1971: Bruce jams with local musicians at an open mic night at the Upstage.
1972: The Bruce Springsteen Band plays their fifth of a nine-show, month-long semi-residency at The Back Door in Richmond.
1975: Bruce and the E Street Band headline at Penn State University, their first-ever appearance there.
1977: Bruce brings the Lawsuit Tour to St. Paul, where a fan films parts of the performance on 8mm film.
Also on this date in 1977: Manfred Mann’s Earth Band gifts Bruce with his only number one single. Their cover of “Blinded by the Light” tops the charts in the U.S. and Canada today.
1984: Nils Lofgren spends the weekend with Bruce at his house in Rumson. Not long after, Bruce will invite Nils to join the E Street Band.
2003: Bruce plays a solo acoustic show in Somerville, Massachusetts, as a benefit for Doubletake Magazine. This show features the premiere of “The Wall” (which won’t be released for more than a decade) and a one-off acoustic “Souls of the Departed.” The real highlight, though, is the post-show Q&A sessions with fans in attendance. Take a listen below.
2014: Bruce and the E Street Band play the Allphones Arena in Sydney, Australia, where they open with a cover of “Friday on My Mind” by The Easybeats. Another surprise cover kicks off the encores: “Don’t Change” by INXS, followed by a blazingly fast “Born to Run.” Also tour premiering tonight: “Racing in the Street,” “Surprise, Surprise,” and “Dream Baby Dream.”
