As Bruce Springsteen starts his new River Tour throughout the country, it reminded me of the first River Tour that Bruce made back in 1980 and 1981. The concert tour was least remembered by those who never attended it. There was no live radio broadcasts from the original tour, no DVD’s, very little official audio from it, no music videos made from the concert footage although in the “Live 1975-85” box set there were 13 songs selected from the tour.

Photo by Chris Eannucci - Townsquare Media
Photo by Chris Eannucci - Townsquare Media
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The original River Tour was another welcome tour amongst Springsteen fans who were teased in 1978 with The Darkness on the Edge of Town tour that wrapped up at the end of 1978. Fans couldn’t get enough, so the River Tour was just what hard core fans wanted, a long tour covering all of North America and Europe, then finishing here in the States.

I was at a few of the 140 shows that the tour produced. Every show I attended was better than the previous show. I really started to see the icon that Bruce had become. I was exhausted just attending the show. It was a grueling schedule for Bruce and The E Street Band, many back to back concerts and there were three legs of the tour, the first throughout the country, the second leg over in Europe and the third leg which had to be put off for three weeks because Bruce was literally exhausted from the first two legs, which ended up back here in the states. Bruce, as always was the showman with a 3 hour show stopping, bone chilling, rock and rollin concert.

There is nothing that has changed with Bruce’s performances since. It’s one great show! Enjoy the tribute to Bruce’s River tour this weekend on New Jersey 101.5 and if you’re going to catch a show on this tour prepare yourself to rock and roll.

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