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Jan 12, 2022 Web Exclusive By Hays Davis

Watching the amazing footage from these September 1979 shows, it’s hard to believe this unexploded Springsteen/E Street bomb was sitting and ticking for all those years without a release. Available in multiple audio/video formats, The Legendary 1979 No Nukes Concerts finally brings to light these Madison Square Garden performances staged by MUSE (Musicians United for Safe Energy).

It’s a positively joyous ride from start to finish, with Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band tearing along with a Garden crowd that reveled in catching their first appearances in the New York City area in over a year. “The River” makes its live debut here (with that album’s release still a year out), and the band is joined on “Stay” by Jackson Browne and Tom Petty, who were among the other No Nukes artists that performed. Springsteen’s interaction with saxophonist Clarence Clemons is entertaining throughout, as are scenes such as Springsteen running from a crew member who’s trying to reach his guitar.

Even with the technical challenges faced by the camera staff that obviously prevented some ideal shots (as detailed in the set’s booklet), this long-awaited release can easily be considered one of the finest rock performances on film. The “Detroit Medley,” which received considerable rock radio airplay from the No Nukes album in the fall of ’79, is here, along with thrilling runs through “Badlands,” “Thunder Road,” “Rosalita (Come Out Tonight),” “Born to Run,” and more. With The Legendary 1979 No Nukes Concerts, Springsteen and the E Street Band offer perhaps the best evidence that their “legendary” mantle was well earned back in the late ’70s. (www.brucespringsteen.net)

Author rating: 8.5/10