Bruce Springsteen’s tour in support of The River across 1980 and 1981 saw him and the E Street Band at their absolute peak, according to many observers. As Sylvie Simmons wrote in the NME of the tour’s LA stop: “If this is rock’n’roll heaven, book me a flight.”
On 5 November 1980 – the night after Ronald Reagan won the US presidency – the tour stopped at Arizona State University, in the town of Tempe, where Springsteen delivered a much-bootlegged performance that has passed into Boss lore as one of his finest ever. Two hours and 40 minutes of that show – 24 songs – is included on two DVDs that form part of the new box set The Ties That Bind, released on Friday 4 December. And we’ve got a clip from that show, of Springsteen and the E Street Band performing Out on the Street, his anthem to the weekend.
The Ties That Bind brings together The River double album, the single album version that Springsteen originally handed to Columbia before deciding he needed something else, and a disc of outtakes, 11 of which have never before been released. In addition, there are three DVDs – two of the Arizona show, plus tour rehearsals, and one featuring the new documentary about the making of The River, The Ties That Bind. Don’t even get us started on the 148-page coffee table book.
The Ties That Bind: The River Collection is available for pre-order at Amazon and iTunes.
