The Capitol Theatre' (Godfather). Also available on CDs '2nd Night At The Capitol Theatre' (Winged Wheel) and 'Tonight It's Just You And Me' (None), both of which use the old line video as the source. The complete soundcheck can be found as an audience tape ('Unbooted'), and the first three songs from the soundboard can be found on CD 'Capitol Soundcheck' (Great Dane) and 'The Soundcheck' (None).
The concert was professionally filmed on the Capitol Theatre's in-house video system. The resulting film is technically lacking, but very well shot with excellent direction. The two-DVD 'Live In Passaic - September 20th 1978' (Brucevideos) uses a recently unearthed video source and is a substantial visual upgrade over the existing sources. This DVD uses the JEMS audio. All video sources are missing the start of "Jungleland" and thirty seconds of "Incident On 57th Street" due to tape changes. Part of the soundcheck (including takes of "Wedding Bells" and "The Ties That Bind") also circulates on video. The first three songs listed above, plus segments of "Point Blank" and "Kitty's Back," circulate on DVD from an excellent in-line source.