Springsteen in concert 45 years ago

Image Bruce Springsteen sound check @ Neal Preston

Some events are forever marked in memory as well as being a defining moment of what we do and how one sees life.

November 12, 1978, at the Field House at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) in Troy, New York, Bruce Springsteen played at a sold out concert. He was just on the cusp of reaching that rarefied level of being a superstar. In the moment it was an unforgettable experience. The concert itself was mesmerizing. Today, Springsteen’s tour dates in 1978 are not only a classic, but considered to be his best by many.

I was a junior at RPI and was quite involved in the university varied concert activities in providing sound reinforcement to different artists and fulfilling tech riders. Having Springsteen play at the university venue was no simple matter and was kept quite secret until tickets would go on sale. No such thing as internet ticketing. So although I wasn't involved in the arrangements luck had it that I was among the few to know of the concert in advance as well as appreciating all the planning to make it a success. It was 45 years ago and how Springsteen would put a concert on was probably a precursor to what we see today. A custom stage had to be setup. A tour set of trucks brought everything in and then to the next venue. There was a technical crew to set everything up. Still manpower was still needed and the best option was to have local hire at the venue. In this case, the organizer at RPI decided to recruit volunteers. Guess who volunteered? I did with a couple of other friends. We would help setup the stage the day before the concert, standby on the day of the concert for any changes, and help tear the stage down as soon as the concert ended. We were told it was going to be a 3 day job and indeed I learned how to get by on short naps in between for 72 hours. The reward? No discount, no tickets. I would have a pass and during the concert I watched from the stands that were to the side of the concert stage.

Image concert ticket @ Times Union

Born in USA would come much later. This was Born to Run and Darkness on the Edge of Town. Bruce was and is the charismatic artist thru and thru. Three moments I recall quite vividly. His sense of timing was perfect and he could create incredible moments of silence as the crowd awaited the next note. A rocker with the E Street Band, and the clarity of the bass line. No mobile phones, but plenty of lighters and flash lights to create the crowd’s play of lights in the darkness. There was a moment that Bruce leaped on to a makeshift higher stage to play. It was nothing more than a piece of stage or table stacked on each other. Since Bruce would “rock” as he played, at least 4 stage hands were behind the tables holding on the legs as best they could to provide stability. From the front this would not have been visible, but the side view showed this “behind the stage” clearly. Talk about trust and team work.

Bruce had his setlist covering the songs released as well as others that were maybe in the works or a variation. That night Bruce performed “Fire” live, and it was the first time I heard it as it was unreleased. Unforgettable for its simplicity but totally Springsteen in delivery. His timing and phrasing of the lyrics – “Romeo and Juliet” is only his. Historically he had a studio recording but decided to not release. It was later recorded by the Pointer Sisters going on to become one of their hits. Bruce decades later would include “Fire” in his concerts playlist, but the 1978 versions to date remain the unique version. Incidentally Bruce wrote “Fire” for Elvis Presley.

From that day on, it has set the way I hear and view new artists, as well as the various video content of concerts on youtube. Yes, there are contemporary elements to what makes a current performance, but a singer first and foremost must be able to sing without autotune. The human voice is unique to everyone, and all the imperfections are what makes it distinct. An artist’s ability to build a delivery taking advantage of these imperfections render a song theirs forever. A singer who is not a songwriter is at the mercy of others if they are ever to have a lasting mark. Singing covers does not make you a superstar. There’s a competiton to be deliver perfect concerts where everything done to the smallest detail is left unturned. Not to talk about all the business the goes around a artist’s concert these days.

Technology today creates many intersecting points so that the possibility of being an "artist" is vast. Still a voice that is naturally blessed for singing shouldn't be squandered with an engineered sound. Guess it also depends on a singer's intelligence. As a sound engineer, the most impressive piece of gear at Bruce's concert in 1978 was the live sound mixing console, the heart of the system. One expected it to be enormous and indeed it was and looked liked a 32 channel console, a seemingly impossible task for just one sound engineer. At that size it couldn't come in a flight case - it was on its own wheels and rotated in a vertical position. It gave the impression of a rather large and low slung couch.

Soundcraft Series 1 @ reverb.com

A Soundcraft Series 1 type mixing console we were using at RPI. Also fitted nicely in my batmobile at the time - a yellow USA specd FIAT 128 4dr.

Fiat 128@gaukmotors.co.uk

I've never been to another Springsteen concert. Guess because he became a star and his concerts turned into mega events drawing huge crowds. Perhaps I wasn't in a place where he played although that's probably a lame excuse as he has been to Rome several times. Just not in the mood to pay the price and fight the crowds. I'll stick with the memories and him frozen in time. Was there a lesson learned? I was out of my comfort zone and on my own I probably would have never volunteered. A part of me was open enough to appreciate that my friend, who had no qualms in volunteering, saw opportunity when I probably saw risk, rather than thinking this is a crazy choice. This would later form part of how I would always remind myself "think outside the box" to seek other solutions.