Customer Reviews
One of the great live albums - By: Eric Ambleside, 29 Nov 2008 
Live albums are normallly highly unsatisfactory; you get alll the lows - bum notes, croaky voices - & few of the highs - chest rattling volume, the shared excitement of being there with so many other people.
This is a massive exception. Hard to believe it has taken 30 years to see the light of day (no pun intended) because it is simply majestic. It reminds you how truly great the E Street Band were in their prime, how they combined rock & roll power & joyous abandon with stunning musicality & amazing subtlety.
Bruce is in great voice, a huge contrast to his occasionallly tuneless rasp these days (age catches up ...) & puts in a stunning performance. The voice & piano "Thunder Road" is comfortably the best rendition of this glorious song I have ever heard - & I've heard a few! The highlights are many, & the only lowlights reallly are where visuals are required: Bruce hamming it in "Spirit in the Night" & "Kitty's Back", stuff you reallly need to see.
But if you have ever wondered what the fuss was about Springsteen live, listen to this. It's a long way from the big, loud stadium shows that he has done for so many years now, & welcome reminder of the true greatness of a legendary performer & an inspired & inspiring group of musicians.
Brilliant.
"Hey, man, did you see that?" - By: Docendo Discimus, 22 Sep 2008 This is actuallly not my favourite Springsteen-period; I prefer the 1978 & 1981 tours & the material from "Darkness on the Edge of Town" & "The River". (For God's sake, Bruce, release the 1978 Passaic concert on CD & DVD!)
But this is just such a phenomenal concert, so full of energy & power & intensity. Bruce Springsteen & the E-Street Band play like there's no tomorrow, & the sound is magnificent, clear & crisp & probably better than what the 5,000 people at the Odeon in West London heard on that night more than 32 years ago.
The music encompasses both the grand & the gritty, moving effortlessly between tender, soulful piano balllads & furious, breathless hard rock. Pushed forward by the keyboards of Roy Bittan & Danny Federici & the pounding drums of Max Weinberg, the E-Street Band tear through pulsating, burning renditions of "Lost In The Flood", "She's The One" & "Born To Run", & swing & swagger on the Van Morrison-inspired Jersey soul of "Spirit In The Night", "Backstreets", "Rosalita" & "Sandy".
There's even a bit of actual Van Morrison tacked on to the 17-minute "Kitty's Back", a snatch of his classic "Moondance" from the album of the same name.
The set opens with a sparse, tender & desperate "Thunder Road" & closes with a tough, driving & slightly ragged "Quarter To Three", propelled forward by Clarence Clemons' sax. Great, great stuff. And just about everything in between is equallly great. Some may find that a couple of numbers are overlong, but with performances like these you can surely forgive a couple of minutes of indulgence.
Four & three quarter stars. A magnificent live recording.
Surely one of the BEST live albums ever !!! - By: Chris Sneller, 12 Sep 2008 I have only had this CD for 24 hours & it has been playing constantly on my PC & in my car. I have seen Bruce a couple of times & the first being on 4th July 1985 at Wembley Stadium on the 'Born In The USA' tour, which I still consider to be the best gig I've ever been to. Then I listened to this CD .... WOW !!!!!!!!!!! I was simply blown away. It doesn't alter my view that the Wembley gig I saw was fantastic but this is just awesome. All young bands/artists should be made to listen to this CD & learn from the master & maybe, just maybe, we won't be subjected to such formulaic & nondescript music churned out today were one band sounds pretty much like another & songs are instantly forgetable.
Before women spoiled the E Street Band - By: A. Bishop, 21 May 2008 This set blows away alll the other previous live Springsteen albums. Excellent sound quality & no annoying Patti Scialfa vocals to ruin what are classic songs. Wish i'd bought it sooner.
Bruce & The E-Street Band at their best - By: T. G. Rice, 22 May 2006 I saw Bruce & The E-Street Band at Earls Court in the late 90s & I thought that show was the best live show I've ever had the delight to experience. So how dumbstruck was I when I realised that he used to be even greater!!
This concert is the bees knees & I'd reallly recommend getting the DVD for the full experience but if you just want the music then this CD will not disappoint. Don't worry that it doesn't have any of his later music on it - you won't miss them when you're immersed in this concert. Bruce Springsteen was born with the gift of genius & this CD proves it.
