Story 1981-09-10 Rosemont, IL
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10.09.81 Rosemont, IL, intro to “Independence Day”
“I remember when…my old man used to…used to lock up…the front door so that me and my sister used to have to come in ‘round the back…and every night he’d sit in the kitchen…and he’d be waiting for us to come in… and I used to stand out in the driveway and I could look, look up on the porch and I could see through the screen door…I could see the light of his cigarette, sitting there in the dark…I remember I used to slick my hair back so he couldn’t tell how long it was…and…I used to get up, try to get through the kitchen before he’d stop me and call me back to come back and sit down…and it seemed like the only time we ever talked to each other was when he’d either had too much to drink…or I didn’t…I didn’t wanna hear what he was saying…and for all the years that, that we lived together in that same house we never learned to talk to each other like, like we were human beings…and…I moved away and they moved out to California and I didn’t see him for a long time…and uh…and, then my dad, he got real sick a little while ago …and he was in the hospital…and I started thinking ‘bout all the things that, that I’d never said to him that I wanted to say to him… and how…I was gonna be lucky if I got the chance to…’cause it always seems I’d always be putting it off, I’d always figure I was gonna see him next month or gonna call him up on the phone…and time just slips on by…but, anyway…I’d gone out and I’d seen him…and took us…it took us 30 years just to be able to…just to be able to tell each other how we felt about each other and we loved each other (crowd cheers) and…that’s…that’s too long, that’s too long to wait…for that kind of stuff…”

10.09.81 Rosemont, IL, “This Land Is Your Land”
“Thanks (crowd cheers) last night, I don’t know…if anybody’s watching the “Late Show” or not but there was, uh…there was a movie on called “Bound for Glory” (crowd cheers) and it was, uh… it’s about Woody Guthrie…and there’s this book out which just came out a little while ago also, it’s called “Woody Guthrie - A Life” and it’s by this fella Joe, Joe Klein…and, uh…I read it, I guess, was before we came out on tour, it really…it not only tells you a lot about him who was about the best songwriter, I think that, that we ever had here in America (crowd cheers) and, uh…and…it tells you a lot about the…the country that you live in…this is his song, this is a song, uh…about…taking responsibility…for, uh, yourself and for what happens around you (?)…”

10.09.81 Rosemont, IL, after “Thunder Road”
“We’re gonna take a short break, then we’re gonna be back to do another whole set for you (crowd cheers) so we’ll see you in a little while, ok? (crowd cheers)…”

10.09.81 Rosemont, IL, intro to “Racing in the Street”
“This is a request from the boys down on Michigan Street…”

10.09.81 Rosemont, IL, middle of “Rosalita”
“Ladies and gentlemen…it’s my pleasure…(?) on stage tonight a galaxy of celebrities…and a universe of superstars…beginning at my far left – your right – a man on that big thing we like to call “a piano”…”R” – that stands for “Roy,” that’s his name, “O” – that stands for “Pian-O,” that’s his game, “Y” – because he likes it, on the piano, Professor Roy Bittan (crowd cheers) next we got a man of many talents…all the way from Asbury Park, New Jersey (crowd cheers) who’s from Asbury Park tonight? (some cheers) alright…a poet of the soul, master of rock’n’roll, he brought you such hits as “I Don’t Wanna Go Home”…“Sweeter than Honey”…“This Time It’s for Real”…and many others…Miami Steve Van Zandt on the guitar (crowd cheers) next…on the bass guitar…this guy, he’s debonair, he’s handsome, Mr. lonesome Garry W. Tallent on the guitar (crowd cheers) all the way back on the drums we got the man (?) and the big beat, the man with the rocking feet, I’m talking about, all the way from South Orange, New Jersey, the Mighty One, Mighty Max Weinberg on the drums (crowd cheers) and next, a special human being all the way from Flemington, New Jersey, a great veterinarian, a great vegetarian, a great humanitarian, a close personal friend of mine, the only redheaded member of the band, I’m talking about – we know him, ye love him, at least you know him – Phantom Dan Federici on the organ (crowd cheers)(?)(crowd cheers) and now…I’d like to introduce to you a man (crowd cheers) around the neighbourhood we like to call him the greatest living human being (crowd cheers) when I get to this guy, words fail me, I can’t, I run out of words to describe him, the English language just don’t contain enough adjectives and all that stuff to describe this guy, everybody knows he’s the king of the world, everybody knows he’s the master of universe (crowd cheers) everybody knows he’s the emperor of everything (crowd cheers) I don’t care who you bring down here, baby, Henry Kissinger (?) none of these guys can stand under the power, under the glory of, of, of, of, of, of, of, of, of…Spotlight on the Big Man (crowd cheers)…”

10.09.81 Rosemont, IL, intro to “Jungleland”
“I’d like to just take a second and thank everybody for coming down to the show (?)(crowd cheers) I wanna apologize for having to cancel out on you that first time, I wanted to make sure (?) this is for you guys…”

Compiled by : Johanna Pirttijärvi

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