Bruce Springsteen live shows detailed setlist: April 1973

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01-Apr-1973 New Brunswick,NJ Rutgers University,USA

Unknown setlist
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Notes:
One 5hr, triple billing show, with Bruce and the boys headlining. The undercard bands were HEAVY TRUCKING (first up with a 60-minute set) and SOUTHERN CONSPIRACY (who played an 80-minute set). Although held indoors at the ever-popular Ledge Club, the show was delayed for about an hour due to moisture from rainy weather outside affecting the electronics. According to a newspaper review Bruce opened the show with one acoustic song and immediately brought on the band - and played for over 90-minutes.

07-Apr-1973 Norfolk,VA Scope Arena,USA

Unknown setlist
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Notes:
ONE show, double bill, with Springsteen opening for headliner THE BEACH BOYS. As the evening's undercard, Bruce's performance was likely to have been limited to around 60 minutes. Clarence's hometown, so you can bet Bruce featured him prominently in the show.

11-Apr-1973 Atlanta,GA The Omni,USA

Unknown setlist
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Notes:
One show, triple billing, with Bruce and the boys opening for THE BEACH BOYS. The poster (see below) has Springsteen billed third but, given the documented artist fee payments for this show, it is almost certain that MOTHER'S FINEST opened the show and Springsteen followed. Springsteen's set is likely to have been about 60 minutes. This concert took place at a time when The Beach Boys were at a very low ebb in popularity in America and this show proved a financial disaster for the promoter, as less than 3,000 tickets were sold. The Omni Coliseum held 16,000.

13-Apr-1973 Villanova,PA Villanova University,USA

- This show was NOT PLAYED

Unknown setlist
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Notes:
Cancelled, never rescheduled. This show, which was to be held in the Villanova Field House, was billed as the "Villanova Senior Concert" and was to feature Springsteen as headliner and local Philadelphia band HALL & OATS as the support act. Bruce cancelled at the last minute, with the announcement of the concert's demise made on 11-Apr-73 in the school's newspaper.

18-Apr-1973 Lincroft,NJ Christian Brothers Acadamy,USA

Unknown setlist
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Notes:
One show. Bruce and the band headline. Support act is SATAN'S JURY, a local horn-based rock outfit. This is the first known appearance by Springsteen with The E Street Band at a high school venue (a high school concert was planned for 25/5/74, but cancelled). This show included a special guest member in the band - a one-off appearance by Richard Blackwell on congas. A couple of months later Blackwell provided the conga backing heard on the officially issued studio version of "New York City Serenade".

23-Apr-1973 Willimantic,CT Bushnell memorial hall,USA

Unknown setlist
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Notes:
ONE show, double bill, with Springsteen opening for headliner RICHIE HAVENS. As the evening undercard Bruce's performance was likely limited to about 60 minutes. Note: this gig is often incorrectly listed as having taken place at Shaboo Inn in nearby Willimantic (see 16/12/73 for details on Bruce's only-ever Shaboo appearance).

24-Apr-1973 Bryn Mawr,PA The Main Point,USA

- Click on a title for additional details!!

01 New York song
02 Circus song
03 Spirit in the night
04 Does this bus stop at 82nd street?
05 Santa Ana
06 Tokyo
07 Thundercrack

Notes:
Broadcast in the Philadelphia area (WMMR). The poster seems to indicate two shows per night. The available tape includes the story on draft avoidance, which is quite amusing. Two shows, 8PM and 10PM, double billing, with Springsteen headlining and folk duo AZTEC TWO-STEP opening. This was Bruce's first real time concert venue simulcast, courtesy of Philadelphia's WMMR-FM. Only the early show was broadcast and the above-mentioned setlist represents that complete performance.

Songs from this show can be found on:

	AND THE BAND PLAYED (Lobster Records)
	SMALL TOWN BOY (Swinging Pig Records)
	SPIRIT IN THE NIGHT (Fabbri Editore)
	THUNDERCRACK (Great Dane Records)
	BOX O'ROCKS (HAR)
	FEVER (Backstreets Records)
	HOT COALS FROM THE FIERY FURNACE (HAR)
	JERSEY DEVIL (HAR)
	JERSEY DEVIL (Blockhead Records)
	JERSEY DEVIL (HAR)
	KING OF THE HALLEY
	RAGAMUFFIN GUNNER
	RAGAMUFFIN GUNNER - JERSEY DEVIL
	SMALL TOWN BOY (Ruthless Rhymes)
	JERSEY DEVIL (copy/repress)
	SMALL TOWN BOY (Swinging Pig Records) (copy/repress)
	THUNDERCRACK (Alternative Edge Productions) (copy/repress)

24-Apr-1973 Bryn Mawr,PA The Main Point,USA

- Click on a title for additional details!!

01 It's hard to be a saint in the city

Notes:
Two shows performed. Late. There is no circulating audio from the late show, which would have lasted 20 - 30 minutes longer than the early. "It's hard…." has been probably played here if the "Hot coals…" notes say the truth, since it has not been played in the first show.

Songs from this show can be found on:

	BOX O'ROCKS (HAR)
	HOT COALS FROM THE FIERY FURNACE (HAR)
	RAGAMUFFIN GUNNER
	RAGAMUFFIN GUNNER - JERSEY DEVIL

25-Apr-1973 Bryn Mawr,PA The Main Point,USA

Unknown setlist
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Notes:
First Two shows, 8PM and 10PM. Bruce and the band headline. Support act is folk duo AZTEC TWO-STEP. Early show

27-Apr-1973 Athens,OH University Of Ohio,USA

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06 Growin' up

Notes:
Festival appearance with Blood, Sweat and Tears, the Eagles and Billy Preston. A fairly impressive 9-artist roster with Bruce and the band receiving near bottom billing. They play early on the first day of this 2-day festival held indoors at the school's Convocation Center. The Eagles co-headline. Eagle Don Henley has commented on this show: "I'd first heard about Springsteen from Jackson (Browne), who raved about him. Then we ended up on the same bill as Bruce at a festival out in Ohio. So I sort of wandered in alone and checked out his set. He was just a warm-up act at that this show. After watching him I remember thinking to myself that this was a guy that wasn't gonna be warming up the crowd for us - or for anybody - for very long". The setlist is unknown, but a fan who was present said : "I was at the show April 27th, 1973 at Ohio University in Athens, Oh. I was going to school there, and my resident assistant at the dorm was on the concert board. He was telling me about who all was going to be on the bill for the festival, and I said that I had never heard of Bruce Springsteen. He told me that Bruce was going to be something big, and he gave me a copy of the "Greetings from Asbury Park" album so that I could listen to it. I was blown away. I went to the concert looking forward to hearing tunes from the album, and seeing what this new guy was all about. People in the audience were asking "Who is this guy?". By the time Bruce's set was over, they were converted fans. I don't remember many of the songs from that night, but I do remember "Growin' Up", and I also recall Bruce jumping up onto the piano and singing. What energy! The show was excellent. I have been a big fan ever since". Thanks Larry.

28-Apr-1973 College Park,MD University Of Maryland,USA

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01 Spirit in the night
02 Does this bus stop at 82nd street?
03 Blinded by the light
04 Thundercrack

Notes:
As Chuck Berry, support (only E-Street) : MAYBELLENE / ROCK AND ROLL MUSIC / SCHOOL DAY / ROLL OVER BEETHOVEN / NADINE / NO PARTICULAR PLACE TO GO / SWEET LITTLE SIXTEEN / MY DING-A-LING / REELIN' AND ROCKIN' / JOHNNY B GOODE ONE show, triple bill, with CHUCK BERRY headlining, JERRY LEE LEWIS 2nd billed and SPRINGSTEEN opening - a show now steeped in legend and mystique. Berry's contract stipulated that it was the promoter's responsibility to supply him with a backing band for this concert. Apparently Bruce learned about a week before the show that the promoter was seeking a group to support Berry and immediately volunteered his band's services for free - which the promoter gladly accepted. There was no rehearsal or soundcheck with Berry, so Bruce and the boys improvised as best they could. Bruce and the boys opened their part of the show with a 50-minute set, followed by a 60-minute set by Jerry Lee and his band. Chuck Berry (with the entire E Street Band backing him, including Bruce and SOUTHSIDE JOHNNY) closed the evening's festivities with a 70-minute performance. Springsteen recounts some hilarious details in the Berry bio-film "Hail, Hail Rock & Roll" but does not mention Southside Johnny’s appearance. Fearing the Berry might not want a harp player Bruce positioned Southside in the shadows at the extreme end of the stage. However Berry enjoyed the harp playing and near the end of the show he actually acknowledged Southside to the crowd saying “that white boy can blow, can’t he”? This sold out gig in the 5,500-seat Cole Field House was not without some controversy. Such was the demand to see the show that the school newspaper reported that 20 people were arrested when police spotted individuals sneaking into the concert via an open female lavatory window at the back of the building. Apparently 200-300 people made it in before the police caught wind of what was going on.

29-Apr-1973 University Park,PA Penn State University,USA

- This show was NOT PLAYED

Unknown setlist
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Notes:
PROBABLY NOT PLAYED. This concert was originally scheduled for 1/5/73. However Springsteen's last-minute inclusion in the CBS-sponsored Ahmanson Theater show in Los Angeles forced this Penn State concert to be re-scheduled. The problem is that nobody seems able to verify when the rescheduled performance took place! BRUCEBASE has placed the rescheduled show as 29/4/73 - the only possible nearby open date given Bruce's known travel schedule. However it is possible that the Penn State University gig on 7/9/73 was the rescheduled date for this show

Last computed : 22/02/2025 16:28:45