Detroit River City
Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band
August 11, 1981
Joe Louis Arena
Detroit, Michigan

Source:  Aud
Taper/Label:  JEMS Master

SOURCE: 
teac m-100 mic > Sony 153SD w/dolby B

TRANSFER:
Master Cassettes > Nakamichi 670zx > Wavelab 24/96 capture > .wav > Converted to Stereo 24/96 in Adobe Audition > EQ in Adobe Audition > Resampled to 16/44.1.

Disc 1
1. Thunder Road
2. Prove It All Night
3. Public Announcement
4. Out in the Street
5. I Fought the Law
6. Darkness on the Edge of Town
7. Factory
8. Independence Day
9. Jackson Cage
10. Trapped
11. Two Hearts
12. The Promised Land
13. The River
14. This Land is Your Land
15. Who'll Stop the Rain
16. Badlands

Disc 2
1. Hungry Heart
2. You Can Look
3. Cadillac Ranch
4. Sherry Darling
5. For You
6. Intro (to Johnny Bye Bye)
7. Johnny Bye Bye
8. Point Blank
9. Ramrod
10. Rosalita

Disc 3
1. I'm a Rocker
2. Jungleland
3. Born to Run
4. Detroit Medley

Known faults:
Cuts at end of Two Heart and start of The Promised Land for tape flip.
Volume fluctuations during start of Who’ll Stop the Rain.
Volume fluctuations during Hungry Heart and You Can Look
Some “popping” during Detroit Medley.

Show Notes:
After ten months on the road, Bruce Springsteen returned to the state where he began the tour, bringing with him a significantly retooled show: it's more efficient than the 1980 marathons, and stocked with a slew of new originals and covers. With the success of The River, he and the E Street Band play two nights in a much larger venue, Joe Louis Arena. This recording is of the first night.

This show sounds well-paced and even, and represents nicely the summertime victory lap. It features a strong start: you'll hear it, along with the taper's assessment, after “Summertime Blues.” No doubt the firecrackers, which some fool sets off a couple times early, anger Springsteen: he makes a “short public announcement” after “Prove It All Night” that leaves nothing to the imagination. But the music proves equally effective: I like the back-to-back readings of “Factory” (in its stark organ/drum/harmonica arrangement) and “Independence Day.” The unusual pairing of “Jackson Cage” and “Trapped” works, too. In the second set, Springsteen hits the mark with the combination of “Bye Bye Johnny” and “Point Blank,” then again with “Candy's Room” and “Ramrod.”

This is a mono recording, the single channel now split for left and right. Still, it's very clear, Springsteen is in good voice throughout, and the band play magnificently. There are a few small flaws: a tape flip cuts the end of “Two Hearts” and opening notes of “The Promised Land.” Mic connectivity issues are audible during “Shake,” as is mic muffle in “You Can Look (But You Better Not Touch).” Early on you might hear the taper's shutter release going off, too. These are all extremely minor, and on the whole, we're sure you'll like it. J recorded, of course, and transferred his master tapes to digital. Flynn handled post-production and file prep. And E served again to help bring it all together. Big up to JEMS for sharing this fine master recording.

Slipkid68