Notes: incomplete setlist. A reader present at the show writes "It was a free concert, something the college ran called "Carnival". Buzzy Linhart played in the afternoon and Bruce played in the evening. It was indoors at the panzer gym on campus. They played just about all Wild innocent stuff, and only Growing Up and Saint In The City from Greetings as I recall. Bruce wore a sports jacket and a Dick Tracey hat. The most memorable thing about the show was the beginning the stage was totally black As the lights came up like an early gray dawn ( maybe even slower ) intro played the long version of the intro to Manhattan Serenade the band remained motionless like mannequins in the dark, maybe more like ghostly shadows still slowly and softly they began to drift into the relative minor progression of the song, still frozen, the light gets up to about where you can make out some color, and Bruce twists his head ever so slightly to the mike and says" Billy..." It was very cool. Kitty's back was tremendous and they ended with Rosalita I think although he did Let The Four Winds Blow as a encore. My friend booked the concert and he talked with the band backstage before the show. He said Bruce was drinking vodka.
One of the 2 or 3 best shows I have ever seen even 28 years later - by the way Buzzy Linhart was also great that afternoon" (Thanks, as always, to Brucebase and to the reader)
05-May-1974 Kent,OH Kent State University,USA
- This show was NOT PLAYED
Unknown setlist If you know or remember something about this show, please write me at contrib@brucespringsteen.it . Your help is important!!
Notes: This show never took place. A concert here on this date was originally contracted - but then rescheduled for three weeks later so as to more logically fit into the evolving tour itinerary. See listing under 1 / 6 / 74 for this rescheduled gig at Kent State.
06-May-1974 Newtown,PA Bucks County Comminity College,USA
Unknown setlist If you know or remember something about this show, please write me at contrib@brucespringsteen.it . Your help is important!!
Notes: A fan present at the show reports "Chick Corea and Return to Forever opened for Bruce. Got there early and found each member of RTF separately practicing in a hallway surrounding the gym the show was in.
This was when RTF was very popular and had started Rock Jazz fusion in the states. Stanley Clark was playing bass then."
Notes: Two separate-admission shows, with Bruce and the boys opening for headliner BONNIE RAITT. This is one of most famous of all Springsteen gigs yet, ironically, one of the most inaccurately reported - the key point of confusion being that there were two shows on the night, not one.
Critic (now manager) Jon Landau's famous "I saw rock and roll future and its name is Bruce Springsteen" quote stems from this night. Landau attended the LATE show and his original Real Paper review details that performance. Landau didn't attend the first show. Probably because it wasn't deemed important to note at the time, Landau's review failed to mention that there were two shows and that his commentary was on the latter. However Landau reveals enough detail so that (in conjunction with tidbits of information from other attendee recollections) a reasonably accurate setlist for the late show can now be re-constructed.
The entire 8-song, 70-minute EARLY show (plus two soundcheck tracks) can be found on the CD "ROCK AND ROLL PUNK" (E ST). This is sometimes reported as being a soundboard but is actually a nice quality audience recording made by a taper who had good equipment and an ideal recording spot. Indeed, a close analysis of background conversation during the soundcheck yields an argument between someone in Springsteen's camp and the taper over this taper's right to be recording the show. This person obviously got away with it during the first show but appears not have been so fortunate for the second. An excellent show that includes a unique cover of the Dinah Washington / Etta James WWII-era blues classic "I Sold My Heart To The Junkman" (performed by Bruce in the "comedy mode" as recorded by THE STARLETS in 1961 - the likely inspiration). This particular track is found on several anthology boots, most notably ALL THOSE YEARS. (This is all Brucebase research).
Some nice photage of the night can be found here : http://www.gallery591974.com/
Notes: The LATE show included several additional songs and lasted about 30 minutes longer. Critic (now manager) Jon Landau's much-quoted "I saw rock and roll future and its name is Bruce Springsteen" line stems from this night. Landau ONLY attended the late show and his famous Real Paper review details that performance. Landau's review fails to mention that there were two shows and that his commentary is on the latter. However Landau reveals enough detail so that in conjunction with information from other attendee recollections a somewhat accurate setlist for the late show can be re-constructed. Courtesy of Bonnie Raitt, Bruce’s 2nd show lasted about 30 minutes longer than the early show. Bruce opened with a long "story” arrangement of "E Street Shuffle" (similar to the slow version later utilized on
the BTR Tour); the only known instance Bruce has opened a show with this song. "For You" was also performed in its slow, piano-solo incarnation near the end of the show. Bruce knew that Landau was coming to this show and tickets were waiting for him at the door. More significantly Bruce unveiled new compositions for Landau's ears. One of the new songs, "Born To Run" (identified in Landau's review as the song with the Telstar-like guitar opening), is confirmed via
multiple recollections, including later comments by Landau to Dave Marsh. The other song is most likely to have been “Jungleland”, although both “She’s The One” and “A Love So Fine” have cropped up in some recollections. After this show, Jon Landau (The Real Paper) wrote the famous review on 22/05/74 (On his 'Loose Ends' column).
10-May-1974 Providence,RI Palace Theatre,USA
- This show was NOT PLAYED
Unknown setlist If you know or remember something about this show, please write me at contrib@brucespringsteen.it . Your help is important!!
Unknown setlist If you know or remember something about this show, please write me at contrib@brucespringsteen.it . Your help is important!!
Notes: CANCELLED concert, never rescheduled. There may not have been a contract consummated, as there are no pre-gig advertisements for any show (Springsteen or otherwise) present in the school's newspaper leading up to the date.
12-May-1974 Glassboro,NJ Glassboro State College,USA
- This show was NOT PLAYED
Unknown setlist If you know or remember something about this show, please write me at contrib@brucespringsteen.it . Your help is important!!
Notes: Show was cancelled by Bruce on the afternoon of the day it was to have taken place as Bruce had been taken ill with either a cold or flu.
Posters of the show exist with the supporting artists of Sandy Denny and Fairport Convention who played the show anyway.
14-May-1974 Greenville,TN Tusculum College,USA
- This show was NOT PLAYED
Unknown setlist If you know or remember something about this show, please write me at contrib@brucespringsteen.it . Your help is important!!
Notes: From a fan report. Incomplete setlist. "the opening act was supposed to be Hall and Oates. as we were on our way to the show on the jersey turnpike, we heard Hall and Oates guest d.j.ing on WMMR in Philadelphia. Ellen Macelllwain a folk slide guitar opened instead. The crowd was impatient to see Bruce. At this point, even though the ``future of rock and roll`` article had hit the press, he was still a cult figure although Jersyians were kinda fanatics even then. Danny Fererici was playing a lot of accordion in those days and David Sancious was still opening one Bruce piece with a classical 3-4 minute piano. The set was primarily wild innocent stuff. I remember New York City Serenade being played very slowly and then kicking into a samba rhythm. Bruce ended with a bunch of rock and roll classics and came back to do a solo ``For You`` on piano."
25-May-1974 Radnor,PA Archbishop Carrol High School,USA
- This show was NOT PLAYED
Unknown setlist If you know or remember something about this show, please write me at contrib@brucespringsteen.it . Your help is important!!
Notes: Concert was CANCELLED and never rescheduled. It seems some students at this high school paid the necessary deposit to book Springsteen - but then were unable to sell enough advance tickets to make a required progress payment to the promoter. As a result the planned event collapsed.
Ned Barnett wrote to me : "I was a senior at Archbishop Carroll in in Radnor PA when then Springsteen concert was cancelled May 25, 1974. As I recall, it was set for Memorial Day weekend and most of the upperclassmen were planning to go the Jersey Shore for the holiday weekend rather than stay for Springsteen, who was largely unknown. Ironic in that if they had stayed, Springsteen would have brought the heart and spirit of the Jersey Shore to them."
28-May-1974 Bryn Mawr,PA The Main Point,USA
Unknown setlist If you know or remember something about this show, please write me at contrib@brucespringsteen.it . Your help is important!!
Notes: Two shows, 8PM and 10PM. Bruce & The E Street Band are the sole act on the bill. Early.
28-May-1974 Bryn Mawr,PA The Main Point,USA
Unknown setlist If you know or remember something about this show, please write me at contrib@brucespringsteen.it . Your help is important!!
Notes: Two shows, 8PM and 10PM. Bruce & The E Street Band are the sole act on the bill. Late
29-May-1974 Bryn Mawr,PA The Main Point,USA
Unknown setlist If you know or remember something about this show, please write me at contrib@brucespringsteen.it . Your help is important!!
Notes: Two shows, 8PM and 10PM. Bruce & The E Street Band are the sole act on the bill. Early.
29-May-1974 Bryn Mawr,PA The Main Point,USA
Unknown setlist If you know or remember something about this show, please write me at contrib@brucespringsteen.it . Your help is important!!
Notes: Two shows, 8PM and 10PM. Bruce & The E Street Band are the sole act on the bill. Late
31-May-1974 Columbus,OH The Agora,USA
- This show was NOT PLAYED
Unknown setlist If you know or remember something about this show, please write me at contrib@brucespringsteen.it . Your help is important!!
Notes: CANCELLED concert due to weak ticket sales, never rescheduled. This gig had originally been slated for 17/02/74 (see BRUCEBASE listing), and then postponed until this date. The delay did nothing to spur interest in the show however. BRUCEBASE reader Al comments: "having just seen Bruce at Georgetown University in Washington on March 3rd, upon my return to Ohio I got a group of people together to go to the Columbus show. When we arrived at the Agora we were told that, aside from the five of us, only TWO other tickets had been sold - the concert had been cancelled."
