Atlantic City

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Track 2 of Nebraska, 1982.

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Credits

• Nebraska (1982)
  • Bruce Springsteen: vocals, guitar, harmonica, mandolin, glockenspiel, tambourine, organ, synthesizer

Performances

Performed live 366 times (not including snippet performances). 2023-04-05 Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse, Cleveland, OH 2021-03-15 Stone Hill Farm, Colts Neck, NJ 2020-01-18 Paramount Theatre, Asbury Park, NJ 2017-02-02 AAMI Park, Melbourne, Australia 2017-01-25 Perth Arena, Perth, Australia 2016-08-30 MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, NJ 2016-07-31 Letzigrund, Zurich, Switzerland 2016-06-22 Telia Parken, Copenhagen, Denmark 2016-05-25 Etihad Stadium, Manchester, England 2016-05-19 Bela Vista Park, Lisbon, Portugal 2016-05-14 Camp Nou, Barcelona, Spain 2016-02-12 Wells Fargo Center, Philadelphia, PA 2016-01-31 Prudential Center, Newark, NJ 2015-07-18 Wonder Bar, Asbury Park, NJ 2014-05-23 Soldiers & Sailors Memorial Hall & Museum, Pittsburgh, PA 2014-04-24 PNC Arena, Raleigh, NC 2014-04-17 Bridgestone Arena, Nashville, TN 2014-04-06 Reunion Arena, Old Site, Dallas, TX 2014-03-01 Mt. Smart Stadium, Auckland, New Zealand 2014-02-07 Perth Arena, Perth, Australia 2014-01-26 Bellville Velodrome, Cape Town, South Africa 2014-01-18 Paramount Theatre, Asbury Park, NJ 2013-09-12 Movistar Arena, Santiago, Chile 2013-07-24 First Direct Arena, Leeds, England 2013-07-20 King's Hall, Belfast, Northern Ireland 2013-07-13 Festivalpark, Werchter, Belgium 2013-06-30 Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, London, England 2013-06-26 Estadio Municipal El Molinón, Gijón, Spain 2013-06-18 Hampden Park, Glasgow, Scotland 2013-06-03 Stadio Giuseppe Meazza, Milan, Italy 2013-05-28 AWD Arena, Hannover, Germany 2013-05-08 HK Areena, Turku, Finland 2013-04-30 Telenor Arena, Oslo, Norway 2013-03-30 Hanging Rock, Mt. Macedon, Australia 2013-03-16 Brisbane Entertainment Centre, Brisbane, Australia 2012-11-15 CenturyLink Center, Omaha, NE 2012-11-11 Xcel Energy Center, Saint Paul, MN 2012-11-03 KFC Yum! Center, Louisville, KY 2012-10-31 Blue Cross Arena At The War Memorial, Rochester, NY 2012-09-07 Wrigley Field, Chicago, IL 2012-09-03 Citizens Bank Park, Philadelphia, PA 2012-08-14 Fenway Park, Boston, MA 2012-07-23 Koengen, Bergen, Norway 2012-07-18 RDS Arena, Dublin, Ireland 2012-07-11 Synot Tip Arena, Prague, Czech Republic 2012-06-24 Seaclose Park, Isle Of Wight, England 2012-06-22 Etihad Stadium, Manchester, England 2012-05-27 Rheinenergiestadion, Cologne, Germany 2012-03-28 Wells Fargo Center, Philadelphia, PA 2012-03-23 Tampa Bay Times Forum, Tampa, FL 2012-01-14 Paramount Theatre, Asbury Park, NJ 2011-11-03 Soldiers & Sailors Memorial Hall & Museum, Pittsburgh, PA 2011-01-15 Paramount Theatre, Asbury Park, NJ 2010-11-05 Soldiers & Sailors Memorial Hall & Museum, Pittsburgh, PA 2010-11-04 Soldiers & Sailors Memorial Hall & Museum, Pittsburgh, PA 2010-01-16 Paramount Theatre, Asbury Park, NJ 2009-11-08 Madison Square Garden, New York City, NY 2009-09-30 Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, NJ 2009-09-16 BI-LO Center, Greenville, SC 2009-08-25 Saratoga Performing Arts Center, Saratoga Springs, NY 2009-07-19 Stadio Olimpico, Rome, Italy 2009-07-14 Hampden Park, Glasgow, Scotland 2009-07-08 MCH Arena, Herning, Denmark 2009-07-02 Olympiastadion, Munich, Germany 2009-06-30 Stade De Suisse, Bern, Switzerland 2008-08-16 North Charleston Coliseum, Charleston, SC 2008-07-27 Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, NJ 2008-07-19 Camp Nou, Barcelona, Spain 2008-07-15 Estadio Anoeta, Donostia-San Sebastián, Spain 2008-07-07 Valle Hovin Stadion, Oslo, Norway 2008-07-04 Ullevi, Gothenburg, Sweden 2008-06-27 Parc Des Princes, Paris, France 2008-06-21 HSH Nordbank Arena, Hamburg, Germany 2008-06-14 Millennium Stadium, Cardiff, Wales 2008-05-30 Emirates Stadium, London, England 2008-05-25 RDS Arena, Dublin, Ireland 2008-04-22 St. Pete Times Forum, Tampa, FL 2008-04-14 Toyota Center, Houston, TX 2008-04-08 Honda Center, Anaheim, CA 2008-03-31 GM Place, Vancouver, BC 2006-12-02 Starland Ballroom, Sayreville, NJ 2006-11-21 Odyssey Arena, Belfast, Northern Ireland 2006-11-19 Point Theatre (The), Dublin, Ireland 2006-11-17 Point Theatre (The), Dublin, Ireland 2006-11-14 Hallam FM Arena, Sheffield, England 2006-11-11 Wembley Arena, London, England 2006-11-06 Kölnarena, Cologne, Germany 2006-10-30 Globen, Stockholm, Sweden 2006-10-29 Oslo Spektrum, Oslo, Norway 2006-10-28 Parken Stadium, Copenhagen, Denmark 2006-10-25 Pabellón Deportivo, Santander, Spain 2006-10-19 Plaza De Toros De Las Ventas, Madrid, Spain 2006-10-12 Color Line Arena, Hamburg, Germany 2006-10-10 PalaLottomatica, Rome, Italy 2006-10-07 Arena Santa Giuliana, Perugia, Italy 2006-10-05 Arena Di Verona, Verona, Italy 2006-10-02 PalaIsozaki, Turin, Italy 2006-10-01 PalaMalaguti, Bologna, Italy 2006-06-25 PNC Bank Arts Center, Holmdel, NJ 2006-06-24 PNC Bank Arts Center, Holmdel, NJ 2006-06-22 Madison Square Garden, New York City, NY 2006-06-20 Tweeter Center At The Waterfront, Camden, NJ 2006-06-17 DTE Energy Music Theatre, Clarkston, MI 2006-06-16 Blossom Music Center, Cuyahoga Falls, OH 2006-06-14 Bradley Center, Milwaukee, WI 2006-06-13 First Midwest Bank Amphitheatre, Tinley Park, IL 2006-06-11 Xcel Energy Center, Saint Paul, MN 2006-06-10 Wells Fargo Arena, Des Moines, IA 2006-06-06 Sleep Train Pavilion, Concord, CA 2006-06-05 Greek Theatre, Los Angeles, CA 2006-06-03 Glendale Arena, Glendale, AZ 2006-05-31 Verizon Wireless Music Center, Noblesville, IN 2005-11-21 Sovereign Bank Arena, Trenton, NJ 2005-11-17 Continental Airlines Arena, East Rutherford, NJ 2005-11-13 Boardwalk Hall, Atlantic City, NJ 2005-11-08 Wachovia Spectrum, Philadelphia, PA 2005-11-04 St. Pete Times Forum, Tampa, FL 2005-10-21 Dunkin' Donuts Center, Providence, RI 2005-10-04 Paramount Theatre, Asbury Park, NJ 2004-12-02 Heinz Hall For The Performing Arts, Pittsburgh, PA 2004-11-06 Stone Pony (The), Asbury Park, NJ 2003-08-11 Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia, PA 2003-07-26 Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, NJ 2003-06-22 Ullevi, Gothenburg, Sweden 2003-06-12 AOL Arena, Hamburg, Germany 2003-05-31 RDS Arena, Dublin, Ireland 2003-05-27 National Sports Stadium, London, England 2003-03-07 Boardwalk Hall, Atlantic City, NJ 2002-11-04 Compaq Center, Houston, TX 2002-10-20 Velodrom, Berlin, Germany 2002-08-24 Forum (The), Inglewood, CA 2002-08-20 Rose Garden, Portland, OR 2000-07-01 Madison Square Garden, New York City, NY 2000-06-17 Madison Square Garden, New York City, NY 2000-05-27 MGM Grand Garden Arena, Las Vegas, NV 2000-05-08 Hartford Civic Center, Hartford, CT 2000-04-18 Compaq Center, Houston, TX 2000-04-15 Freedom Hall, Louisville, KY 2000-04-08 Kiel Center, St. Louis, MO 2000-03-14 Alltel Arena, Little Rock, AR 1999-10-28 Oakland Arena, Oakland, CA 1999-10-21 Staples Center, Los Angeles, CA 1999-09-30 United Center, Chicago, IL 1999-09-25 First Union Center, Philadelphia, PA 1999-07-24 Continental Airlines Arena, East Rutherford, NJ 1999-06-17 Weserstadion, Bremen, Germany 1999-05-21 Earls Court, London, England 1999-05-02 Manchester Evening News Arena, Manchester, England 1999-04-20 FilaForum, Milan, Italy 1997-05-25 Palais Des Congrès De Paris, Paris, France 1997-05-22 Teatro Augusteo, Naples, Italy 1997-05-21 Teatro Verdi, Florence, Italy 1997-05-19 Zénith Oméga, Toulon, France 1997-05-18 Palais Des Congrès Acropolis, Nice, France 1997-05-16 Opéra Berlioz, Le Corum, Montpellier, France 1997-05-15 Auditorium Maurice-Ravel, Lyon, France 1997-05-12 Congress Centre, Prague, Czech Republic 1997-05-10 Sala Kongresowa, Warsaw, Poland 1997-05-06 Austria Center Vienna, Vienna, Austria 1997-02-17 Palais Theatre, Melbourne, Australia 1997-02-15 Palais Theatre, Melbourne, Australia 1997-02-12 Capitol Theatre, Sydney, Australia 1997-02-10 Capitol Theatre, Sydney, Australia 1997-02-07 Capitol Theatre, Sydney, Australia 1997-02-04 Concert Hall (The), QPAC, Brisbane, Australia 1997-01-31 Forum Hall, Tōkyō Kokusai Fōramu, Tokyo, Japan 1997-01-30 Forum Hall, Tōkyō Kokusai Fōramu, Tokyo, Japan 1997-01-29 Forum Hall, Tōkyō Kokusai Fōramu, Tokyo, Japan 1997-01-27 Forum Hall, Tōkyō Kokusai Fōramu, Tokyo, Japan 1996-12-14 Ovens Auditorium, Charlotte, NC 1996-12-12 Ryman Auditorium, Nashville, TN 1996-12-10 Music Hall, Cincinnati, OH 1996-12-05 Township Auditorium, Columbia, SC 1996-12-02 Sunrise Musical Theatre, Sunrise, FL 1996-11-26 Paramount Theatre, Asbury Park, NJ 1996-11-25 Paramount Theatre, Asbury Park, NJ 1996-11-24 Paramount Theatre, Asbury Park, NJ 1996-11-21 Murat Theatre, Indianapolis, IN 1996-11-20 Louisville Palace, Louisville, KY 1996-11-19 Ellis Auditorium, Memphis, TN 1996-11-12 Shea's Performing Arts Center, Buffalo, NY 1996-10-28 Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall, Portland, OR 1996-10-25 Arlington Theater, Santa Barbara, CA 1996-10-22 San Diego Civic Theatre, San Diego, CA 1996-10-21 Grady Gammage Memorial Auditorium, Tempe, AZ 1996-10-19 Kiva Auditorium, Albuquerque, NM 1996-10-16 Paramount Theatre, Denver, CO 1996-10-15 Abravanel Hall, Salt Lake City, UT 1996-10-03 Northrop Auditorium, Minneapolis, MN 1996-10-02 Riverside Theater, Milwaukee, WI 1996-10-01 Braden Auditorium, Normal, IL 1996-09-26 Hill Auditorium, Ann Arbor, MI 1996-09-25 E.J. Thomas Performing Arts Hall, Akron, OH 1996-09-24 James W. Miller Auditorium, Kalamazoo, MI 1996-09-18 Oakdale Theatre, Wallingford, CT 1996-09-16 Benedum Center For The Performing Arts, Pittsburgh, PA 1996-05-07 Teatro Tívoli, Barcelona, Spain 1996-04-30 Salle Erasme, Strasbourg, France 1996-04-27 Royal Albert Hall, London, England 1996-04-25 Brixton Academy, London, England 1996-04-24 Brixton Academy, London, England 1995-07-22 Tradewinds, Sea Bright, NJ 1994-08-20 Marz American Style, Long Branch, NJ 1993-06-26 Madison Square Garden, New York City, NY 1993-06-24 Brendan Byrne Arena, East Rutherford, NJ 1993-06-01 Valle Hovin Stadion, Oslo, Norway 1993-05-30 Gentofte Stadion, Gentofte, Denmark 1993-05-28 Stockholms Stadion, Stockholm, Sweden 1993-05-25 Stadio Flaminio, Rome, Italy 1993-05-22 National Bowl (The), Milton Keynes, England 1993-05-20 RDS Arena, Dublin, Ireland 1993-05-17 Maimarkthalle, Mannheim, Germany 1993-05-16 Alter Flughafen-Riem, Munich, Germany 1993-05-14 Waldbühne, Berlin, Germany 1993-05-09 Auditorio Monte Do Gozo, Santiago De Compostela, Spain 1993-05-07 Estadio Municipal El Molinón, Gijón, Spain 1993-04-24 Flanders Expo, Ghent, Belgium 1993-04-20 Sportpaleis Ahoy, Rotterdam, The Netherlands 1993-04-15 Sheffield Arena, Sheffield, England 1993-04-13 Halle Tony Garnier, Lyon, France 1993-04-11 Stadio Marc'Antonio Bentegodi, Verona, Italy 1993-04-08 Hallenstadion, Zurich, Switzerland 1993-04-04 Westfalenhalle, Dortmund, Germany 1993-03-31 SECC, Glasgow, Scotland 1992-12-14 Boston Garden, Boston, MA 1992-12-07 Spectrum, Philadelphia, PA 1992-11-09 Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Uniondale, NY 1992-11-06 SkyDome, Toronto, ON 1992-10-31 Target Center, Minneapolis, MN 1992-10-22 Shoreline Amphitheatre, Mountain View, CA 1992-10-02 America West Arena, Phoenix, AZ 1992-09-29 San Diego Sports Arena, San Diego, CA 1992-09-28 Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena, Los Angeles, CA 1992-09-24 Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena, Los Angeles, CA 1992-09-22 Warner Hollywood Studios, Los Angeles, CA 1992-09-03 World Music Theatre, Tinley Park, IL 1992-08-29 Spectrum, Philadelphia, PA 1992-08-26 Capital Centre, Largo, MD 1992-08-22 Richfield Coliseum, Richfield, OH 1992-08-18 Palace Of Auburn Hills (The), Auburn Hills, MI 1992-08-14 Centrum In Worcester, Worcester, MA 1992-08-10 Brendan Byrne Arena, East Rutherford, NJ 1992-07-31 Brendan Byrne Arena, East Rutherford, NJ 1990-11-16 Shrine Auditorium, Los Angeles, CA 1985-09-29 Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, Los Angeles, CA 1985-09-27 Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, Los Angeles, CA 1985-09-23 Mile High Stadium, Denver, CO 1985-09-18 Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum, Oakland, CA 1985-09-13 Cotton Bowl, Dallas, TX 1985-09-09 Orange Bowl, Miami, FL page 1 of 212next »

Performed per main tour (not including rehearsals and snippet performances) 2023 International Tour: performed at 1 show(s) of 90. Springsteen On Broadway: performed at 0 show(s) of 266. Summer '17 Tour: performed at 2 show(s) of 14. The River Tour 2016: performed at 8 show(s) of 75. High Hopes Tour: performed at 6 show(s) of 34. Wrecking Ball Tour: performed at 28 show(s) of 134. Working On A Dream Tour: performed at 9 show(s) of 83. Magic Tour: performed at 15 show(s) of 101. The Seeger Sessions Tour: performed at 31 show(s) of 56. Devils & Dust Tour: performed at 7 show(s) of 72. Vote For Change Tour: performed at 0 show(s) of 7. The Rising Tour: performed at 11 show(s) of 120. The Reunion Tour: performed at 17 show(s) of 132. The Ghost Of Tom Joad Tour: performed at 52 show(s) of 128. World Tour 1992-93: performed at 37 show(s) of 102. Human Rights Now! Tour: performed at 0 show(s) of 20. Tunnel Of Love Express Tour: performed at 0 show(s) of 67. Born In The U.S.A. Tour: performed at 122 show(s) of 156.

Released on Album

Released on Nebraska (1982), Atlantic City (Single, 1982), Greatest Hits (1995), The Essential (2003), Collection:1973-2012 (2013).

Live versions are released on In Concert: MTV XXPlugged (1992) (recorded September 22, 1992), Live In New York City (2001) (recorded July 1, 2000), and Live In Dublin (2007) (recorded November 17, 2006).

Released as Live Download

Live versions are available on the following 36 official live downloads:

• 2023-04-05 Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse, Cleveland, OH
• 2017-02-02 AAMI Park, Melbourne, Australia
• 2017-01-25 Perth Arena, Perth, Australia
• 2016-08-30 MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, NJ
• 2016-07-31 Letzigrund, Zurich, Switzerland
• 2016-06-22 Telia Parken, Copenhagen, Denmark
• 2016-05-25 Etihad Stadium, Manchester, England
• 2016-05-19 Bela Vista Park, Lisbon, Portugal
• 2016-05-14 Camp Nou, Barcelona, Spain
• 2016-02-12 Wells Fargo Center, Philadelphia, PA
• 2016-01-31 Prudential Center, Newark, NJ
• 2014-04-24 PNC Arena, Raleigh, NC
• 2014-04-17 Bridgestone Arena, Nashville, TN
• 2014-03-01 Mt. Smart Stadium, Auckland, New Zealand
• 2014-02-07 Perth Arena, Perth, Australia
• 2014-01-26 Bellville Velodrome, Cape Town, South Africa
• 2013-07-24 First Direct Arena, Leeds, England
• 2009-11-08 Madison Square Garden, New York City, NY
• 2008-04-22 St. Pete Times Forum, Tampa, FL
• 2006-11-11 Wembley Arena, London, England
• 2006-10-10 PalaLottomatica, Rome, Italy
• 2000-07-01 Madison Square Garden, New York City, NY
• 1999-09-30 United Center, Chicago, IL
• 1999-09-25 First Union Center, Philadelphia, PA
• 1997-05-18 Palais Des Congrès Acropolis, Nice, France
• 1996-11-26 Paramount Theatre, Asbury Park, NJ
• 1996-11-24 Paramount Theatre, Asbury Park, NJ
• 1993-06-24 Brendan Byrne Arena, East Rutherford, NJ
• 1993-05-14 Waldbühne, Berlin, Germany
• 1990-11-16 Shrine Auditorium, Los Angeles, CA
• 1985-09-27 Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, Los Angeles, CA
• 1985-08-22 Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, NJ
• 1984-08-20 Brendan Byrne Arena, East Rutherford, NJ
• 1984-08-19 Brendan Byrne Arena, East Rutherford, NJ
• 1984-08-06 Brendan Byrne Arena, East Rutherford, NJ
• 1984-08-05 Brendan Byrne Arena, East Rutherford, NJ

On The Tracks

FIST FULL OF DOLLARS - V1	3:44	FFOD / HNWB / MT2
FIST FULL OF DOLLARS - V2	2:24	FFOD / HNWB
ATLANTIC CITY - V3	1:40	FFOD / HNWB
ATLANTIC CITY - V4 take 1		uncirculating
ATLANTIC CITY - V5 - take 4	4:00	LM-1
ATLANTIC CITY - V6a - take 3	3:56	NEBRASKA / GREATEST / ESSENTIAL
ATLANTIC CITY - V6b - take 3 - stereo mix	3:43	NEBRASKA
ATLANTIC CITY - V7		uncirculating

Note: Two demos (V1 & V2) were recorded in April 1981, under the title "Fist Full Of Dollars", but they also had quite a few verses written, all about Atlantic City. You can hear him turning pages of his notebook as he worked on them. Some lyrics would remain for "Atlantic City", including the opening lines "Well they blew up the chicken man in Philly last night / Now that town sets in for a fight."

The story continues in late 1981, still at Colts Neck with V3. The lyrics are getting into shape; The rest is Bruce trying variations of the chorus. V4, V5 and V6 were recorded on his Portastudio at Colts Neck during a two-week period, December 17 to January 3, 1982, with V6 take 3 chosen for Nebraska. Take 1, V4 is the only outtake from this session. In a letter to Jon Landau, Springsteen noted that "this song should probably be done with the whole band really rockin' out." And indeed, Bruce went into the studio for two weeks from late April 1982 and spent the first day working on "Atlantic City", and a number of takes were cut at the Power Station over three days on April 26–28, 1982. However these recordings remain unheard; information from various sources suggests this was with the band, but we can't confirm.

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^{Studio Sessions: Nebraska / Born In The U.S.A.}

Lyrics

Atlantic City

Well they blew up the chicken man in Philly last night
Now they blew up his house too
Down on the boardwalk they're getting ready for a fight
Gonna see what them racket boys can do

Now there's trouble busting in from outta state
And the D.A. can't get no relief
Gonna be a rumble out on the promenade
And the gambling commissions hanging on by the skin of its teeth

Well now everything dies baby that's a fact
But maybe everything that dies someday comes back
Put your makeup on, fix your hair up pretty
And meet me tonight in Atlantic City

Well I got a job and tried to put my money away
But I got debts that no honest man can pay
So I drew what I had from the Central Trust
And I bought us two tickets on that Coast City bus

Now baby everything dies baby that's a fact
But maybe everything that dies someday comes back
Put your makeup on, fix your hair up pretty
And meet me tonight in Atlantic City

Now our luck may have died and our love may be cold
But with you forever I'll stay
We're going out where the sand's turning to gold
So put on your stockings, baby, 'cause the night's getting cold

And maybe everything dies, that's a fact
But maybe everything that dies someday comes back

Hoo hoo

Now I've been looking for a job but it's hard to find
Down here it's just winners and losers and don't get caught on the wrong side of that line
Well I'm tired of coming out on this losing end
So honey last night I met this guy and I'm gonna do a little favor for him

Well I guess everything dies baby that's a fact
But maybe everything that dies someday comes back
Put your hair up nice and set up pretty
And meet me tonight in Atlantic City
Meet me tonight in Atlantic City
Meet me tonight in Atlantic City
Meet me tonight in Atlantic City
Meet me tonight in Atlantic City
Meet me tonight in Atlantic City
Meet me tonight in Atlantic City
Meet me tonight in Atlantic City
Meet me tonight in Atlantic City

Visit SpringsteenLyrics.com for other versions of this song.

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