‘Is There Anybody Alive Out There’

I thought I’d pass along part of something I found the other day: A “recording of indeterminate origin” from last year’s Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Fame induction concert.

If you’ll recall, there were shows October 29 and 30 at Madison Square Garden honoring the Rock Hall inductees. The recording I’ve got is from the first night’s show, recorded – in that time-honored method – by someone in the audience. The sound, while obviously not professional quality, isn’t bad. According to the notes that came with the file, this person started the night with a “limited” (read: “no”) view seat in an area that also had terrible sound. He soon “realized it wasn't going to be very good [and] quickly relocated myself to one of the expensive seats and luckily its rightful owner never showed up.”

This enterprising person managed to capture the entire show for posterity, from Tom Hanks’ opening remarks to the Bruce Springsteen-led closing performance of “Higher and Higher.” Rather than repost the whole thing, I decided I’d go with a theme and just repost Springsteen’s portion of the show. This was, to me anyway, the most compelling, with guest performers ranging from John Fogerty to Billy Joel. The only stumble is the version of “London Calling,” which sounds forced. Otherwise, the performances are solid. “The Ghost of Tom Joad,” with guest guitarist Tom Morello, hits the middle ground between Springsteen’s original and Rage’s thrashing cover. There’s also an amazing 12-minute version of “Jungleland.”

Again, this is an audience recording, so the sound isn’t pristine, but it is well listenable and proves beyond a doubt that the E-Street Band is one of the greatest bar bands ever.

Tenth Avenue Freeze Out.mp3
Hold On.mp3 ~ with Sam Moore
Soul Man.mp3 ~ with Sam Moore
The Ghost of Tom Joad.mp3 ~ with Tom Morello
Fortunate Son.mp3 ~ with John Fogerty
Proud Mary.mp3 ~ with John Fogerty
Pretty Woman.mp3 ~ with John Fogerty
Jungleland.mp3
Fine Fine Boy.mp3 ~ with Darlene Love
Da Do Ron Ron.mp3 ~ with Darlene Love
London Calling.mp3 ~ with Tom Morello
Badlands.mp3 ~ with Tom Morello
You May Be Right.mp3 ~ with Billy Joel
Only the Good Die Young.mp3 ~ with Billy Joel
New York State of Mind.mp3 ~ with Billy Joel
Born to Run.mp3 ~ with Billy Joel
Higher and Higher.mp3 ~ with ensemble

Or, if you're feeling particularly lazy, you can click here and get the whole thing at one time.

Labels: classic rock, covers, live music, Springsteen

posted by aikin @ 10:55 AM