Here’s an unexpected but welcome gift to classic rock fans in general and fans of The Boss in particular. Bruce Springsteen is offering a free download of the second concert from his current The River tour. As Best Classic Bands told you, it was the performance where the classic rock icon performed an acoustic version of “Take it Easy,” as a tribute to Glenn Frey. Click here for that story and to see the video.
A post on Springsteen’s Facebook page read: “Out here on E Street, we’re missing our fans at The Garden tonight and wanted to send this along.
Starting now, the live recording of #TheRiverTourChicago on January 19 will be available as a free MP3 download for the next two days here.” (BTW, performances from a 1980 Tempe, AZ concert, including “Backstreets” and “Darkness on the Edge of Town,” are also available via The Boss’ same link.)
(Since the post was made at approximately 8:30 pm ET Sunday night, that would mean until Tuesday night, January 26th.)
January 19, 2016 Setlist:
1. Meet Me in the City
The River
2. The Ties That Bind
3. Sherry Darling
4. Jackson Cage
5. Two Hearts
6. Independence Day
7. Hungry Heart
8. Out in the Street
9. Crush on You
10. You Can Look (But You Better Not Touch)
11. I Wanna Marry You
12. The River
13. Point Blank
14. Cadillac Ranch
15. I’m a Rocker
16. Fade Away
17. Stolen Car
18. Ramrod
19 The Price You Pay
20. Drive All Night
21. Wreck on the Highway
22. Night
23. No Surrender
24. Cover Me
25. She’s The One
26. Human Touch
27. The Rising
28. Thunder Road
Encore
1. Take It Easy
2. Born To Run
3. Dancing in the Dark
4. Rosalita (Come Out Tonight)
5. Shout
Here he is from that performance, crowd surfing during “Hungry Heart”:
Springsteen’s nine-week 2016 tour with the E Street Band kicked off in Pittsburgh on January 16th, following his December 19th performance on Saturday Night Live. Fans can check out each night’s set on the rocker’s website in the form of high-quality downloads and CD releases available just days after the live performances.
For fans hoping to snag a ticket for Springsteen’s forthcoming tour, tickets are scarce. Click this Ticketmaster link for details. Update (1/26): A third night in Los Angeles has been added on March 19.
On October 17th, Springsteen celebrated the 35th anniversary of The River – the album that earned him his first #1 spot on the Billboard Top 200 and brought us the classic song “Hungry Heart.” His new 4-CD, 3-DVD box set is packed with concert footage, unreleased outtakes and a documentary that explores his experience writing and recording the album.
Bruce Springsteen The River Tour Dates:
January 24 — New York, NY –Madison Square Garden (Postponed due to blizzard)
January 27 — New York, NY — Madison Square Garden
January 29 — Washington, DC — Verizon Center
January 31 — Newark, NJ — Prudential Center
February 2 — Toronto, ON — Air Canada Centre
February 4 — Boston, MA — TD Garden
February 8 — Albany, NY — Times Union Center
February 10 — Hartford, CT — XL Center
February 12 — Philadelphia, PA — Wells Fargo Center
February 16 — Sunrise, FL — BB&T Center
February 18 — Atlanta, GA — Philips Arena
February 21 — Louisville, KY — KFC Yum! Center
February 23 — Cleveland, OH — Quicken Loans Arena
February 25 — Buffalo, NY — First Niagara Center
February 27 — Rochester, NY — Blue Cross Arena
February 29 — St Paul, MN — Xcel Energy Center
March 3 — Milwaukee, WI — BMO Harris Bradley Center
March 6 — St Louis, MO — Chaifetz Arena
March 10 — Phoenix, AZ — Talking Stick Resort Arena
March 13 — Oakland, CA — Oracle Arena
March 15, 17, 19 — Los Angeles, CA — Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena