Springsteen Will Release ‘The Legendary 1979 No Nukes Concerts’ in November

It took 42 years, but was totally worth the wait

Can a Bruce Springsteen live album with only 13 songs come close to capturing the magic of seeing Bruce and the E Street Band live? Amazing, the answer is yes. While the Live 1975–1985 album had 40 songs and Live in New York City had 20, the upcoming The Legendary 1979 No Nukes Concerts album and film (set for a November 19th release) has only 13, taken from two shows at the 1979 Madison Square Garden Musicians United for Safe Energy (MUSE) benefit concerts following the partial meltdown at the Three Mile Island nuclear power plant in Pennsylvania.

Thirteen songs may seem a little on the light side, given the amount of music the man has produced, but remember that at the time of this concert he had only released four albums and was still in the midst of recording The River. When you look at the setlist, it’s impossible for even the most rabid fan to complain:

1. Prove It All Night 2. Badlands 3. The Promised Land 4. The River 5. Sherry Darling 6. Thunder Road 7. Jungleland 8. Rosalita (Come Out Tonight) 9. Born To Run 10. Stay (with Jackson Browne and Rosemary Butler) 11. Detroit Medley: Devil with the Blue Dress On/Good Golly, Miss Molly/Jenny Take a Ride 12. Quarter To Three 13. Rave On

While “Stay” and “Detroit Medley” were released on the 1979 No Nukes: The Muse Concerts for a Non-Nuclear Future album, up to this point the rest have only been available on bootlegs or grainy YouTube videos. To see the difference professional production makes, check out the video for “Sherry Darling” below.

Fans have waited for decades for these performances to be released officially, and it was definitely worth the wait. This album includes not only the first public performance of “The River,” but one of the best live versions of “Thunder Road” in the song’s 46-year history. The film captures the exuberance of the band’s live shows that would become world famous following the 1984–85 Born in the USA tour.

I am personally gratified to see that out of the thirteen songs, my top four all-time made the cut: “Born to Run,” “Thunder Road,” “The River,” and “Jungleland.” It’s also worth noting that Bruce turned 30 the night of the September 23 concert and had to be coaxed into one final song by the crowd because, as he said, “I can’t go on like this. I’m 30 years old. My heart’s startin’ to go on me.” Forty-two years later, he is rockin’ as hard as ever.

So go pre-order this piece of musical history now, and if the “Sherry Darling” video wasn’t enough to convince you, then check out the trailer for the film/album below: