EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ: Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band perform on stage at Giants Stadium on July 21, 2003 in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
(Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images)Fun Fact: Bruce Springsteen is from New Jersey.
Every year for the past few years, he’s been celebrating the 50th anniversary of his early albums. “Greetings from Asbury Park, NJ,” which had its golden anniversary a couple of years ago. As did “The Wild, the Innocent and the E Street Shuffle” in 2023. This year, we all celebrated “Born to Run” during its 50th year.
And now, songs from all those albums and more are featured on a recording from the Summer of 1981. The show is a classic for many reasons. It was one of the six shows he performed at the brand-new Brendan Byrne Arena in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
Springsteen First to Play First NJ Arena
Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band were the first performers to play there. The arena later became Continental Airlines Arena, Izod Center, and then Meadowlands Arena.
The concert was one of six shows on “The River Tour” that opened the venue. They were also his first-ever arena shows in the first-ever arena in New Jersey.
The show is available on nugs.net. The site says, “This recording from E. Rutherford night four on July 6, 1981, captures what might be one of the first shows where Springsteen didn’t have to lay it all on the line or prove it every night. That’s not to suggest it’s a lesser performance, far from it. Bruce’s return to New Jersey was a victory lap.”
It contains two sets and an encore of twenty-seven songs. They open the show with “Thunder Road,” and wrap the encore with the now legendary “Detroit Medley.”
The recording also features “Prove It All Night,” “Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out,” “The River,” “Badlands,” “Jungleland," and “Born to Run.” There’s a thirteen-minute version of “Rosalita,” and covers of “Trapped,” “This Land Is Your Land," and “Who’ll Stop the Rain.”
The show is now available to stream or purchase HERE.
