Boot Tracker: 12/31/75 – Last Tango In Philly

With his first entry we're welcoming Kevin on board. I appreciate Kevin's kind words at the start of his review, but a little hunger is all it takes to start the madness that sucked me into the details of R&R history. I hope Kevin and his writing will be a regular around this place in cyberspace.

I asked Alex if I could contribute to this blog and he kindly obliged to let me help out. I lack the depth of understanding Alex has where music history and all of its wonders are concerned but I'm young, and I'm hungry, and I've got a lot to say. I could compare it to that time when Bruce was busting at the seams of his skin to tell it all to us, let us know everything rumbling around in that head of his, and give us a show worth the price and then some. The Last Tango In Philly, it should be said, is probably the best sounding boot of its time, surpassing even the legendary Main Point and Bottom Line FM broadcasts in terms of audio quality. The recently unsurfaced Uber Release from a 24-track source yields incredible fidelity and, as Ev2's liner notes state, you will feel as if the E Street Band is in your living room. Unfortunately, the catch is that the boot is only 9 songs long, cut in half from an 18 song show, but what remains represents a beautiful Technicolor portrait of Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band at the end of innocence.

December 31st, 1975, finds Bruce not only on New Year's Eve but also on the Eve of his own entrance into adulthood. The Born to Run tour was a sounding bell to announce the arrival of Bruce and the band, but comparatively, it has a laid-back feel in some ways. It finds Bruce with a loose sense of focus, loose in the right ways. Even concerts as early as '76 have a sense of drive and mission, less soul rave-up with the shaggy haired Jersey kid and his band and more of a rock and roll statement of purpose, no doubt attributable for the most part to the lawsuit drama with former manager Mike Appel.

It also stands as a stark contrast to the one officially released concert from '75, the first Hammersmith show, showcasing a Bruce far more comfortable in his own skin and supernova stardom. He gently pokes around at it, intoning before Does This Bus Stop At 82nd Street? that "Seasons come, seasons go, you get your picture on the cover of TIME and Newsweek but the bus never stops.""Night" blazes out of the gate and firmly roots titself as a Grade A opener, being used frequently as song number #1 for the setlists of the next two years. "Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out" gets slowed down to a wonderfully lackadaisical pace, evoking nostalgia and the Bruce's ever developing sense of storytelling. The phrasing here wouldn't be repeated on the song until the infamous Christic shows, side stepping actually singing the words "Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out" until the last moment possible. On songs like "Bus Stop" and "Saint", The E Street Band rips through the tempo, straddling the genre spectrum in something that might be aptly called soul-punk-rock-and-roll. Bruce covers "It's My Life" by The Animals to blistering effect, starting off with a typical "daddy issues" yarn, a thread that would continue an arc within his music through songs like "Adam Raised A Cain" "Independence Day" and "Long Time Comin'". Despite the creepy-hilarious stalker story Bruce tells about him and Stevie chasing a girl, "Pretty Flamingo" is impossibly sweet, in no small part due to Phantom Dan's singular touch with the organ. It's interesting to note that the arrangement here is essentially a mirror image of the '75 arrangement of "The E Street Shuffle", complete with the pause in the middle for a rambling story about nothing/everything.

Any serious collector should do themselves the good favor of getting this immediately. Not even the legendary Main Point show from '75 can compete in terms of sound quality. For those looking for essential versions of cover standards like "Pretty Flamingo", "It's My Life", and "Mountain of Love", it's a must. And if you listen close enough, you can hear Bruce leaving the boy behind and gearing up to meet the man.

"Tenth Avenue Freeze Out"

MP3 File

Download the full show in mp3 here
A small request, use mp3s for personal use only. Keep them in your iPod or on your computer but never use a mp3 based CD in a trade. The quality of mp3s deteriorate rapidly every time a CD is ripped. Using high quality music files such as FLACs is essential in keeping the trading pool healthy.

Sound: 5 out of 5
Show: 4.5 out of 5
Artwork: 4.5 out of 5

Boot Tracker, Oktober 9th 1980, Cobo Hall, Detroit

Today we've got a special anniversary conversion show submitted by John Urban, who aptly goes under the guise of Converted at Cobo on the forums. I think John captures the exitement of cherry poppin' time quite nicely!

October 9th, 1980 was the night I caught, or rather was caught by my first Bruce Springsteen concert, and though twenty eight years have passed, I still remember that night and its affect on what I would expect from Rock and Roll ever since. That year, I was the sixteen year old neighbor of a very dedicated Bruce fan, and he had loaned me his collection of Bruce's studio albums hoping to hear something other than KISS blaring out of my bedroom window. We used to sit in his basement with those albums; song after song would play and he'd give me the 'oh, and during this song, Bruce would….' so I was familiar with the music, I'd heard legendary tales of his performances and I'd had a taste of the live experience when I taped the Agora 78 rebroadcast on local station, WABX a year prior. I wanted to complete the circle though; I wanted to see him live.

As my junior year in high school began, tickets went on sale for the River Tour. I was in a real bind though; my circle of friends didn't like Bruce's music, I didn't have a driver's license yet to get me there if I had a ticket, and while my neighbor promised me a ticket if one was left, they were eaten up right away, and now with less than a week until the show, I'd given up hope on going. I went to the first dance of the school year, and found my usual place in the corner by the bleachers. Another friend that I'd only just met the summer before found me there and bragged that he had tickets to the concert. Before I could congratulate him in as deep a sarcastic tone as I could muster, he followed with, 'and Mark has an extra ticket if you're interested in going.' I could have passed out.

The day of the show was a beautiful Indian Summer day, and my friend picked me up in his Chevy convertible. With Born To Run blaring from his tape deck, we drove off to meet up with the rest of his friends and then headed down to Cobo Arena. (Many sources credit the name of the venue as Cobo Hall, but that is actually the adjoining convention center.) We passed the time buying our tour shirts and some Pepsi's, chanted 'BROOOOCE' along with the anxious sell-out crowd of 12,000 as each pre-show song faded out, and checked out the instruments on stage; Clarence's saxophone gleamed under the houselights, Roy's grand piano sat there like the long black Cadillac Bruce would be singing about later that night during Cadillac Ranch, and at the center of the stage, like a holy relic on an alter, Bruce's Telecaster.

True to form, the published start time came and went, and the crowd grew even more impatient until at last the pre-show music shut off mid song and simultaneously the houselights went dark. A thunderous roar rose from the audience as flashlights guided band members to their places, and then after a moment, Max's drum roll marked the beginning of Born To Run. They followed with Prove It All Night and then the account of the band's history in Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out before finally slowing down for Darkness on the Edge of Town and Independence Day. A song that had appeared during the Darkness tour, Independence Day was now an upcoming release on The River which was still another five days from the record stores. Bruce played brave that night; twelve of the twenty eight songs came from that album, yet it seemed the audience was still very much into the new music despite the unfamiliarity, not using those songs for bathroom or beer runs.

This show confirmed what until that night had seemed like tales of legend I'd heard from my neighbor: Bruce went into the crowd to dance during Sherry Darlin', he climbed onto the speakers to lean out over the audience during Crush On You, he bantered with Clarence during Fire and dueled with him prior to their 'Bring It Up' shout during Rosalita, and ignoring Roy's finger shaking wave off, Bruce jumped up onto that grand piano for big air on one of his song ending leaps.

The length of the show matched expectations as well. It seemed that Bruce would never leave, extending the Detroit Medley to include what turned out to be the first ever I Hear A Train. As 1980's only Quarter to Three followed, Bruce finally began begging the audience to let him go; late night Kojak re-runs were on, and Bruce never missed an episode. Assured it was an episode he'd already seen, Bruce broke back into the conclusion of that song and sadly, the end of the concert. As Bruce left, my friends and I sat back down in our seats exhausted and soaked with sweat, hoping for but not getting one of those mid tear-down surprise encores we'd heard about. But how it was that we seemed just as physically drained as Bruce looked reveals the connection Bruce has a talent for creating with his audience; he gives and the audience gives right back. Music isn't just played for the ears, it's owned, molded into something visual, then repeated over the course of three and a half hours with sheer determination.

I arrived home about 12:30 am on that school night; aware of the length of his shows from that Agora broadcast, I'd luckily renegotiated my curfew with my parents ahead of time. I went to bed that night cemented as a fan, that Agora tape playing into my ringing ears, feeling lucky that I'd gotten that ticket, and replaying all that I had seen and heard. I fell asleep knowing that I would be preaching to my friends the next day, as much like the prophet that my neighbor had been to me. Bruce claims that he picks out one particular audience member and uses him or her as his inspiration for his shows. I doubt that he could see me in my upper deck, second from the back row seat, but I can let him claim another successful Brucifixion.

"Born to Run"

MP3 File
The original recording of this show was not in the best shape when I received it. Drop outs due to tape flips have been patched, and the playback speed (which ran fast) has been corrected in the files submitted.

Full Show:

Disc 1, Disc 2, Disc 3.
A small request, use mp3s for personal use only. Keep them in your iPod or on your computer but never use a mp3 based CD in a trade. The quality of mp3s deteriorate rapidly every time a CD is ripped. Using high quality music files such as FLACs is essential in keeping the trading pool healthy.

Boot Tracker, Oktober 5th 2008, Columbus Ohio

"I've spent most of my creative life measuring the distance between that American promise and American reality." -Bruce Springsteen

The above quote sums up Springsteen music pretty well. For years I've been trying to explain my fascination for that man to my friends, who more than once looked at me and my borderline obsession quite bemused. I can assure you, I've never been able to capture him in one simple sentence. Unfortunately I'm much to verbose for that. Springsteen's association with Barack Obama makes perfect sense when you set it off against his work and that one sentence. If I were to over simplify Barack Obama, he'd become an image of hope. It has been argued that Obama has been more image than content. In a sense that is true. Senator Barack Obama's strong charisma radiates a hope that America hasn't seen as strong since the mythic Kennedy was president. In a sense his image is as grand (and maybe overblown) as Springsteen's "Promised Land." Obama's image touches something that's bigger than himself, in the same way Springsteen's songs touch that big vision. Barack Obama radiates the vitality and youth that is the American dream. A dream that quite a few of us Europeans are smitten with as well. With its sense that every man is created equal and should have an equal chance to achieve his or her goals, how can you not be?

Yet, as the quote betrays, between dream and reality there's a gap. A gap that these days seems to be widening rapidly. With the stock market crashing, Iraq an continued bloody mess and New Orleans still struggling to get back on its feet, many of us are scared. Truth tell, I'm scared, afraid that I'll learn more about the era the Joads came from than I bargained for. America's brand of capitalism seems to have stretched itself beyond its capacity and once more there seems to be an awful lot of truth in these words, "if America sneezes, the world catches a cold." America has been sneezing big time as of late. So while a lot of Europeans look at the American dream with a sense wonder, we look at the American reality with a sense of fear or apprehension. Often this is mistaken as a form of anti-Americanism in more conservative circles, but it simply isn't. The world has almost as much invested in the American dream as America itself.

The question is if Barack Obama can help restore that American dream. Strip away the image, a man remains, as vulnerable and prone to mistake as we all are. More importantly, as limited in capacity as we all are. Not one man can change society, it takes a nation to do so. Springsteen may claim that "One thousand George Bushes and one thousand Dick Cheneys will never be able to tear that house down," but the current administration did it an awful lot of damage. Not just damage to the economy and its standing in the world, but to the spirit of America. Right now America needs a president that can built bridges, or rather that can inspire people to built bridges. I believe Barack Obama is that man. He has proved as much in Chicago with his community work, he has proved as much by building a grass roots movement that proved bigger and more powerful than the top brass in the Democratic Party. In the "Audacity of Hope" Barack Obama shows himself as a man of character, a man who is able to approach people with respect and leave room for other points of view. More importantly Obama demonstrates in his book sufficient concrete ideas on how to improve people's lives, he understands what the common American needs to achieve a base sense of quality in their lives and how to get it to them.

In the light of the current economic crisis, both his image and his practicality are important. Economy, for a large part, is based on trust. When consumers and investors start to get cold feet, start to loose faith, the economy shutters to a halt. Practical measures are needed and in recent days Obama proved he was able to recognize the severity of the economic crisis, recognize the measures that needed to be taken and inspire people to make difficult choices. If that isn't the measure of leadership, I don't know what is. So in short, I fully support Springsteen's endorsement of Obama. While all three rally shows were sober and not really all that special, none of these versions will ever become a definitive version, these performances do radiate that electrifying sense of promise and resilience that makes the man so inspiring in the first place. The context is what gives these rally shows their edge. In a few years from now they'll probably won't sound like anything special, but right now I find it enormously exiting to hear Springsteen chant "Yes We Can" along with a crowd that is bigger than the crowd of the average Magic show.

"Mr Spaceman"

MP3 File
A short, but very cool samply. Bruce got introduced by John Glenn in Ohio. Glenn is one of those few people who really seen it all. So if he takes pleasure out of introducing our man, that means something right?


Download the full show in mp3 here
A small request, use mp3s for personal use only. Keep them in your iPod or on your computer but never use a mp3 based CD in a trade. The quality of mp3s deteriorate rapidly every time a CD is ripped. Using high quality music files such as FLACs is essential in keeping the trading pool healthy.

Read the review from the Columbus Dispatch here

Boot Tracker, On The Tracks: November 24th 2002, Tampa

Another guest story by a fellow Tramp, Brian Frederick. Brian picked the story of his first show and is planning to do a series of them on the forums. His cherry busters happens to be captured on a stellar sound board recording. Without a doubt one of the finest bootlegs of the Rising tour. One of those tapes that trumps the official live in Barcelona release, even though the audience is a bit too distant for my taste. The set however is a killer!

So much has and will be said of my adoration of the Rock and Roll legend that is Bruce Springsteen. In fact, that is what I am going to be doing here today. I am beginning a writing series….NAY, a writing odyssey chronically my brief glimpses of rock perfection. I am going to tell the amazing, zany, sometimes outrageous stories behind each time I have seen the Boss in concert. As I sit here today I have had the honor of doing just that Eleven (11) times in the last five (5) years. I realized today that each single concert has some epic adventure leading to, happening during, or taking place after. The year 2002 was an interesting year in my life. By the time half the year was gone I was once again facing a major crossroads in my life. I was living in Minnesota at the time and I had been there about 4 years. Soon after I moved there is when I discovered my admiration for Bruce and he really made a big impact on my life. It was my new "thing" that I loved to get immersed in. You see I was never a Bruce fan growing up in New Jersey. Sounds odd I know but it wasn't until I "busted out" of there that I grew to appreciate my home state and Bruce kind of represented that for me. Anyway things had gotten pretty rough in MN and one of my escapes was the fact that Bruce had a new cd coming out, 'The Rising.' It was his first new album in almost ten years and obviously his first new disc since I had become a fan. When the first single was released I would leave the radio and use a cassette to try and catch it and record it. The first time I did hear it I drove around aimlessly through the back roads of MN waiting for it to come on the car radio. The DJ kept saying it was coming right up but didn't play it for almost an hour. When he finally did I pulled over to take it in. I was not only like a kid at Christmas; I was like a kid at Christmas who had been blind his whole life then woke up Christmas morning to not only his presents but his sight as well. Ok, that might be a bit much, but I was excited. With a new record out Bruce and the E St band were due to go on tour. I was hell bent to catch him live. Only trouble was, life had blown up in my face and I knew I needed to make big changes. It was time to evacuate MN. But where to go? Back to NJ with my grandmother? Down to Tampa to live with my folks? Where would I see the Boss (yes, obviously priorities were firmly in order)? I chose to move to Florida but planned on hitting Jersey along my route to meet said grandmother. When I left the Midwest I missed Bruce there by only a week. When I made it to Jersey I missed him by only day. Feeling beaten I thought maybe life and got the joke over on me and I wouldn't add a Bruce show to my life's story. Then the fall dates came out. Bruce would play the Ice Palace in Tampa in November, mere months after I arrived. My plan started to take shape.

Flash forward to August and I was a resident in Tampa Bay. I kept eyeing the November date when my idol would arrive. I thought I would kill two birds with one stone. Not only would I see the show, screw it, I would get a job in the arena as well! And I did just that, working the next month as security. I figured I would get to see the show for free, get paid, and hell maybe meet the man as well. Well that idea went to heck quickly. I worked security for the arena but had a steady string of luck getting stuck outside telling folks where and where not to smoke. I missed quite a few good shows and feared the worst once the Jersey Boy came to my new home. Needless to say my stint working at the Ice Palace ended shortly thereafter. I obviously was not going to let a silly thing like work keep my dreams from coming true.

The days started to fade away and my first dance was about to take place. Somewhere on the net I came across a nice pair of women from the great state of California who were coming to town for the show. They just happened to have an extra ticket and I found my in. I met them at some swanky Tampa hotel and was so nervous I wouldn't find them or something would go wrong. This was before I was introduced to the world of cell phones. Well things worked perfectly and I got my ticket and headed off to the arena to prepare. I was there way before show time which allowed me ample time to purchase my first Springsteen shirt. It was kind of pricey and I think it exhausted all of my funds, which left me without toll money for my return. I didn't really seem to care. They let us in and I wasted no time finding my seat. I sat and just looked in awe at the stage. This was really gonna happen. I had been waiting almost 4 years for this night. I wanted to change into my new shirt but was not about to leave my seat, god forbid I miss a single thing! I ended up just putting it on over my existing ensemble which was fine because they didn't call the place the "Ice Palace" for no reason.

"Good evening Tampa!" was all he said and off we went, 15,000 of my closest new friends and I with one of the greatest stage performers of all time. I don't have a problem telling you that when he took the stage I had tears in my eyes. I had such a blast cheering, dancing (!) and singing along. I laugh now because I had just purchased 'Born to Run' that day and wasn't familiar with all of it yet. So when he broke into 'Night' and 'She's The One' it was like hearing new songs, where today they are staples of a Bruce show and I know them like my birth date.

The show was marvelous and went by like a speeding train. When it goes by you look in the windows and make out bits and pieces of things. But once it’s gone you fondly look back as if you caught every color, every detail. The highlights were definitely towards the end of the set most notable Bruce playing 'Incident on 57th St' alone on piano. It was haunting and beautiful. At the time I knew it was amazing but it turns out it is kind of a rarity so I was very, very lucky. To this day it is my favorite performance of any of his songs that I have seen. The women I sat with went bat shit crazy when he did it. Now I do too when I listen to it on my Ipod. As the show was wrapping up it didn't seem like Bruce wanted to leave us anymore than we wanted him to. After the encores he took the stage to cover 'Twist and Shout' just to make sure he sent us all home in a frenzy. And like that it was over. The very first step in a long, beautiful journey I have taken with my musical idol. I suppose I couldn't even imagine the places I would end up and what I would experience. But I do now and I am gonna share it! My second go round would still be very amazing, but pretty much NOTHING like the experience I had the first time. My crazy Boss adventures were just getting started.

Does This Bus Stop at 82nd Street

MP3 File

Download the full show in mp3 here
A small request, use mp3s for personal use only. Keep them in your iPod or on your computer but never use a mp3 based CD in a trade. The quality of mp3s deteriorate rapidly every time a CD is ripped. Using high quality music files such as FLACs is essential in keeping the trading pool healthy.

Recording: 5- out of 5
Show: 5- out of 5
Artwork: Various available through the link section.

Boot Tracker, On The Tracks; May 9th 1974, Cambridge (E. St. Records)

With the Magic tour behind us, I decided to try and revamp the Boot Tracker a little by combining it with the On The Tracks feature for fan stories. One of the reasons I like to browse the message boards are the stories that find their way there from time to time. Those first shows people have seen and the impression it left, lucky encounters with the man himself or just plain fan boy craziness. Like this first contribution by Brian Hawkins, first posted on BTX. Brian picks an especially historic show, the one where Springsteen met Landau. The best thing is, that May 9th 1974 show was captured and still available on a very nice tape that carries over the show that made Landau fall in love with R&R again quite nicely.

Got up to Boston a day early for the Foxboro Magic show, so I could see some of the city and soak up some history. And while I did indeed savor the Paul Revere house, the Old North Church, and Samuel Adams’ burial site, it turned out that Boston is also a cradle of Bruce history… and an adventure awaited! Pondering all things Bruce that morning, I suddenly realized that my Cambridge hotel was very close to the sacred ground of Harvard Square...particularly the Harvard Square Theater...the very spot where Rock and Roll saw its future in Bruce Springsteen so eloquently captured by Jon Landau. I set out on my pilgrimage and with a few quick stops on the T train, I rose from the subway. Feeling like something magical was about to happen, my eyes recognized the Church Street sign and I knew I was approaching hallowed ground: not only the site of the blistering life-altering 5/9/74 show, but the very pavement where a young wiry Bruce Springsteen and a doughy, be speckled Jon Landau had their first fateful meeting.

Landau has often said in interviews that he saw Bruce reading “a favorable review” of the Wild and the Innocent album that he had written that was strategically posted on the window of the theater. They chatted and Landau has recalled Bruce saying how much he enjoyed the review. However, Bruce has since said that he thought it was only “pretty good." Like any new relationship, we can see that with those comments, one was enamored and one was more cautious. Thus begins 30-year dance of awkward miscommunication and compromises between Bruce and Landau that would some day culminate in Secret Garden being released both with and without strings. We all know the rest of the story...the bond, the friendship, the love, etc. that developed from those two crossed wires crackling over the course of 30+ years.

As I stood on the sidewalk, my head was dizzy with 1974 images and figures (converse sneakers, floppy hats, bell-bottoms, tube tops, etc.). Needless to say, I was taking it all in as I walked up to the box office window. I literally felt as if I was back in time as my steps took me down the sidewalk to what appeared to be formerly stage doors. We viewed the top of the theater in a sky that was so blue and speculated that one end must have been the stage area given its distinct elevation. We walked to that end of the theater and witnessed another set of apparent stage doors and a ramp that led down into another set, imaging this area could have been where the trucks parked, groupies milled, and hundreds of fans anxiously anticipated the bounty of a searing Springsteen show that could not possibly include Bobby Jean. It was almost like we felt those kindred spirits of that show with us as we gazed upon this site...This sacred site. How could this get better?

Then I saw it. Treasure!!! Piled high by the same stage door where Bruce tuned his guitar, Mike Appel greedily counted up proceeds, and Clarence cleaned his spit valve all those years ago, there they were: dozens of old vintage upholstered theatre seats! The very seats where the nubile Harvard co-eds of 1974 writhed with pleasure to the strains of Kitty’s Back. Seats stained with Tab spilled in exhilaration as Bruce kicked into Rosalita. Seats pockmarked with long-discarded plugs of Juicy Fruit that may or may not have been nervously chewed by Landau (DNA tests pending) as he planned his overthrow of Appel. Seats that still held within them the energy and power of those epic concerts from another time. I had to have two of them (see below pictures). I’m contemplating what I should do with them now? Build an encased shrine with special lighting in my house or just leave them in the garage.

I Sold My Heart To The Junk Man

MP3 File

Download the full show here.
A small request, use mp3s for personal use only. Keep them in your iPod or on your computer but never use a mp3 based CD in a trade. The quality of mp3s deteriorate rapidly every time a CD is ripped. Using high quality music files such as FLACs is essential in keeping the trading pool healthy.

Recording: 3+ out of 5
Show: 4 out of 5
Artwork: 2 out of 5

Boot Tracker, August 16th 2008, Charleston

Helping me catch up with the bootlegs from the Magic tour I missed Charleston is reviewed today by guest writer Nightfishing from BTX. The same Nightfishing that brought you that excellent compilation of the earlier legs of the tour.Check it out here if you haven't already.

"Lost In The Flood" might be a good title for the Charleston boot. Amid the epic nature of the last few shows of the tour, the chatter over Charleston came and went pretty rapidly, but, make no mistake about it, August 16th was a fine example of what this final leg of the tour was all about and jb's recording is excellent. There is a bit more crowd on this tape than on the fine bakerstuff recordings of recent, but the clarity is great and the balance is a notch above the boots we received for Missouri et al. I am not going to spend a lot of time talking about the performance; anyone who has the pleasure of seeing any of these "Reunion Part Deux" shows knows that the band is at the top of it's game and Bruce is having an absolute blast as the tour winds down.

Double Shot is a perfect opener for a late summer show and coupled with Radio Nowhere and Out In The Street, the show takes off as well as any show on this leg. Two Hearts gives Stevie a chance to sing and you can decide for yourself if that is a plus or a minus! (I love the vox, Steve.)Spirit In The Night gives Bruce a chance to catch his breath before the sign brigade begins. Spirit has been a bit rote, to my ears, over the past few weeks, but this one has some real bite to it. Light Of Day, Growin' Up and Janey win the lottery and while they are not the best three pack we have seen, they get the job done. Growin' Up pales a bit in comparison to Nashville due to the lack of the G-D guitar story, but with every play of this classic being the potentially last time to see it, who's going to argue.

No Surrender kicks things back up (and has gotten new life in the middle of the set vs. it's opening block spot during much of the tour). Atlantic City seems out of place in this type of show (as did Devils & Dust a few nights later). Because The Night is owned by Nils, as usual but (as been the case a number of times) there isn't anyplace to go to follow it. She's The One into Livin' In The Future is possibly my least favorite coupling from this leg of the tour. I would have loved to see Gypsy Biker or Devil's Arcade get back into the set instead of LITF, but it's Bruce's world, we just live here. Mary's Place does it's job, as usual. The crowd gets frenzied while Bruce gets one last chance to catch his breath for the 5, err 4 pack. Charleston gets a little Hungry Heart before The Rising and at this point I have trouble writing anything about the 4 pack. If it's your first show of the tour you're gonna love it. 'nuff said.

Streets Of Fire is a nice surprise to open the encore and Jungleland, Born To Run and Rosie are perfect. Thank god (and that sign in Rochester) for bringing Rosie back to her rightful home in the encores. DITD has absolutely rocked this entire tour, but if you don't get it by now, there's no saving you! A post American Land Twist & Shout caps off a great night of classic E Street. With the embarrassment of riches we have received the past month, it's hard for a boot to stand out, but I think Charleston will be in heavy rotation, for me at least, for quite sometime.

"Double Shot (of my baby's love)

MP3 File

Download the full show in mp3 here, part 1 and part 2
A small request, use mp3s for personal use only. Keep them in your iPod or on your computer but never use a mp3 based CD in a trade. The quality of mp3s deteriorate rapidly every time a CD is ripped. Using high quality music files such as FLACs is essential in keeping the trading pool healthy.

Recording: 3- out of 5
Show: 4,5 out of 5
Artwork: none

Get the review from the Courier here

Boot Tracker, August 19th 2008, Hershey (Bakerstuff)

The second Bakerstuff tape to surface today is almost equally as impressive as the St. Louis tape. Next to that stellar show this recording testifies how consistent the quality is the band delivers night after night. Listening to them back to back, it is funny how different things suddenly stand out. High lights of this tape aren't necessarily the rarities and covers, even though Hershey got a few choice selections, the tracks that grab me most on this recording were the "Reason to Believe" and "Prove it All Night" double shot and the joyous audience participation during "Waiting on a Sunny Day." For some reason those tracks transported me to the show most. That is not to say there isn't a whole lot next to that to enjoy on this recording. The biggest surprise here is without a doubt "Part Man, Part Monkey." Though the song is a far cry from the best he's ever written, on this particular night it the song where Springsteen's voice shines through most as it is extremely well sung.

Hershey was a bit Little Steven's show. Springsteen allowed him to drag the audience down to his underground Garage by letting him pick a few request. Silvio van Zandt went for "Boom Boom" Animals style followed by a rousing version of "Darlington County." Though the second wasn't as surprising, it isn't less exiting because of it. Same goes for tour staples "No Surrender" or "Because the Night," there's a reason there staples after all. As final blow out for this Hershey night Joe Grushecky was invited on stage. As special guest Joe is almost a staple in itself. Instead of going for "Code of Silence" however, Joe tore into "Gloria" with the Boss in a competition whose voice has the most gravel and guts. Few rockers are as rowdy as Gloria and I can imagine this rendition left Hershey in a frenzy once more, especially since it followed an already high energy encore that started with rockabilly monster "Seven Nights to Rock" and allowed Rosie to come out to play. Bakerstuff captures captured all of this on a very nice recording that is fairly even. It seems like Bakerstuff is bringing the power night after night to our stereos for the final nights of the tour. In the notes he announced his version of Kansas City. So with the rumored Crystal Cats coming in September as well, I suspect that the Magic will continue through our stereos and iPods for just a little while longer.

"Part Man, Part Monkey"

MP3 File

Download the full show in mp3 here
A small request, use mp3s for personal use only. Keep them in your iPod or on your computer but never use a mp3 based CD in a trade. The quality of mp3s deteriorate rapidly every time a CD is ripped. Using high quality music files such as FLACs is essential in keeping the trading pool healthy.

Recording: 3+ out of 5
Show: 4,5 out 5
Artwork: none

A review from the show by the Patriot News.
The picture in this post are by David Bernstein and Backstreet Bev

Boot Tracker, August 23rd 2008, St Louis (Bakerstuff)

St. Louis is without a doubt contender for best show of the tour. It is both representative for the Magic tour's earlier and the later legs. Where quite a few shows of the last two legs were awfully short on Magic material, St Louis featured six songs from that album embedded in the structure of the later legs, filled with rarities from his own catalog and some price covers. Counting the "Not Fade Away" intro to "She's the One," the show held a whopping six nuggets from R&R's rich past. Albeit that the intro was more of a tease, a reminder of the '78 intros to the song, than a full blown recreation of it. With a near perfect "Then She Kissed Me" as the opener and "Little Queenie" rousing up the encores it are the covers that give this show its edge. Though Springsteen seems to have taken great pain to give every fan what he or she wants by including choice cuts like "For You" and "Drive all Night," cemented by later leg staples as "Mary's Place."

I have great difficulty of making sense of these add on dates. The great thing about them is that he managed to keep an element of surprise for the last three legs of the tour. Ever since Anaheim, which seems like an eternity ago, Springsteen has been throwing curve balls all over the place. The Magic tour started out as very much set in stone with quite immobile sets for the Boss, but morphed into one of the diverse tours he ever did. These last few shows especially the Jack seems to be out of the box. In a way Springsteen has been looking back, showing how versatile his catalog has been. This could be interpreted as a farewell tour filled with one last time moments. If so the E- Street Band is going out with a bang. Should Springsteen decide to let the band bid its final farewell it would be totally understandable in the light of events that marred the Magic project. After loosing Terry Magovern July last year, Springsteen and the Band lost one of their founding members with Danny Federici in April this year. Even though Charles Giordano is doing an excellent job filling in, Danny's passing must have been confronting in the sense that it made tangible the finite aspect of the band. The E-Street Band have always been a mythical yet very real band of brothers, so Danny's passing was a tremendous blow to the band.

Yet the way the band has adapted to that loss by playing with a youthfulness that is so astounding that it almost seems unreal from time to time, this current leg doesn't feel like it could be the end. Where a band like the Stones come off like geriatric rock, held afloat by pompous shows, relying on nostalgia only, the Magic tour has given us an E-Street Band that was at the same time fresh and relevant by supporting a new album and reinterpreting old material while giving us our bitter sweet tours down memory lane. If the band is stepping out after this tour, it is leaving us with a sense of great possibility of the future, making them possibly the first band that has been around for as long as they have to do so. Springsteen warned us at the start of the tour that the band was as good, or better, as it ever was. A show like St. Louis serves to prove his point. Bakerstuff capture the Band's triumph nicely on tape. A bit muddy and bass heavy and, though not nearly the best bootleg of the tour, a highly enjoyable listen.

"Mountain of Love"

MP3 File

Download the full show in mp3 here
A small request, use mp3s for personal use only. Keep them in your iPod or on your computer but never use a mp3 based CD in a trade. The quality of mp3s deteriorate rapidly every time a CD is ripped. Using high quality music files such as FLACs is essential in keeping the trading pool healthy.

Recording: 3+ out of 5
Show: 5+ out of 5
Artwork: none

Read the review from the St. Louis Dispatch here

Boot Tracker, August 24th 2008, Kansas City (Travitz)

The Kansas City bootleg was made available at neck break speed again. Hardly giving me time to catch my breath from California. I'm still trying to figure up a way to catch up with the shows I miss, which will probably be reviewed in one big swoop. In the mean time I'm just jumping back on the train at its current station. Being Kansas City, from this time on known as city of the squealing Farfisa. The funny thing with Charles is how he keeps surprising me. Because of his affiliation with the Seeeger Sessions band I had him pegged for a keyboard player who's more versatile in all the different folk styles. In Kansas City he proved to be able to give Peter Zaremba, Garage Farfisa God from the Fleshtones, a run for his money. In the two weeks I have been away, the E-Street Band has been working its way back to where they once started, to being the most overqualified bar band in the world. Covers and rockers from the Garage have been flying through the set and that Farfisa seems right at home in the current phase of the tour.

Like a garage show, the current E-Street shows have a delightful messy appeal. Though the structure of the show is still carried by "Spirit in the Night" and "Mary's Place" as its pillars, it is a far cry from the tight Rock attacks that the tour started out with. The first legs of the tour proved that the E-Street Band is still the tightest band in the business. I guess with that reputation solidly in place, they feel confident enough to show the world they can still be the most surprising act in the field of Rock. What other band of their status would pull out three surprise covers in one set with some assorted rarities from their own catalog thrown in. The covers and request may compromise the theme and tightness of the Magic tour somewhat, especially with some of the covers being quite messy affairs (Just listen to Max tear into "Boys" on this one), I don't think there is another band out there, touring for this long that is quite as thrilling and exiting as the E-Street Band because of it.

This Travitz tape is unfortunately as messy as some of the songs in the set. Like a Garage record, it is highly enjoyable when played loud! But overall, the tape is a bit dark and muddy. Though I think with some remastering it could sound a lot better. Since the show was littered with rarities like the never before played "Ricky Wants a Man of Her Own" and the rarely featured Bobby Womack and the Valentinos (or more likely Rolling Stones) cover "It's All Over Now" with Soozie on vocal, I don't think there will be a lot of fans out there complaining about this tape.

"It's All over Now"

MP3 File

Download the full show in mp3 here
A small request, use mp3s for personal use only. Keep them in your iPod or on your computer but never use a mp3 based CD in a trade. The quality of mp3s deteriorate rapidly every time a CD is ripped. Using high quality music files such as FLACs is essential in keeping the trading pool healthy.

Show: 4,5 out of 5
Recording: 3- out of 5
Artwork: none

Read the Kansas City Star review here

A Boot Tracker and This Train Double Shot; The Castiles

"Marion and Tex Vinyard... They opened up their home to a bunch of rock and roll misfits and let us make a lot of noise and practice all night long." - Bruce, at his 1999 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame acceptance speech

Tex Vinyard is the man responsible for kick starting Springsteen's career or at least got Bruce in the recording studio for the first time. At the time Bruce met Vinyard, Tex was a factory worker on strike who had just kind of stumbled into managing the Castiles. Tex alledgedly lived next door to George Theiss, lead singer and guitar player of the Castiles, named after a brand of soap Theiss used for his hair. Tex went over to ask them to turn the noise down, but wound up becoming their manager. The first thing Tex did was whip the band into shape and started firing members who failed to show up for practice, opening up a few spots in the band. George told Tex that there was this kid playing guitar at his school and promised Tex to ask if he was interested. That kid was Bruce Springsteen. As it turns out Theiss wasn't all that interested in the skinny little guitar slinger, but had an eye for his sister, Ginny. Theiss was so smitten with her that he forgot to tell Bruce the Castiles needed a guitar player.

By the time Springsteen finally joined the Castiles he was a 15 year old kid, obsessed with R&R in a way his peers were obsessed with cars and girls. As the story goes a copy of the "Introducing the Beatles" had made it into the Springsteen household which caused Springsteen to bully his mum into buying him an $18 guitar at the pawnshop for Christmas. By the time the Beatles appeared at the Ed Sullivan show, the little skinny kid was already strumming along. Bruce tried his hands at the R&R group thing shortly after that for the first time with the Rogues, this group was short lived however. So when Theiss failed to ask Bruce, the zit infested kid took matters in his own hand and knocked on George's door offering his services. By that time Tex had already 'hired' the 25 year old Frank Marziotti who had an important edge over Springsteen, he owned an amp, a hot commodity for a starting band. So Tex turned Springsteen down, telling him to come back when he had mastered five new tunes. Bruce was back the next day and baffled Vinyard by playing lead on five songs he had heard on the radio and mastered over night. Springsteen blew Tex and the Castiles away. Frank was asked to pick up the bass and Springsteen got the lead guitar spot. An intimidated George Theiss had to specifically ask Tex if he was still the lead singer in the band, afraid he might be sacked.

Soon Tex had the kids booked for their first gig at the West Haven Swim Club. Tex had whipped the band into shape by allowing them to practice in his living room. The Vinyard home became sort of a refuge for the young Springsteen, "[a] place where I could sit down and play, play the guitar and get away from the house" he recounted some thirteen years later during his first Madison Square Garden gigs. Through hard practice the band was more than ready for the Jersey shore club circuit, where R&R bands like the Castiles were quickly becoming an important means to fight of the boredom. There was one last glitch however, Frank's amp broke down. Tex, already deeply into depth because of the continuing strikes, came to the band rescue by hocking an amp at $11 a month. The band found themselves playing their first gig, all three guitars plugged into a a beautiful new Danelectro 310 complete with reverb. The gig made the band their first $35 dollars. Part of the set were the popular tunes of the day like Glen Miller's "In the Mood," first betraying the jazzy approach Springsteen would take to R&R on his first two albums.

Aside from doing the popular covers of the day, the Band soon started to write their own material. A Rock & Soul type number called "Sidewalk" got so popular in fact that the local teenagers were petitioning for a recording of the song. Oddly enough when the band stepped into the studio for the very first time, the song didn't make the grain. Around the time the band penned "Sidewalk" the Mad-Lads had a hit with "Sidewalk Surf." I have often wondered if part of the reason why they elected not to record the song was because of the Mad-Lads' success with a similar (named) tune. I have no way of knowing if it was. no recordings of "Sidewalk" have ever surfaced. The songs the Castiles did record at Mr Music studios on May 18th 1966, "That's What You Get" and "Baby I," betray little of what was to come. Both tunes are R&R throw aways George and Bruce allegedly wrote in the car on their way to the studio. "That's What You Get" sounds like the boys' take on the Byrds, who were then one of the hottest bands around. "Baby I" was an odd mix between the Beatles and surf guitars. The songs were recorded in an hour for a mere $50, but were never released. The only sources that survived are an unknown number of acetates. Allegedly there was no master tape, the songs were cut directly to disc, hence the weak sound.

There is very little known about the recording sessions. But the line up had already changed that that time. The original drummer of the Castiles, Bart Haynes , had already been replaced by Vinny Maniello, when the first was drafted for service in Vietnam. Bart would not make it back, he died there October 22nd 1967. His death in the service is often viewed as a key moment in Springsteen's life and would later become an important factor for his open support Bobby Muller's organization the Vietnam Veterans of America. The bass player who had brought in the Castiles first amp was replaced by Curt Fluhr. It does seem however that the Castiles had yet to add an organ to the line up in May 1966.

Doc Holiday, who was an engineer at Mr. Music at the time, later said he never expected much to come of the band or its members. However he does remember Springsteen fondly, saying he was one hell of a guitar player. It was the guitar playing, not the song writing, that hinted at bigger things to come. Doc recently recounted a scene on the Backstreets forum that possibly later became the basis for "Jungleland." The experiences Bruce soaked himself into in those very early days found their way to his first three albums and would prove instrumental in his later career. To stand out on that Jersey shore you better had to be good or they'd cut you up, Doc remembers.

I do remember that Eugene Gulash a guitar player for Joey Page and the Page Boys out of Brick town was always trying to out do Billy Ryan and then all of a sudden came this 16 year old kid out of nowhere that played guitar, named Bruce Springsteen, that blew Eugene's doors off, I can remember sitting in one of the halls or back of one of the clubs one night and Eugene was there and said to me & Norman "I'm gonna cut this kid up" meaning he was going to out play him and him & Bruce were just sitting there with guitars in their hands face to face and I remember Eugene saying to Bruce how about a little Hendrix, then Eugene played the riff from "Purple Haze" and Bruce played the solo and torn him a new asshole, then Eugene said how about a little Wes Mongomery and then Eugene played a little octave jazz run and Bruce came right back and once again torn him up, from that day on Eugene forgot all about Ryan and focused on Bruce, (Bruce , remember that night?) I'll tell you that kid (Bruce) was one hell of a guitar player back then, and of course Eugene never did cut him.

Doc stressed that above is a true story. Tapes of an early Castiles performance from September 16th 1967 seem to back up Doc Holiday's story. The set from that September 1967 show is mostly built up out of the popular rock songs of the day, your average cover band it seems. The Springsteen original in the set, written with new band member and organ player Bobby Alfano, "Mr. Jones," is nothing spectacular again, but his guitar playing is on fire. There is a considerable shift in sound from the '66 studio session however, the Beatles and popular R&B tunes started to get replaced by the power rock sound of Hendrix and Cream that were very much in vogue at the time. Springsteen was reaching into new territory. So even though according to Alfonso in an NPR interview the band was making good money at the time, the band fell apart because Springsteen was ready to move on. Alfonso moved on with him, playing organ in the short lived Earth. With Earth the emphasis would increasingly shift to original material. If the Castiles had been Springsteen's high school, Earth and later Child and Steel Mill would prove to be his university of R&R.

"That's What You Get"

MP3 File

"Baby I"

MP3 File

Download the '66 studio sessions and the '67 show in mp3 here
A small request, use mp3s for personal use only. Keep them in your iPod or on your computer but never use a mp3 based CD in a trade. The quality of mp3s deteriorate rapidly every time a CD is ripped. Using high quality music files such as FLACs is essential in keeping the trading pool healthy.

With many thanks to Doc Holiday and Earthslayer.
Sources: "Two Hearts" by Dave Marsh and Castiles.net

Boot Tracker, July 3rd 2008, Southside Johnny Live at the Stone Pony

Southside Johnny has remained rock's best kept secret through out his career, operating on a level quite a few fans would have liked to have seen Springsteen operates. This year marked the 30th anniversary of Southside's greatest album, "Hearts of Stone." A birthday that was celebrated in much the same fashion as Springsteen celebrated the 30th anniversary of "Darkness on the Edge of Town" at the Count Basie theater. Though Rollingstone Magazine at one point elected the Miami Steve produced "Hearts of Stone" album as one of the seventies top 100 records, it never brought John Lyon the fame it should have. Together with Little Steven's "Man Without Women" it stands as one of the best blue-eyed Rock 'n Soul albums of all time. As Lyon commented during the show "Forever" winded up on Steve's album but was written for his. "Hearts of Stone" with most of its songs written by van Zandt, is as much vintage Miami as it is classic Southside Johnny. Though "Hearts of Stone" cemented Southside Johnny's reputation amongst hard core Jersey shore fans at the time, the album didn't sell well enough for Epic's tastes. Though I'm not sure how many copies Lyon actually sold of his album, I suspect that Southside Johnny got lost in the shuffle of the changing industry. By the seventies, local markets were no longer something major labels were interested investing in, Disco and mega sales were starting to dominate the scene, any artist failing to go gold was in danger of getting dropped.

Though "Hearts of Stone" has found a re-release on Legacy records, I doubt there will be a luscious 30th anniversary re-packaging from the people who own the masters to this fine album. So the Stone Pony performance with its broadcast on Sirius radio is probably going to be the only tangible mark of this fine album. But judging from this recording, Lyon gave one hell of a party. Though cynics may claim he swiped the idea from Springsteen's birthday batch for the "Darkness" album, this party was something else. Though it would be unfair to compare the shows, but from what I'm hearing Southside gave his audience a decidedly bigger cake. By playing a full show after the album 'recital' it sounds like Lyon wanted to stress that his brand of Rock and Soul has more than survived disinterest from the record labels. The taper of this show, Kathleen was kind enough to give me her impressions of the show;

The show at the Stone Pony was everything a Jukes fan could ask for. The weather cooperated - it was sunny and beautiful. There was an excellent opening act from Bob Burger. He was the perfect intro for the Jukes. He put on a good show. I knew he would break a string the way he was strumming.

Then came the main event and what felt like a marathon (officially 3 hours and 8 minutes according to the website). I knew that it would be special with the 30th anniversary of Hearts of Stone being played, but I didn't expect a beautiful acoustic section afterwards - and then a full concert after that. What a way to start the summer!

I personally was looking forward to the entire Hearts of Stone album being played after seeing the 30th anniversary advertised on the Jukes website. I was planning to go to the show anyway but that made it extra special. I am old enough to remember when that album came out and hearing it live and in person was a real treat. I didn't know if Bobby would be there but I hoped he would. Ralph is a great guitarist in his own right but, when Bobby hooked up to that amp,it made the show. He played like he had something to prove or he was just glad to be back home. His riffs were awesome.

Bobby is buried in the Bon Jovi band - he has an excellent voice but he doesn't sing as well as Jon - and his guitar skills are superb but his style is very different than Richie's. It's a no win situation for him - though I assume he's being paid well. His acoustic guitar work was superb during the acoustic set and his voice and Southside's blend together perfectly. He really shines with the Jukes where he simply can't with Bon Jovi.

Everything that these guys tried wasn't perfect. Ghost in This Town (with Bob Burger) is a George Jones song. About a minute and a half into it they figured out that they had started in the wrong key. John mentioned that they had only played it a few times - and he didn't want to hear any shit about it. It didn't work too well but it was really the only one that had major problems.

I personally loved the acoustic set - I wasn't expecting it and it was a real treat. Bobby's guitar and their two voices made a great interlude between the two main parts of the set. I assumed that the show was ended after the first encore - but no. John came back out and said something to the effect of having a great band when they wanted to come out and play some more - and they even made suggestions of stuff that had been missed. I have seen many Southside Johnny shows over the years - this one was extra special for many reasons and I'm very glad I didn't miss this historic concert.

Thanks to Kathleen's registration of the show we get to be part of the party. Now this recording will obviously not be of the same quality of the Sirius broadcast, but it is highly enjoyable none the less. The tape is extremely pleasant to listen to, especially considering it was taped outside, even though it is a bit rough and raggedy in some places. Kind of like a Southside Johnny show.

"Trapped Again"

MP3 File

Download the full show in mp3 here
A small request, use mp3s for personal use only. Keep them in your iPod or on your computer but never use a mp3 based CD in a trade. The quality of mp3s deteriorate rapidly every time a CD is ripped. Using high quality music files such as FLACs is essential in keeping the trading pool healthy.

Recording: 4- out of 5
Show: 5+ out of 5
Artwork: none

The show also saw a performance of Tom Waits' "Gin Soaked Boy" as an appetizer for Lyon's new album of Tom Waits covers. You can find Southside Johnny's new album, "Grapefruit Moon" through the Jukes store. Pick it up, you won't regret it.

August 2nd 2008, Gilette Stadiumd, Foxboro MA (Bakerstuff)

This new Bakerstuff tape is exactly the reason why I embarked on this crazy quest of reviewing every single tape on the Magic tour. Not only is this a fantastic show, it is a great tape. The first keeper since Paris and Amsterdam. Though it is not quite on that level, it isn't bad by all means. Excellent instrument separation, with most of what's happening on stage coming through quite clear, though a bit on the dark side. But for a stadium tape, this one absolutely doesn't disappoint. You can hear Clarence's honking in the back ground and his percussion better than on most tapes, which is nice since sometimes I tend to forget he brings much more to the fold than a killer saxophone solo here and there. Clarence adds these little colors to Springsteen songs, that help transcend them to that next level.

One of the things about this Foxboro tape that is so nice to hear is the high quality level Springsteen manages to keep this tour, even outside his key markets. Foxboro isn't New Jersey, there isn't that challenge of going legendary on our ass. Even though the Foxboro show was a whopping 30 minutes shorter than the New Jersey shows, the band does deliver the goods and then some. I've heard it said, by myself included, that this stadium leg lacks the cohesion the first Magic legs had. By cutting down the set with three songs, some of that cohesion returns. Though the Magic songs are still sparse, "Spirit in the Night" and "Mary's Place" have found there respective spots in the set as markers. Though shorter and more cohesive, Foxboro got plenty of that surprise element that marked the previous few shows. Most notably with "Little Latin Lupe Lu," a thoroughly prepared request, with the lyrics printed on the back. With the weather in Foxboro temporarily forgetting this is the summer season, "Who'll Stop the Rain" might not have been such a big surprise, but "Does This Bus Stop at 42nd Street" most certainly was. Judging from the "Youngstown" that followed it, that bus is nowhere near close to running out of gas. But for all my rambling, Pete over at "Blogness on the Edge of Town" puts it into words much better than I possibly can.

"Little Latin Lupe Lu"

MP3 File

Download the full show in mp3 here
A small request, use mp3s for personal use only. Keep them in your iPod or on your computer but never use a mp3 based CD in a trade. The quality of mp3s deteriorate rapidly every time a CD is ripped. Using high quality music files such as FLACs is essential in keeping the trading pool healthy.

Recording: 4- out of 5
Show: 5- out of 5
Artwork: none

Get the Berkshire Eagle review here
See more of Nanci's pictures here

Boot Tracker, July 31st 2008, Giants Stadium NJ (NYC Taper)

When I was reviewing the Bossman's tape of this show the New York City taper's version was rumored. Going on his excellent reputation and his past Magic recordings, I was looking forward to this show quite a bit. Unfortunately it is not the upgrade I had hoped for. Though there is little echo and the sound of the band is pretty much in sync , the tape has a fairly distant and dark feel. This taper has taken the effort to master his recording, so I doubt that the quality of this tape can be improved much by raising the audio levels. This version is the best one yet, but not all that much. Overall it is one of those tapes that benefits from cranking up the sound on your stereo. Another bonus is the relative absence of intrusive audience noise. The NYC taper seems to have placed himself strategically. Listening to this tape, there seem to have been less beer runs during "Pretty Flamingo" than there actually were. Though you hear quite a bit of chatter going on, it stays more in the background than on the Bossman tape I reviewed earlier. Still all those improvements are only slight ones.

What remains stunning to me however is the performance. Especially earlier mentioned "Pretty Flamingo," this song seems to have been thrown in to the set totally unrehearsed. If it wasn't for a cue here and there, there would way of knowing. Though this version can't compete with the classic '75 version, it is pretty cool to listen to the band pull it off so nicely. Though I realize taking those request is part show, some of them always turn out to have been on the set list anyway, the way he handles it is something I enjoy hearing every time as well. Just when the band thinks they have to play "Incident on 57th Street" for a few bald fans, the Boss stops and turns to notice another sign and shoots "Blinded By The Light" at the boys. I think it was the Star Ledger who pointed out in one of their reviews that doing a stadium show is usually something artists do with quite the amount of rigor. The Rolling Stones or U2 play tightly constructed set lists to bring the evening to a good end. Springsteen takes a complete opposite approach. While this sometimes seems like its bound to end in a train wreck, at a Springsteen show this is part of the thrill. It is exiting to see what he pulls from his hat next, there's suspense in watching him pull it of, thrilling to hear him add little things to set list war horses. Only an artist performing at the top of his game could pull it off. And that's exactly what the Giants Stadium got three nights in a row.

"Pretty Flamingo"

MP3 File

Download the full show in mp3 here
A small request, use mp3s for personal use only. Keep them in your iPod or on your computer but never use a mp3 based CD in a trade. The quality of mp3s deteriorate rapidly every time a CD is ripped. Using high quality music files such as FLACs is essential in keeping the trading pool healthy.

Recording: 3+ out of 5
Show: 5- out of 5
Artwork: none

Read the Rollingstone review here
Visit the Star Ledger for more videos.

Boot Tracker, July 31st 2008, Giants Stadium NJ (Bossman)

The final Giant Stadium show sounds like the best of the three night stand so far and also is the best bootleg I've heard of the three nights. Though I must admit, with all the versions coming out, I haven't been able to listen to all of them. For the first two nights I put my money on the Travitz tapes, but after hearing positive things on the first two Bossman recordings I figured I'd give him a try. I'm glad I did. This Bossman tape is decidedly clearer than the Travitz tapes of the first two nights, although marred by the same heavy bass. So I'm tempted to see if the other two Bossman tapes compare to this one in quality. That isn't to say that all is good however. There is some slight echo on this tape and the sound isn't as balanced as I'd hoped. Worse is the amount of audience chatter. The beer runs and inane social chatter completely ruin Springsteen's tour premier of "Pretty Flamingo" including a nice rap on his relationship with Patti and the Big Man's coming marriage. Probably the reason why the preacher shtick replaced the raps all together in the new millennium. You have to wonder how much of it came across in the stadium as well.

This third night came across as the most loosely constructed set list yet. Compared to the first two legs, this does tape the pace out of the show some, which was often at neck break speed in 2007. But when tightness and high speed R&R is replaced with a full hour extra show and rarities galore, I don't think many of us will complain about the relative loss in pace. Especially not when there are plenty of stadium wreckers like "Cadillac Ranch" to whip the show right back on track. And just listen to Charlie rip into his organ on "Light of Day," of high energy there's no lack. The loss of pace is relative anyway. At the age of 58 Springsteen still delivers R&R shows with an energy level that will make many 20 year olds go green with envy, even when the night is loosely constructed. The loose set lists of late also add an element of surprise that is arguably more thrilling than neck break speed shows. During the first two legs, the out line of the show was more or less set in stone. With the recent shows anything could happen, you never know what you'll get. Even during shows without debuts, you stumble from one surprise into another. This Giants Stadium show not only got two debuts with "Pretty Flamingo" and "Jersey Girl," choice rarities like "Blinded by the Light" remind you of why Springsteen used to be such a hard ticket to score.

"Blinded by the Light"

MP3 File

Download the full show in mp3 here
A small request, use mp3s for personal use only. Keep them in your iPod or on your computer but never use a mp3 based CD in a trade. The quality of mp3s deteriorate rapidly every time a CD is ripped. Using high quality music files such as FLACs is essential in keeping the trading pool healthy.

Recording: 3+ out of 5
Show: 5- out of 5
Artwork: none

Read the review from Rolling Stone magazine here

Boot Tracker, July 28th 2008, Giants Stadium, NJ (Travitz)

An early birthday party for Patti this second Giants Stadium night. And I must admit, I am one of those fans who really likes having her up there on stage. There's a certain dynamic between her and Springsteen that is exhilarating. Sparks fly... maybe not as sizzling and intensely as during the Tunnel of Love Express tour, but there certainly still is a certain dynamic between them. It carries a certain erotic quality that comes across especially well in the "Tunnel of Love" songs, but doesn't stop at that quality. When the missus joins the Boss on a song, like title track of that album, it always sounds to me like they are reaffirming their relationship and aren't scared to ask the difficult questions that come with the territory. It is a dynamic that would hard to act out when their hearts wouldn't be in it, which is exactly why it is so thrilling to watch or to listen to. Though Patti's voice doesn't work as well in every song, there are a select amount of songs that gain something. Especially "Out in the Street" and "No Surrender" always seem to gain quite a bit of depth with the female voice added.

Ironically, or maybe a blessing for the people out there that aren't as big a fans, Patti's voice is one of the things that doesn't come across very well on this second Travitz tape. Her voice gets buried in a rather bass heavy mix. Though the recording is enjoyable once again, quite a bit of subtlety gets lost. So while we can enjoy Stevie's soulful belting on "Two Hearts," Patti gets drowned a bit. On an aside, I have always been curious how that song would sound as a duet with miss Scialfa. Maybe the song would a get too mushy, while right now it still stands as song that underscores the nearly mythical brotherhood that is such an important part of the E-Street Band's appeal. How much that sense of companionship and family is a part of the band perhaps became clear when Max's son Jay Weinberg was allowed to step in for his old man on "Born to Run." Let me tell you, from the sounds of it, mighty Max produced some thunderous offspring. And is it just my imagination, or are those 'Boom ' Carter fills less of a struggle for Jay?

"Born to Run"

MP3 File

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Recording: 3- out of 5
Show: 4+ out of 5
Artwork: none