Story 1978-12-15 Winterland Ballroom, San Francisco, CA
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15.12.78 San Francisco, CA, intro to ‘Badlands’
“(DJ Norm Winer: …radio station KSAN in San Francisco and tonight you’re gonna hear a concert of your life. We’d like to welcome some of the other stations involved tonight that are listening to this concert live. There’s KZOK up in Seattle, Washington, ‘Hi everybody,’ KZEL, Eugene, Oregon, KQFM, Portland, Oregon, and KZAP, K-Zap in Sacramento, California. And now let’s go to the stage, live from Winterland, Bill Graham will do the introduction) … (BILL GRAHAM: Good evening. Thank you very much for coming. Would you welcome please, the chairman of the board, the great one, Bruce Springsteen) … How ya doing? It’s good to be in San Francisco …”

15.12.78 San Francisco, CA, intro to ‘Spirit in the Night’
"What’s new?….how's the hills?….this is for all the drunks!….”

15.12.78 San Francisco, CA, intro to ‘Darkness on the Edge of Town’
"Alright!….that's disgusting … <long delay> … is everybody comfortable? (cheers)….you guys are too much….I read a book about….a few months ago, was a book called ‘Born on the Fourth of July’ and it was by, by a man named Ron Kovic….and, uh, I loved the book a whole lot…..and we'll do this for Ron….here’s ‘Darkness on the Edge of Town’….”

15.12.78 San Francisco, CA, after ‘Darkness on the Edge of Town’
“… we’re gonna do all them songs, okay? We got a long time (fans cheer) … Your guys feet gonna be sore by the end of the night, I tell you that (Backed away from mic)(fans cheer louder) …”

15.12.78 San Francisco, CA, intro to ‘Factory’
"My Pop's listening to me on the radio, so this is for him … <long delay> … my bedroom used to be…. used to back out, back over the backyard and…..I always remember in the morning I used to hear my father out back underneath the hood of the car trying to get it started so he could go to work…..and I remember at night sitting in the dark…..this is for him…..”

15.12.78 San Francisco, CA, intro to ‘The Promised Land’
“Alright … yeah, alright (chuckles) … It’s Promised Land …”

15.12.78 San Francisco, CA, after to ‘The Promised Land’
“Miami Steve on the guitar … Big Man on the saxophone …”

15.12.78 San Francisco, CA, intro to ‘Prove It All Night’
"I remember when I was a kid…..I used to think….that if I was ok, everybody else would be too…..and that ‘long as when I went to bed and I said my prayers that everything’d be all right…..but you find out…..you gotta prove it all night, every night….”

15.12.78 San Francisco, CA, after ‘Prove It All Night’
“That’s Roy Bittan on the piano … Dan Federici on the organ … <long delay> … and that was Max …on the drums, playing drums for you …”

15.12.78 San Francisco, CA, intro to ‘Racing in the Street’
"Alright, back home…..one, two, can we get this up a little bit, Bobby ?….oh….back home there's, uh (someone yells out a request) we gonna get to that one later, ok? (chuckles)….that's a surprise, I can’t say, ok? (chuckles) back home there's this, there this like, uh, these two streets, Kingsley Avenue and Ocean Avenue (cheers) … you couldn't ever have been there (chuckles) and it's like….. and they form this big oval, on Friday and Saturday nights…..in the summertime, they burn up about half the gas in the United States, I guess….but this is for everybody back home on Sixth Avenue in Asbury Park ….who, I'm sure, will hear this someday through the magic of bootlegging, alright! (chuckles)….here´s ‘Racing In The Street’….”

15.12.78 San Francisco, CA, intro to ‘The Ties That Bind’
“Alright….I'm a-here ! (chuckles)….we got a lot of people listening in tonight up in Seattle, Portland, Sacramento, Eugene….so (?) everybody say hello, alright (crowd : ‘Hello!’) alright, this is for all those guys, this is a new song; it's called ‘The Ties That Bind’….”

15.12.78 San Francisco, CA, intro to ‘Santa Claus Is Coming to Town’
“I got to tell you this story…..it was about, it was 1970 and me and Steve were working in this bar in Asbury Park called The Student Prince….and we were like….we were making no dough, you know, and doing nothing, just sitting around, waiting to be discovered or something….but nobody can discover you in Asbury Park, you know (chuckles)….gotta get on the Turnpike, at least (chuckles)….anyway, bring it down a little bit, anyway, we were sitting there one night….matter of fact, it was right around this time of year, wasn't it, Steve ?….and you know….it was a night, I think , I think it was just like tonight….except it was about 15 degrees outside….it was cold….it was 3 o'clock in the morning…..and we're sitting there at this table, everybody's gone home, rest of the band's all gone home…..and we're saying ‘Man, what are we gonna do ? here it is’ (someone yells out) ‘We already did that (chuckles) it's like, it’s like, here it is, this is Christmastime’….I say ‘I ain't got no money….to buy no presents….you ain't got no money to buy no presents, how you gonna buy me a present ?’….so we made a deal, I wouldn't buy him nothing if he didn't buy me nothing…..so we were feeling really down, you know, going ‘some Christmas’…..do you ever hear people say that ? (crowd : ‘Some Christmas’)…..right…..so we start to walk home down along the boardwalk…..now it's snowin' like crazy out, right…..he's carrying the guitars, and somehow I got stuck carrying the amps….I don't know how, I'm supposed to be the Boss, I got stuck carrying the amps…..so anyway….we were walking down the boardwalk, I got the amps…..shit, goddamn (chuckles)….he's got the guitars…..and we're going on , we're going ‘Man, I've had it with this Santa Claus stuff, that's a bunch of junk, I don't believe in that stuff, you know, what are we gonna do? gonna go home and watch the ‘Late show’, it's Christmas Eve…..gonna into bed by myself, pull the covers up, everybody else is having a good, I ain´t got no, I didn't even get a Christmas tree, did you get one ?’….so anyway, we’re feeling real down about it, then, all of a sudden, it was funny…..we seen this light…..shooting around the moon…..shifting into fourth scooting down towards the boardwalk….and all of a sudden….there he was…. Steve, look….”

15.12.78 San Francisco, CA, After ‘Santa Claus Is Coming to Town’

“… (sounds like ‘Sing it’) … Merry Christmas, happy holidays, New Year’s … best everything …”

15.12.78 San Francisco, CA, intro to ‘The Fever’
"… Alright, somebody requested this one…..this song, we never recorded this….this is a song that Southside recorded, it was, I guess, on some bootlegs and stuff, it's called ‘Fever’…..”

15.12.78 San Francisco, CA, intro to ‘Fire’
“This is a song, was uh, this song was originally done on Robert Gordon’s second album … and it’s just been recorded by The Pointer Sisters, so, it’s called Fire …”

15.12.78 San Francisco, CA, intro to ‘Point Blank’
"This is, uh….you think everything's all right and you wake up…..and find out you’ve been shot point blank…..”

15.12.78 San Francisco, CA, intro & ‘I GET MAD!’ to ‘She’s The One’
“… workin’, workin’ … I gotta work …

(…) WAIT A MINUTE! … Big Man! … I got a problem … (Clarence: ‘Uh-huh. What kind of problem’) … Well, see, you see … (Clarence: ‘Uh-huh’) … I call her up … (Clarence: ‘Uh-huh’) … She ain’t home … I go by her house … (Clarence: ‘Uh-huh’) … She ain’t home … I send her a letter … I get no reply … She doesn’t wanna lay down … (Clarence: ‘No?’) … and look for somebody else … (Clarence: ‘(?) help?’) … I drive by her house … real late … (Clarence: ‘Uh-huh’) … I see two silhouettes … on the window shade … and that’s when … that’s when … I GET MAD! … like Al Capone … I GET MAD! … like Pretty Boy Floyd … I GET MAD! … like Smokin’ Joe … I GET MAD! … like … Popeye! … Sometimes … Big Man … (Clarence: ‘Yeah?’) … Sometimes, she gets me SO mad … (Clarence: ‘Uh-huh’)(Fan: ‘How Mad?’) … How mad? (chuckles) … How mad boys? … (Fans: ‘How mad?’) … She gets me SO MAD … (Fans: ‘How mad?’) … that, I just wanna … I just feel like I gotta … (Clarence: ‘Go ahead’) … I just wanna … (Clarence: ‘Go ahead’) … (band stops) … I just feel like if I don’t … I just wanna … I just gotta … (Clarence: ‘Yeah, go ahead’) … I just feel like if I don’t, I just … (Clarence: ‘Go ahead’) … I just … (Clarence: ‘Yeah’) … I just … (Clarence: ‘Talk to me’) I just …(Clarence: ‘Do it’) … I just don’t know …”

15.12.78 San Francisco, CA, middle of ‘Backstreets´
"Hello baby….it's good to see you back again ….honey you're still looking fine…..it's been such a long, long time….but baby I remember you…..baby I remember you…..and I know you remember me too….and I know you remember….(?) checking outside of town….on the summer nights and you remember….that stripped-down Cadillac….the one you used to take me riding in back…..yeah, the one you used to take me riding in back…..and I know you remember….oh going down and down and down on the inside ….slipping down and down and down to the inside…..slipping down and down and down to the inside…..slipping down and away and I know you remember on the outside, you were crying in the street…..on the inside, slipping down and down and down…..on the outside, the cops on the corner…..on the inside, slipping down and down and down…..and I remember I swore…..a long, long time ago….I swore that for you…..I’d drive all night, anytime, anyplace….I'd drive all night…..just to buy you some shoes…..just to buy you a Christmas present…..just to check you out…..just to see how you’re doing just to…..just for one…..sweet kiss…..just for one…..just to hear you say that you love me…..and I remember that you promised that you'd never leave without me…..I remember way back then, you promised you'd never leave without me ….I remember way back then, you promised…..and like everything else from those days, you promised….and you lied….didn’t you ? you lied…..little girl, you lied….little girl, you lied….I see now you’ve come back and I wanna know why…..I wanna know why…..I wanna know why…..I wanna know why….and I wanna know just what makes you think…..I mean just what makes you think it's so easy…..I mean just what makes you think…..just what makes you think it's so easy to….to stop….to stop….to stop…to stop….to stop….stop, stop, stop, stop….stop….stop……STOP !….”

15.12.78 San Francisco, CA, after of ‘Backstreets´
“Roy Bittan on the piano … Max Weinberg on the drums …”

15.12.78 San Francisco, CA, intro & middle of ´´Rosalita”
"This next song….is the saddest song we’re gonna play all night….matter of fact, we don´t usually even play this song any more because I can’t get through it without crying ….you wanna know why?….well, I’ll tell you why…I wasn’t always this useless empty shell of a man you see in front of you….I was in love once….I had a girlfriend…. we ran away from her mother and father and we came to California …. and then she ran away from me…..so ever since that day I’ve been looking, I’ve been searching ….I’ve been on a nationwide hunt disguised as a rock and roll tour….you see, and don’t tell nobody this, alright?….you see, I’m not really, I don’t really play this guitar, see, what I really am is I’m a private detective ….and I’ve been looking, I’ve been searching…. and so if you’re here tonight….Rosie….come back! …

(…) on the piano, Professor Roy Bittan … on the guitar, Miami Steven Van Zandt … on the bass, Mr. Garry W. Tallent … on the drums, the Mighty Max Weinberg … on the organ, Mr. Dan Federici … and last but not least … the king of the world … master of the universe … is it a bird? (Crowd: ‘NO!’) … is it a plane? (Crowd: ‘NO!’) … is it The Big Man? (Crowd: ‘YEAH!’) … on the saxophone, Mr. Clarence Clemons …”

15.12.78 San Francisco, CA, intro to ´´Born To Run”
“I wanna thank everybody for coming down to the show. Thank you very much (Crowd cheers) … I know a lot of you guys, wait out in line to get tickets and then you wait out in line to get in for a long time. I want you to know it doesn’t go unappreciated. Thank you very much … Here’s to ya …”

15.12.78 San Francisco, CA, intro, middle & end to ‘Detroit Medley’
"This is for everybody up in Seattle and Portland, we're gonna be going up there and see them in a few days and for you guys, got your dancing shoes on…..

(….) Oh, wait a minute….bring it down….excuse me….I just talked, bring it down, we gotta make an emergency announcement, I just, uh….talked to the hall manager and he wanted me to announce that if there's anybody, if there's anybody in the house tonight, that has a weak stomach or a weak heart, could you please, during the next section of this song, step out into the lobby as it might be dangerous to your health….see, it ain't so bad….when me and the Big Man do this…..and it ain't so bad when me and the Big Man do this….and you could even get off with light injuries and a short trip to the emergency room…..when we do this…..now I bet all them guys on the radio are wondering what we're doing (long cheers) I didn't do it yet !…..when I do this, you're in trouble….Are you ready?….Are you ready?….Are you ready?….Are you ready?…. Ready? …Ready? … Yeah!…..

(…) It’s over the guitar … ”

15.12.78 San Francisco, CA, intro to ‘Tenth Avenue Freeze Out’
“Are you ready for the Tenth? (Crowd cheers) … Are you ready for the Tenth? (Crowd cheers) … Are you ready for the Tenth? (Crowd cheers) … 1, 2, 3, 4 …”

15.12.78 San Francisco, CA, <Encore Break> – KSAN-FM DJ Norm Winer
“Bruce Springsteen and The E Street Band, live in Winterland in San Francisco, that was uh, their second encore, my, a Mitch Ryder medley, that hit me, that warmed the cockles of my heart, you know. Mitch Ryder and The Detroit Wheels, and uh, well, the audience wants more, do you want more? … Well, we’ll be back, we got … ah … what a great show, this is really, you know, uh, a, a rock show that many, many people will remember … and whether you’re uh, uh, listening in the state of Oregon, or the state of Washington, or here in California, or maybe in Nevada, we hope you’re enjoying it along with us. It’s coming to you live from San Francisco at Winterland … Well, the lights are still on for you Winterland. The crowd’s still on their feet … Well, between the time of uh, Born To Run and, and uh, Bruce Springsteen’s most recent album, Darkness On the Edge Of Town, some 2 years and 9 months elapsed, an awfully long time to wait, especially after that great success of Born To Run, a record that really made, uh, Bruce Springsteen, uh, a star, certainly on the east coast, it’s taken him a while to, really establish himself in some other parts of the country but after tonight, and uh, well, the people really after, after seeing him live and after a great broadcast like tonight, you gotta admit that Br … <Bruce does intro for Raise Your Hand> … Bruce Springsteen has arrived …”

15.12.78 San Francisco, CA, intro to ‘Raise Your Hand’
“… (?) … Raise Your Hand …”

15.12.78 San Francisco, CA, middle of ‘Raise Your Hand’
"I wanna tell everybody who’s listening at home…..I want you to get up, I want you to turn up the radio as loud as it'll go….I want you to open up all the windows in Sacramento and Eugene and Seattle and Portland and San Francisco., if you're driving your car, roll down the window, when you get to the light, jump, jump out, dance around in the street, get back in, hit your head on the steering wheel, and drive on…. and if the cops come knocking at your door, send all your complaints to Bill Graham, care of Winterland, San Francisco, and tell 'em, if there's something they need, if there's something they want… they got to raise their hands!…..”

15.12.78 San Francisco, CA, <FM Closing> – KSAN-FM DJ Norm Winer
“Well, there it is, Bruce Springsteen and The E Street Band live from Winterland. It’s been a great night of rock and roll and it’s really been fun doing this. I’m Norm Winer from KSAN and it’s rare you get a chance to hear great music and be involved in uh, a labor of love with the spirit of rock and roll so, on behalf of Bruce Springsteen, we’d like to thank the following stations for making this broadcast possible, KZOK in Seattle, Washington, KZEL in Eugene, Oregon, KQFM in Portland, Oregon, KZAP in Sacramento, California, and of course, KSAN, here in San Francisco. This network was produced by Starfleet Studios of Boston, Massachusetts, helping to keep radio alive all over the U.S.A., the Smooth Jam Popper executive producer, the Doctor Dan _ unit manager, and the mix of this evening’s concert, done by Jimmy Iovine, in the Record Plant West mobile unit. We’d also like to thank the following people who helped make this network broadcast possible, Jon Landau, Paul Rappaport of Columbia Records, Bill Graham and everyone at FM Productions, Peter and Bob Barstodi … <quick fade out>”

15.12.78 San Francisco, CA, ALL of ‘Quarter To Three’
“ … (fades in) … <Q23-1><Sing-A-Long><Q23-2> … (band stops) … Somebody stop me! (band starts and stops) … before I hurt myself … (band starts & stops) … Are you talkin' to me? (Crowd: 'YEAH!') … Are you talkin' to me? (Crowd: 'YEAH!') … Are you talkin', TO ME? (Crowd: 'YEAH!') … You better talk louder than that … <Q23-3> … (band stops) … I think I’m gonna throw up … a-1, 2, 3, 4 <Q23-4> … I'm just a prisoner … OF ROCK AND ROLL! … Do we understand each other? ,,, Good! … <Q23-5> … (?) … You guys been great … (?) … <End>”

Compiled by : Johanna Pirttijärvi & Roulette909

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