Bruce Springsteen Drops ‘The Darkness Tour ’78’ Live Set

SHARE NOW

In commemoration of the 45th anniversary of his 1978 Darkness On The Edge Of Town album, Bruce Springsteen has issued a live version of the legendary set — complete with a smattering of songs originally intended for the classic collection.

The new 20-track Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band – The Darkness Tour ’78 package is culled from the official series of Nugs-issued “official” bootlegs from the storied '78 tour, with one track — “Something In The Night” — snagged from a 1977, pre-release performance.

In addition to such Darkness favorites as “Badlands,” “Prove It All Night,” and “Candy's Room,” the set includes the era-appropriate castoffs “The Promise,” “Because The Night,” “Rendezvous,” and “Fire,” among others.

The Darkness On The Edge Of Town album — and especially songs like “Racing In The Street” — featured a more pared back and dramatic style of lyric writing, dispensing of the bombastic “word salad” featured in Springsteen's earlier work: “What I kept stripping away was cliche, cliche. I just kept stripping it down until it started to feel emotionally real.”

Future MTV vee-jay J.J. Jackson spoke to Bruce Springsteen for KABC-TV during the L.A. run in '78 following “The Boss'” sold-out July 5th gig at The Forum, and Springsteen shed light on how seriously he took his job: “Y'know, it's, like, it's the thing. . . It's the, I guess, probably the only thing that I live for, y'know? (Laughs) And I just try to keep a hold on. . . I play Buddy Holly every night before I go on. That keeps me honest, y'know? (Laughs).”

The tracklisting for the new Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band – The Darkness Tour ’78 is:

Badlands (Live at Capitol Theatre, Passaic, NJ – September 19, 1978)
Adam Raised A Cain (Live at Berkeley Community Theatre, Berkeley, CA – July 1, 1978)
Something In The Night (Live at Palace Theatre, Albany, NY – February 7, 1977)
Candy’s Room (Live at The Summit, Houston, TX – December 8, 1978)
Racing In The Street (Live at Capitol Theatre, Passaic, NJ – September 19, 1978)
The Promised Land (Live at Fox Theatre, Atlanta, GA – September 30, 1978)
Factory (Live at Fox Theatre Atlanta, GA – October 1, 1978)
Streets Of Fire (Live at Capitol Theatre, Passaic, NJ – September 19, 1978)
Prove It All Night (Live at Fox Theatre, Atlanta, GA – September 30, 1978)
Darkness On The Edge Of Town (Live at The Agora, Cleveland, OH – August 9, 1978)
Rendezvous (Live at Winterland Arena, San Francisco, CA – December 16, 1978)
Because The Night (Live at Fox Theatre Atlanta, GA – October 1, 1978)
The Promise (Live at Berkeley Community Theatre, Berkeley, CA – July 1, 1978)
Fire (Live at Winterland Arena, San Francisco, CA – December 15, 1978)
Independence Day (Live at Fox Theatre, Atlanta, GA – September 30, 1978)
Action In The Streets (Live at Auditorium Theatre, Rochester, NY – February 8, 1977)
The Fever (Live at The Summit, Houston, TX – December 8, 1978)
Point Blank (Live at Fox Theatre Atlanta, GA, – October 1, 1978)
Sherry Darling (Live at The Agora, Cleveland, OH – August 9, 1978)
The Ties That Bind (Live at Winterland Ballroom, San Francisco, CA – December 15, 1978)