19.04.81 Paris, France, intro to ‘Darkness on the Edge of Town’:
”Everybody alright down there ? (cheers)….alright….if it gets too tight for anybody, like, raise your hand if you like have to go to bathroom…..some little guys down here (?)….if you can, if you guys could try not to….push towards the front of the stage because there´s a lot of small people up here (chuckles)….thanks….”
19.04.81 Paris, France, intro to ‘Independence Day’:
”We’re gonna…..we’re gonna get to those songs for you later, ok…..this is uh…..this is called Independence Day (cheers)….I need a little quiet for this song, thank you….. (music starts)….I grew up in this house where….there was never….there was never many books …..or….I guess anything that was….uh…..considered art or anything….and I remember when I was at school…..at the time the things that they were trying to teach me…..and the things that…..that later on when I got older I missed, I missed not knowing….but….when I was 15 or 16….either….it was the way that they were trying to….trying to teach it or I just…I just wasn’t interested….but….in my family….as , when I got older I looked back…..and saw that my father, he…..he quit high school and went in the army….and he got married real young…..and picked up jobs where he could work in the factories or driving a truck…..and I looked back at my grandfather and he worked in a rugmill in the town that I grew up in…..and it seemed like we all had one thing in common….and that was that we didn’t, we didn’t know enough, we didn’t know enough about what was happening to , to us…..and…..like I’m, I’m 31 now…..
and I just….started to read the History of the United States (cheers)….and….and the thing about it is….that….I started to learn about how things got to be the way they are today, how you end up…..a victim without even knowing it….and how people get old….and, and just die….after not having hardly a day’s satisfaction or peace of mind in their lives….and…..I guess the main thing…..but I was lucky too because I met this guy…..when I was….in my middle twenties….uh….who said ‘You should watch this’ or ‘You should read this’….and most people from where I come from never had someone….try and help them in that way…..and uh…..so all I’m saying….is, is try and, and learn about, learn about yourselves, learn about who you are, you know (cheers)…. and, and try and make it better for who’s gonna be, who’s gonna be coming….. because ….because the real….the real future of rock and roll is only about nine years old today, you know (chuckles)(cheers)…..anyway…..
19.04.81 Paris, France, intro to ‘Thunder Road’:
(after a not-so-perfect singalong) ‘‘Close ! (chuckles)….”
19.04.81 Paris, France, intro to ‘This Land Is Your Land’:
”This is uh…..this is an old song that…..’bout uh…..about an old dream…..this is a song by Woody Guthrie (cheers)…..and….it’s hard to, uh….to think what to say about this song because it’s sung a whole lot….in the States and it’s been misinterpreted a whole lot….it, uh, was originally written as an answer…..as an angry answer to ‘God Bless America’, it was…..it was written as a fighting song…..and it was written…..as, I feel ….as a question that everybody has to ask themselves about…..about the land they live in every day…..and…..
(….) From Harlem County….New York City….the fields of California….to Liberty City…. there’s people wondering….and wondering…..if this land was made for you and me….”
19.04.81 Paris, France, after ‘The Promised Land’:
”We’re gonna take a short break now , then we’re gonna be back to do another whole set for you (cheers)…..so if there’s anybody down here, if you’re too small or something because this is…..this looks a little dangerous, if you want, you can get out (chuckles)….if you’re getting squashed too much during the break raise your hand or do something and they’ll, they’ll get you outta there so you don’t get hurt or you don’t pass out or something, ok (chuckles)….I’ll be seeing you in a little while , alright (cheers)….”
19.04.81 Paris, France, middle of ‘You Can Look’:
”Same old thing every day…always will be that way…..going downtown, shopping to the mall…..(?) that’s all….going downtown, gonna buy a gun….”
19.04.81 Paris, France, intro to ‘Can’t Help Falling in Love’:
”We’re gonna do that in a minute…..this….I’d like to do a song for you guys, uh, gimme a little echo, alright…..I would like to….to, to thank you all for coming down to the show (cheers)….uh….and I’d like to thank, thank you for the reception that you’ve given us here our first time in Paris (cheers)….thank you….I’d like to thank you especially for being so quiet on those slow songs, I wanna thank you very much for doing it…..(?) and it makes me feel good inside (cheers)….this is special for you guys….”
19.04.81 Paris, France, middle of ‘Detroit Medley’:
”Wait a minute…..I look over yonder….I see some kinda….is it a bus ? (crowd :
”No”)….is it a plane ? (crowd: ”No”)….is it a car ? (crowd : ”No”)…I think….I see a train….”
Compiled by : Johanna Pirttijärvi