Somewhere, it is somebody’s job to pick from among the thousands of live Bruce Springsteen tracks available on nugs.net and curate them into Spotify playlists with vaguely confusing names, like “Songs of Conscience.” I wish I was that person.
Alas I am not. So all I can do is appreciate the lists at they appear, which they do fairly often: This past year alone saw four themed compilations — ”Songs of Celebration,” “Songs from Around The World, Vol. 2,” “Songs of Conscience,” and “Songs Under Cover, Vol. 3” — and two additional ones marking the anniversaries of the Reunion Tour and the Born in the USA Tour. Not only that, but we got a streaming soundtrack album for the “Road Diary” doc. Our cup streameth over!
One of the things I particularly enjoy from these “Live Series” compilations is a chance to hear live versions of rarely-played songs from the Springsteen catalog, along with some choice covers. With that in mind, I’ve curated a playlist of some of the key live “deep cuts” that made the streaming services in 2024. Call it “Songs from the Deep.” Or not.
1. “Sha-La-La,” Greenvale, NY, 12/12/75. I sometimes forget the sheer boisterous energy Bruce and the band had back in the early days, this revved-up Shirelles cover being a prime example.
2. “Sun City,” Cape Town, South Africa, 1/29/14. Fantastic revisiting of Stevie’s brilliant 1985 anti-apartheid anthem — the best charity single ever, I would argue. (Sorry, “Tears are Not Enough.”)
3. “Surprise, Surprise,” Buffalo, NY, 11/22/09. A lot of people do not like this song, but I am not among them. Especially when the occasion is Stevie’s birthday.
4. “Roll of the Dice,” Anaheim, Calif., 5/22/00. This was Bruce’s nod to the E Street Band sound on the “Human Touch” album, but it turned out what was missing was … The E Street Band. This version from the Reunion Tour rectifies that omission.
5. “None But the Brave,” Zurich, Switzerland, 7/3/16. Bruce’s best song not to make it onto a proper album? His best song about having loved and lost? His best song to reference a Frank Sinatra movie? It’s all these things and more.
6. “Burnin’ Train,” Tampa, Fla., 2/1/23. A driving “Letter to You” track I wish had remained in steady rotation. But at least Tampa got a burnin' version at the beginning of the tour.
7. “I Wanna Be With You,” E. Rutherford, NJ, 7/18/99. Always great to hear the E Street Band proving their garage band bonafides.
8. “Take ‘Em as They Come,” Chicago, 9/30/99. An under-appreciated power pop masterpiece from “The River” sessions, Bruce wisely trotted this one out a few times on the Reunion Tour in the wake of its appearance on “Tracks.”
9. “If I Was the Priest,” Tulsa, Ok., 2/21/23. Another “Letter to You” track (by way of a 1972 demo) inexplicably left off the regular setlist — maybe it didn’t fit the theme well enough. But this slow-building, 8 minute, 22-second version proves that the few folks who got it were a lucky bunch.
10. “TV Movie,” Cardiff, UK, 7/23/13. The one and only time it was ever performed! (And the last time, if you’re to believe what Bruce says at the end.) It may be goofy, but it sure is some pure rockabilly fun.
11. “Don’t Play That Song,” Orlando, Fla., 2/5/23. Of the “Only the Strong Survive” covers, only “Night Shift” made a regular appearance on the current tour — but this old-fashioned soul nugget shows that it wasn’t the only track with the potential to be a live standout. Especially with Bruce’s spoken-word interlude. (“I don’t care that you lied!”)
12. “Souls of the Departed,” Boston, Mass., 12/13/92. It was easy to overlook this one when “Lucky Town” came out, but listening to this dark, brooding version reminds you what a righteously angry — and effective — song it was.
13. “Stand On It,” Los Angeles, Calif., 9/27/85. More rockabilly fun, and arguably better than “TV Movie.” (And a favorite of mine ever since it turned up as the B-side to “Glory Days.”)
14. “Incident on 57th Street,” Philadelphia, Penn., 9/25/99. Does this still count as a deep cut? I know it took me decades to see it. (I finally got it at Gillette Stadium in 2016.) This one isn’t quite as riveting as the version on the B-side of the “War” 12-inch single, but it’ll more than do.
15. “Rainy Night in Soho,” Dublin, Ireland, 5/19/24. What a wonderful, subdued delivery by Bruce in tribute to his friend Shane MacGowan of the Pogues, who had died the previous November. An instant classic.
What did I miss? Let me know in the comments.