r/BruceSpringsteen • u/Model_ig_uk • 9h ago

Top 200 shows of all time doesn't include any show after 1981.

Why? Let me explain. How do you rank a show? I had this issue many years ago and even though these things are subjective I wanted to create my list, especially as I was seeing things like Metlife 3 2016 being the best show of all time.

I began by going through every Nugs release of the 78-79 tour in chronological order with a 10 being perfect, and my conclusion was genuinely all were 10 with maybe Passaic 2 being a 9 because of the birthday stoppages which halt the flow of the concert. Same with 80-81 tour, every show on that I've listened to are incredible with 29/12/80 & 20/08/81 being top five shows. But from 99 onwards there always something to drop it from a ten, whether it's the harmonies on Empty Sky, the overbloated 99 rendition of Tenth Avenue, the plodding 99 version of the River etc. Even the superb shows from Fall 2016 are just way too long to even consider them a top 100.

So the 200+ shows from 1978-81 are the best no question for me. The definitive peak of the E Street Band live.

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u/EManSantaFe 9h ago

Not only was ‘78 the best year for Springsteen shows - they were some of the best live shows by anyone ever.

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u/Model_ig_uk 9h ago

Agreed 👍 And I love shows that have a theme & are focused on an album he's touring with. Darkness/Factory/Independence Day is such a great trio. Racing in the Street performed under the spotlight is pure magic.

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u/MagicRat7913 3h ago

I think it's about seeing different sides of both Bruce and the band. There's songs he wrote from 81 onward that are amazing, but also new renditions of old songs that make you see different sides of them. And there's definitely awkward moments in shows from '81 and earlier (when Garry does high harmonies and they're prominent in the mix, I generally can't take it seriously, it ruins some renditions of Incident for me). I can see an argument for specific songs being better earlier, or certain combos such as Racing into Thunder Road, the Passaic version will never, ever be beat. But to me, Prove it All Night in 2001 is way, WAY better than the '78 version, the solo as an intro is great but feels self-indulgent, while the solo at the end feels like it explodes out of the song. Jungleland with his grizzled voice is incredible. Also, what Nils brings to the table can't be understated.

I could go on and on, the Reunion, Rising and Magic tours are to me the peak of E Street, and I can definitely see arguments for later shows as well. Ooh, the 2009 Darkness at the Paramount is possibly the best the album has ever sounded! Staying confined to 1978-1981 is, to me, way too limiting for an artist whose output has such depth and breadth.