On This Day In Music: $2.00 Would Get You A Ticket to See The Boss

Bruce Springsteen has been going strong for over four decades now.

In fact, on this day in 1970, he performed with Steel Mill in the Main Gym at Ocean County College in New Jersey. Tickets for the concert cost $2.00! A slightly different price tag to what fans paid to see the Boss on his recently completed tour of Australia and New Zealand.

Steel Mill included Danny Federici, Vini Lopez, Vinnie Roslin and later Steve Van Zandt and Robbin Thompson. During this time they performed regularly at venues on the Jersey Shore, in Richmond, Virginia, Nashville, Tennessee, and a set of gigs in California, quickly gathering a cult following. San Francisco Examiner music critic Philip Elwood gave Springsteen credibility in his glowing assessment of Steel Mill: "I have never been so overwhelmed by totally unknown talent." Elwood went on to praise their "cohesive musicality" and, in particular, singled out Springsteen as "a most impressive composer".

As we all know, Springsteen only got better. Still touring, Springsteen is famous for his brilliant live performances and his epic energy. The rocker has now resumed releasing archive rarities of classic concerts from his vault.

Last week he gave fans his Aug. 23, 2008 show from the Scottrade Center in St. Louis. The concert was recorded in the midst of the E Street Band's tour in support of Magic, featured Springsteen and Co. performing some songs for the first time in decades thanks to sign requests in the audience.

The blurb on the concert’s listing reads, “On the 2007-08 Magic tour, fans began bringing song-request signs. Bruce seemed to revel in the challenge, while the suggestions also appeared to inspire him to resurrect songs he hadn’t played in decades. There’s no finer show to capture this fan-artist dynamic than this outstanding performance in St. Louis on 8/23/2008 including the surprise opener of the Crystals’ ‘Then She Kissed Me’ and Chuck Berry‘s ‘Little Queenie’ during the encore.”

Along with the rare covers, the Boss also shared rareities like “Rendezvous,” “For You,” “Drive All Night” ‘Twist and Shout’ and Harold Dorman’s “Mountain of Love,” which he hadn’t performed since a New Year’s Eve concert at Philadelphia’s Tower Theater in 1975.

This marks the first archival concert from Springsteen this year.

Check out his live archive site for full track list and download information. Physical copies of Scottrade Center, St. Louis, 23/08/08 will ship May 1^st.

You can purchase the show from his website.

Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band, Scottrade Center, St. Louis, Aug, 23, 2008 Setlist

1. “Then He Kissed Me”
   2. “Radio Nowhere”
   3. “Out in the Street”
   4. “Adam Raised a Cain”
   5. “Spirit in the Night”
   6. “Rendezvous”
   7. “For You”
   8. “Mountain of Love”
   9. “Backstreets”
   10. “Gypsy Biker”
   11. “Because the Night”
   12. “Not Fade Away” / “She’s the One”
   13. “Livin’ in the Future”
   14. “Cover Me”
   15. “Mary’s Place”
   16. “Drive All Night”
   17. “The Rising”
   18. “Last to Die”
   19. “Long Walk Home”
   20. “Badlands”

Encore

21. “Girls in Their Summer Clothes”
    22. “Jungleland”
    23. “Detroit Medley”
    24. “Born to Run”
    25. “Dancing in the Dark”
    26. “American Land”

Encore 2

27. “Thunder Road”
    28. “Little Queenie”

Encore 3

29. “Twist and Shout”

Picture Credit: Alan Wu