Haven't seen a bootleg thread yet so I figured I'd make one. We've got another thread to discuss official releases so let's talk bootlegs in this one!
What bootleg have you been listening to lately? What are your favorite bootlegs? And what are the best sounding bootlegs? Got any favorite tour compilations or outtakes? Some hidden gems? Or bootlegs that bring back memories and make you feel nostalgic?
If it's okay to do so we can have requests and share bootlegs!
Anyway, shoot!
Since we are in an unexpectedly long break from the current tour (best wishes to Bruce!), I thought I would post a few more random bootlegs that I love in case anyone was interested
1978-09-09 South Bend (2nd Gen mjk5510 tape transfer): https://mega.nz/folder/5z5jECaL#om2WpCbLLOp1g9AXUyNU2w
In my opinion, a real highlight of the 1978 tour. Aug/Sept 78 has so many brilliant shows, but this one is a real standout to me!
2005-07-26 Greensboro NC: https://mega.nz/folder/FqAymJJC#k3x_W5b2FyIX8aDg_CqjlA
I love a good Devils & Dust show, and this one is a special one!
1976-08-07 Red Bank, NJ - Monmouth Arts Center - (Kivak Master Series): https://mega.nz/folder/Vqo0habY#Ev-Spf1Znnjm4M2B99ZgGA
All of the Red Bank shows from 1976 are amazing
1984-11-16 Ames (1st Gen): https://mega.nz/folder/Y3JWHQJC#qhzYXXgP8yWnvJ9SoX7Usg
Probably mostly known for a very rare Sugarland, but an absolutely amazing show the whole way through!
1996-09-25-Akron (Bickle-Ivan): https://mega.nz/folder/hmxSXZJT#1K71HnmauI3BRfqsoFuaxw
Because everyone needs more Joad shows in their lives!
Also, if there is any interest in doing a specific bootleg selection/ discussion, let me know! That's what I love to do, but I'm not sure if that's just me!
A little bit of Reunion tour greatness. 1999-08-02 East Rutherford, NJ (Telecaster Version):
https://mega.nz/folder/hnBjnT5a#T3bBNa__M8kJT8_IxegYFw
I listened to a fantastic show from 1974 today, and thought I would drop it here if anyone as interested!
1974-12-08 (Burlington, VT) https://mega.nz/folder/QuAzWBCK#bmJlxq3OS3O3KjNFFgypxg
I have always loved the old stuff, the 1974-1977 bootlegs in particular. I love that it was a time where new material could be tested live, prior to being on an album. Where the growth of the material could be seen. And I have always really loved the shows from 74- early 75, before Born to Run. Listening to them with the knowledge of what's to come, that a career-defining album was about to be released, has kept me fascinated by this period in Bruce's career. Anyway, I hope someone else out there feels the same way and enjoys this too!
I found it to have a particularly great Kitty's Back, Jungleland, and NYCS
I'm going to post a few random favourite shows on here, in case anyone is interested. I do have many things from 1973-2005, and much less from after that, but if anyone has requests or anything, I will see if I can help out!
Anyway, here's a few shows that I really, really love, and hope others will too!:
1974-07-13 New York: https://mega.nz/folder/5qp0BTrL#U6TzYq7VxiKKAjSexSZqOw
1976-04-04 East Lansing, MI: https://mega.nz/folder/oqBGCSCK#mowC5GVOoR-VZe6hHvNhKQ (one of my all time favourite bootlegs!)
1976-10-05 Santa Barbara: https://mega.nz/folder/l6pxFLDK#C9CTPTfSlSya79nFT-52MQ (featuring one of my personal favourite early versions of Something in the Night)
1978-06-20 Red Rocks: https://mega.nz/folder/xrwTgZ5Q#kftODLfhO2-ZHruwmmcUBw
1981-02-28 Greensboro, NC: https://mega.nz/folder/UzAwSILA#Oy6-uRCAPpWmILCTRHaFmQ (check out the intro to This Land Is Your Land!)
If this is of interest to anyone, let me know!
Since Joad shows were mentioned in another topic here, I decided to put one on tonight. 1996-01-07 Montreal show. I really enjoyed it, and thought I would put it here if anyone else was interested: https://mega.nz/folder/N7gyEKrI#tQ6ATJMzftF3pUEbsVd6ug
I recently rebuilt my bootleg collection, and have been working my way through listening to them all. No order or method, just random selections, jumping around through time. It works for me, and I find it heightens my appreciation more than trying to listen to a bunch of stuff from a particular tour all at once. It's impossible for me to pick a favourite anything, because I love so many songs, tours, etc for so many different reasons! I currently have one version of every (non-officially released) show from 1973-88, and 1995-2005, which is beyond cool to me!
My lucky selection of the day was 1981-02-05 (Kansas City, JEMS version), which I really loved, and wondered if anyone else was also a huge fan of this show?
Also, if anyone wants to check it out, here it is: https://mega.nz/folder/crxTjYLa#XmJYw3drwcQJfuTj6w-GgQ
I checked out a few tracks from the Hartford tape and was pleasantly surprised. I might 'pick' the whole thing up eventually.
Ok, so after saying I've largely left bootlegs behind, this new Hoserama mix of Hartford 2000 that has just dropped in the last week or so is great. They've married it to the reasonably watchable video.
Must say, seeing the Bruce / Clarence interaction at the 'Big Man joined the band' bit in 10th Ave hit home today for some reason.
@Mario Brega can you remind me please where FTD ranked on the best covers thread.
I'd love to get the only 88 Follow That Dream, if anyone can help me I'd really appreciate it.
Those shows at the Sports Arena in 1981 are amazing. So much going on there. It's a shame that the only document of those shows are boomy audience recordings. That was the beginning of what would become of him as he was transitioning from the River to what would come next. Those covers lead to the headspace that produced Nebraska and then Born in the USA. To a great extent it's all related. The dark places of Stolen Car and Wreck on the Highway would lead to the stories of the Murderer in Nebraska and Johnny 99, the loser in Child Bride. The last night at the Sports Arena on 28/8 has that great Guthrie song the Plane Wreck at Los Gatos. It is so perfect for Southern California with it's images from the Central Valley. The bright side is we have it at all. I cherish those recordings and the nights I went as a small kid. If I knew then what I know now I would have paid more attention.
@karenburke247 I hope you don't mind if I help myself to some of those files? 😉
@Mario Brega here are four shows you requested. I have two copies of the other two, so wanted to check with you. Do you have a preference for FLAC or mp3?
1981-08-21 Los Angeles - It Took Us 30 Years
1981-08-23 Travel In Fear (EV2)
1981-08-24 Los Angeles, CA (I Don't Wanna Go Home (E Street Records_40-41)) mp3
1981-08-27 Los Angeles, CA - Some Dreams (Dasuye-Odeon - Silver)
I didn't see this thread until a couple days ago. I spent a LOOOOOONG time downloading bootlegs from Greasy Lake -- it was a major activity for me, for at least a year. Anyhow, if anyone needs anything, I may have it. Please don't hesitate to ask.
I'm kinda late to this party, ain't I? 🤓
I have found a solution. Downloaded CloudPlayer, which has automatically selected all my music files on Drive, and I now can stream directly without saving the files to my phone.
Sky is the limit... I'm happy.
I have external hard drives attached to my PC. I have tons of storage.
You can get a 4 TB drive for around $120.00 US.
Do any of you have an idea which app I should be using for hassle free streaming from my Google Drive?
I know it's super easy do download a show to my phone, but this means I have to constantly delete some old shows....
Any suggestions?
There are nights when they bring it. Sometimes all the required parts are in place and a magic moment happens. On this night in Milano, there is a huge stadium filled with E Street fans. Add to that a driving rain storm. Then add a great setlist. Then add a great audience capture by the fine folks at Crystal Cat.
https://youtu.be/_Jxe-mgLvbQ
I love Friday mornings when @Bosstralian is having his Friday night. 🙂
I downloaded a version of this ages ago from somewhere (by version, I mean some random unknown fan's version on a dodgy torrent site). Super cheers for this, downloading now, if your audio work is anywhere near your written work I expect this will kick the backside of whatever version I have. I still don't know why Bruce himself didn't release the full audio of this properly combined, either as an actual CD set like Hammersmith or at least on line. Infact, I would've lost good money betting on this back in 2016 or so... I thought it was a dead certainty.
I thought I would share this. I spent a long time editing it together between the nugs download and the audio from the Blu-ray. I admit I am posting official material. I listened to this the other day. I thought it should be in the archive. It is one of the greatest documents of the band at the peak of its powers. There is nothing better than this. I created this over the course of several weeks in the early days of January 2016. I do not authorize anyone to share outside of this forum.
Everyone should have this.
1980-11-05 Tempe, AZ
1980-10-24 Seattle, WA (RS Master via JEMS) That Old 80 Sound
Am I ok to ask for Seattle 24-10-80 again?
Thank you for the roses, Adam.
Kansas City 11/19/84
I only started with the bootlegs in the Internet age, so missed the whole buying an expensive bootleg bit and also the tape trading fun that so many talk about and remember fondly. Even then, I only downloaded the better sound quality ones. A dodgy audience tape did and still does nothing for me... I downloaded my first actual Bruce show, Melbourne 2003, and listened to it once.
I downloaded a bunch of stuff, but mostly tried to stick to the radio broadcast / matrix mix type stuff, because ultimately I found myself returning to a good sounding recording of an ok performance much more than a poor recording of a good or great one.
A few years back, I bought a bootleg box set called "The Complete 78 Broadcasts" from Amazon for, maybe, $35 Aussie dollars. I still consider it a good buy, but now its available in vastly superior quality through the Archives. I played the River MSG 2009 IEM matrix or whatever the best released version of that was to death... not any more, unplayed since the official release. I kept listening to the WIESS 09 night show and enjoying it... hello, archive, there's another one gone.
I've listened to the revered Vets Show about three times, I think. When I listen to stuff, I want the thousand guitars, the pounding drums, the million different voices speaking in tongues. Vets in listenability is a mere fraction of that... I hear the greatness, but it's muffled, distant, indistinct, just at the edge of me wanting to listen again. Especially when a lesser performance but sonically vastly better Wembley 81 is awaiting.
Ok, so I've rambled on for four paragraphs in a pseudo drunken state just to say, since the Archives started, I really don't listen to bootlegs. I can honestly say I'd really need to be wanting to hear something specific, like Bruce chocking up during The River on the Vets show, otherwise I'd rather listen to Clearmountain's outstanding vibrant Apollo 2012 archive release ahead of any classic era dodgy audience tape.
As you know, I don't have any bootlegs, collecting them seems too complicated and with the archives still coming each month I don't feel I really need them.
That said, if someone would send me a link to something special, where I would only have to click on it, and the quality would be good...
(this is not a plea, just an explanation of how spoiled I am) 🤓
I tend to head over to the other forum when in need of a bootleg, but tonight I realised that isn't helping this place grow. So I'll pester you lot instead 😁
Just been reading on Brucebase that 1980-10-24 from Seattle is one of the better audience tapes of the tour, and I'd be interested in checking it out. So if anyone has it and a spare moment at some point (there's really no rush!), it would be appreciated 🙂
I've long been over the bootleg bug, but if anyone uploaded a copy of Ames Night, I'd download it for sentimental reasons.
If it's no hassle, would any of you be able to hook me up with the six LA shows from 1981 (20/8, 21/8, 23/8, 24/8, 27/8, 28/8)?
Thanks for your time!
Got a copy of Piece de Resistance as an early birthday gift
Thought I'd share this absolute gem for those who haven't heard it yet. A superb Crystal Cat bootleg of the final European WOAD show in Santiago de Compostela, Spain and the last performance of Clarence in Europe before he passed away. Amazing sound quality, great Spanish crowd (go figure) and a cool setlist including an Adam-Murder-Johnny-Darkness fourpack and back to back covers of Burning Love and Born To Be Wild. Also features an acoustic performance of No Surrender. Highly recommend this one!
Santiago Dream Night (Crystal Cat 965-967)
2009-08-02 - Monte do Gozo, Santiago de Compostela
Download: https://mega.nz/folder/751XSYAA#8DIKsIRaxyq20zlJ_n0GNQ
I'll bypass some of the more obvious choices--which I also love!--and go with one I was lucky enough to stumble over in high school and which I nearly wore out: This Gun's for Hire, an excellent audience recording of the September 18, 1984 Philadelphia show. When I belatedly got into trading discs in the late 90s/early 00s, other shows from that stand were much easier to find. And perhaps one or two were higher quality recordings—although I'm not sure about that, as it's one of the finest audience recordings I've ever heard—but this is the one which won and still holds my heart. (Thanks again for hooking me up, Jane!)
I'll kick things off. Been listening to "Working On A Show" in my car the last couple of days. First public rehearsal show for the Working On A Dream Tour. "Tonight is the night you get to be the guinea pigs", love Out In The Street on this one. Includes a performance of Good Eye, which has been played 3 times by the band: during the 2 rehearsal shows and on the first night of the WOAD Tour in San Jose. Hasn't been played live since then, which is a shame cause I kinda like this version! It's got a Reason To Believe Magic Tour vibe. Also includes a rare but great performance of Woody Guthrie's "I Ain't Got No Home".
Released by The Godfatherecords, here's the setlist and the front cover.
And here's a link if you want to download this one. Just click on 'Download as Zip', use software like 7-Zip to extract and you're good to go.
Working On A Show (Godfatherecords 370-371) 2009-03-23 - Convention Hall, Asbury Park https://mega.nz/folder/SkMjHCZb#eapSj6T_jkrm9u9XJiDRWg