At the beginning of his career, Bruce Springsteen was somewhat reluctant to allow his gigs to be captured on film for release, stating: "if you want to feel the heat, you need to be at that show." Well, now you can feel just how hot those early gigs were with the release of his full 1979 ‘No Nukes’ concert.
In line with his autobiography and one-man Broadway show, this sees The Boss continue to open up his past for all to see. For many Springsteen fans, his career has been one long purple patch, but few would dispute that this concert album and film capture a man at the peak of his prowess in terms of sheer exuberance, excitement, and showmanship.
Springsteen in the seventies was a revelation, setting the bar for acts in a live setting that no artist came close to matching. His legendary 3 hour gigs left the audience exhilarated, and exhausted in equal measures. Part theatre, part vaudeville act, part musical circus, 100% rock’n’roll, this is The Boss in blistering form in his natural habit.
Incendiary performances of ‘Rosalita (Come Out Tonight)’, ‘Badlands’, ‘Jungleland’, and ‘Born To Run’ alongside a heartbreaking rendition of ‘The River’ are included with 10 never before released performances.
The video clip is a reminder of just how untouchable The Boss was and still is as a performer.
To quote Jon Landau, Springsteen’s long term manager:
The seventies were a golden period in the history of Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band, and the Legendary 1979 ‘No Nukes’ concert is the greatest document of that era we will ever have.
‘No Nukes’ is available as double LP, double CD, and DVD/BluRay from 16th November 2021.