On October 17, 1980, Bruce Springsteen released The River. It was his fifth full-length album, his first double album, and a perfect follow-up to the stellar Darkness on the Edge of Town. Less than one month later, on November 5, The Boss and his E Street Band took the stage at the ASU Activity Center (now the Wells Fargo Arena) in Tempe, Arizona, to perform for his disciples and the newly converted. During that set, Springsteen performed a seven-minute rendition of his new LP’s title track and someone filmed it.
Now, thanks to the upcoming behemoth box set The Ties That Bind: The River Collection, you can watch Springsteen embody the down-and-out protagonist while exorcising the demons for everyone in the venue who has had their dreams stolen by the unstoppable curse of time passing.
The Ties That Bind: The River Collection is out December 4 on Columbia.
(via Rolling Stone)
