Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band explode at No Nukes show

Mostly previously unseen footage as Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band's The Legendary 1979 No Nukes Concerts proves a stunning vintage

Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band: The Legendary 1979 No Nukes Concerts cover art
(Image: © Sony Music)

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If the vast majority of the reviews and personal opinions over the years are to be believed, then Bruce Springsteen simply does not play bad shows. And if he does, then this show – recorded and filmed over two performances shot during the Musicians United for Safe Energy benefit show at Madison Square Garden in New York – certainly wasn’t one of them. On the contrary, of those recorded visually and released it’s likely one of his best.

Heavy on then-latest album Darkness On The Edge Of Town and predecessor Born To Run, the set opens with a one-two punch of Prove It All Night and Badlands, and immediately, even watching on a TV screen 40 years later, the energy from the dynamic and charismatic Springsteen is almost tangible.

Playing those and more top-drawer songs including The River and Born To Run (previously mothballed footage of 10 songs from the two shows are included) and a superb E Street Band behind him, Springsteen gives it his usual all, at arguably the peak period of his career and live performances.

The Legendary 1979 No Nukes Concerts film is available on double CD/DVD, double CD/Blu-Ray and double vinyl formats. The film is also available for digital and digital rental. 

Paul Henderson

Classic Rock’s production editor for the past 22 years, ‘resting’ bass player Paul has been writing for magazines and newspapers, mainly about music, since the mid-80s, contributing to titles including Q, The Times, Music Week, Prog, Billboard, Metal Hammer, Kerrang! and International Musician. He has also written questions for several BBC TV quiz shows. Of the many people he’s interviewed, his favourite interviewee is former Led Zep manager Peter Grant. If you ever want to talk the night away about Ginger Baker, in particular the sound of his drums (“That fourteen-inch Leedy snare, man!”, etc, etc), he’s your man.