THE PROMISED LAND

Live 22 Sep 1979 version

[Spoken intro:] How you doing tonight? (Crowd cheers) Me too. Ah. I'd like to do this next song for, for John Hall and Graham Nash and Bonnie Raitt and Tom Campbell. All the musicians who uh, had the conviction and the energy to, to put this together that we're doing down here. And we'll do this for Jackson Browne and, and that little boy. "The Promised Land".

[Harmonica intro]

On a rattlesnake speedway in the Utah desert
I pick up my money and head back into town
Driving 'cross the Waynesboro county line
I got the radio on but man I'm just killing time
I'm working all day in my daddy's garage
I'm driving all night chasing some mirage
Pretty soon little girl I'm gonna take charge

The dogs on Main Street howl 'cause they understand
If I could take one moment into my hands
Mister I ain't a boy, no I'm a man
And I believe in a promised land

I've done my best to live the right way
I get up every morning and go to work each day
But your eyes go blind, your blood runs cold
Sometimes I feel so weak I wanna explode
Explode and tear this whole town apart
Take a knife and cut this pain from my heart
Find somebody itching for something to start

The dogs on Main Street howl 'cause they understand
If I could reach one moment into my hands
Mister I ain't a boy, no I'm a man
And I believe in a promised land

[Guitar solo]
[Saxophone solo]
[Harmonica solo]

There's a dark cloud rising from the desert floor
I packed my bags and I'm heading straight into the storm
Gonna be a twister to blow everything down
That ain't got the faith to stand its ground
Blow away the dreams that tear you apart
Blow away the dreams that break your heart
Blow away the lies that leave you nothing but lost and brokenhearted

The dogs on Main Street howl 'cause they understand
If I could take one moment into my hands
Mister I ain't a boy, no I'm a man
And I believe in a promised land
And I believe in a promised land
And I believe in a promised land

Come on!
La la-la, la-la la-la
La-la la-la, la-la-la-la-la
La la-la, la-la la-la
La-la la-la, la-la-la-la-la

[Harmonica solo]

[Spoken outro:] Thank you. Thank you. Where's that? Oh Miami. Send me the laundry bill. It's Steve's mother.

Info

The above lyrics are for the live 22 Sep 1979 performance of THE PROMISED LAND at Madison Square Garden in New York City, NY, during the MUSE Concerts For A Non-Nuclear Future. The song was played in its full-band album arrangement.

Ticket stub for the 22 Sep 1979 show at Madison Square Garden, New York City, NY

Pass for the 19-23 Sep 1979 shows at Madison Square Garden, New York City, NY

The live 22 Sep 1979 version of THE PROMISED LAND was released on The Legendary 1979 No Nukes Concerts album and home video in 2021.

The MUSE Concerts

Shortly after the Three Mile Island nuclear plant meltdown in Pennsylvania in March 1979, a coalition of performers and activists opposed the use of nuclear power and founded Musicians United For Safe Energy (MUSE). The anti-nuclear group was the brainchild of four performers (Jackson Browne, John Hall of the 70's band Orleans, Bonnie Raitt, and Graham Nash) and four antinuclear activists (Sam Lovejoy, Howard Kohn, Tom Campbell, and David Fenton).

The group organized a series of five benefit concerts billed as the "MUSE Concerts For A Non-Nuclear Future", held at Madison Square Garden in New York City, NY, from 19 to 23 Sep 1979. The goal of the concerts, and an accompanying 200,000-person rally staged in Battery Park City in New York City, was to spread awareness about the dangers of radioactive-fueled energy and to raise funds for an anti-nuclear / pro-solar campaign.

MUSE's Tom Campbell mentioned the subject to Bruce Springsteen on 03 Jun 1979 when the two met in Los Angeles at the wedding party of Springsteen's lighting director Marc Brinkman. However, it was Jackson Browne who later convinced Springsteen to join the bill for the MUSE concerts. He agreed on the condition that no politicians be given microphone time or money from the event's proceeds. He was the only musician who did not outline his reasons for joining the antinuclear movement in a short statement for publication in the MUSE program book. "Bruce felt that a statement wasn't appropriate - the music was enough," his manager, Jon Landau, explained.

The MUSE concerts program book

The list of acts invited to play at the event included Jackson Browne, Bonnie Raitt, Graham Nash (who re-united Crosby, Stills & Nash for this one occasion), John Hall, Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band, James Taylor and Carly Simon, The Doobie Brothers, Jesse Colin Young, Gil Scott-Heron, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, among others.

Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band were the highlight of the event. They performed on two nights; 21 and 22 Sep 1979. "The concerts Friday and Saturday night [21 and 22 Sep 1979] are different, and the reason is Bruce Springsteen", Daisann McLane wrote in Rolling Stone. "He has the kind of drawing power in the New York area that will pack a house for two nights in a row". The 21 Sep 1979 concert was the only sellout of the five nights. "The crowd is younger, and crazier; for the first time, I spot a few bloodied casualties being dragged down the aisles by security people. This is a Springsteen crowd, too, with little patience for preliminaries. On Friday [21 Sep 1979], Jesse Colin Young and Jackson Browne do short sets but fail to capture the allegiance of this revved-up bunch. Saturday [22 Sep 1979], Peter Tosh, who exuberantly performs twenty minutes of reggae, lopes back and forth across the stage in a burnoose and fares better, as does Tom Petty, who rocks hard but seems a little taken aback by the size of the stadium. This is a tough audience to crack. On Friday [21 Sep 1979], Chaka Khan leaves the stage in a huff. Seems she thought the audience was booing her; what she really heard was the sound of thousands of voices chanting Bruuuce! Bruuuce! [...] The crowd is his; fans are on their feet, standing on chairs from the first note, mouthing the words to every song. For the first time all week, it feels like something special is happening at Madison Square Garden. [...] The MUSE principals have been searching all week for the vibe, the feeling. Springsteen doesn't have to search for it; he walks onstage and it's there."

Rolling Stone magazine (issue #304, November 1979)

The MUSE concerts produced a 1980 theatrical movie release titled No Nukes, which includes Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band's performances of THE RIVER (the live 21 Sep 1979 version), THUNDER ROAD (a mix of the live 21 Sep 1979 version and the live 22 Sep 1979 version), and a cover of Gary U.S. Bonds' QUARTER TO THREE (the live 22 Sep 1979 version). No Nukes was released on home video and a three-record live album was also created from the event. The album contains two Springsteen performances. His duet with Jackson Browne on STAY (the live 21 Sep 1979 version) was chosen for the album, but since the release was a three-record set, Springsteen was asked for a an additional track. According to Dave Marsh, the rendition of THUNDER ROAD was the one Springsteen, Browne, and Jon Landau wanted, but "playing 'Stay' over and over again, they heard and liked the transition, a particularly seamless one, from 'Stay' into the band's medley of Mitch Ryder hits 'Jenny Take a Ride' and 'Devil With a Blue Dress/Good Golly Miss Molly.' Finally, Landau suggested that the Detroit Medley was probably what should go on the record with 'Say.' The others agreed." DETROIT MEDLEY (the live 21 Sep 1979 version) became the second Springsteen track on the live album. The album was certified a gold record by the RIAA in September 1980. From the concert, record, and film, MUSE raised and donated over $1 Million to anti-nuclear and safe energy groups throughout the United States.

The No Nukes film includes live performances by James Taylor & Carly Simon, Bonnie Raitt, John Hall, Graham Nash, Jackson Browne, The Doobie Brothers, Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band, and others. It also includes backstage footage and covers the behind the scenes work of the musicians to put together the MUSE concerts. The film was directed by Danny Goldberg, Anthony Potenza, and Julian Schlossberg. It was distributed by Warner Bros. and released in theaters on 18 Jul 1980.

In December 2018, the complete recordings of Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band sets from both the 21 and the 22 Sep 1979 MUSE concerts were officially released on Live.BruceSpringsteen.net (see the "Official Live Downloads" section below for more details). The audio was recorded live with the Record Plant mobile truck by David Hewitt and crew. It was mixed by Jon Altschiller from 2-inch, 24-track tape source, with additional engineering by Danielle Warman. STAY, RAVE ON, and portions of DETROIT MEDLEY from the first night were missing from the multi-track transfer and a two-track soundboard recording was used to complete the show. The shows were mastered to DSD and PCM by Adam Ayan at Gateway Mastering Studios in Portland, ME. $2 from each purchase of the release were donated to Musicians United For Safe Energy.

Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band -- No Nukes 1979

In November 2021, a 13-song selection from Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band's sets from the 21 and the 22 Sep 1979 MUSE concerts were released on The Legendary 1979 No Nukes Concerts home video and album.

Official Live Downloads

Prior to the High Hopes Tour, Bruce Springsteen's management announced a new service allowing fans to download concert recordings approximately 48 hours after each show. The initial plan required fans to purchase a special USB wristband, which could then be used to download a single High Hopes Tour show of the purchaser's choice and also functions as a regular reusable USB flash drive. The wristband, which could be purchased online or at the concert venue, was priced at $40. Following some negative response from fans over the high cost for the wristband, Springsteen's management subsequently announced a separate cheaper option for purchasing shows directly, without the need for the wristband. The shows were available for purchase and download via Live Nation, Bruce Springsteen's concert promoter, priced at $9.99 for MP3 and $14.99 for FLAC. Audio recordings for 31 of the 34 High Hopes Tour dates (all except 16 Feb 2014, 06 Apr 2014, and 03 May 2014) were released as such and they were available until 30 Jun 2014.

On 17 Nov 2014, Live.BruceSpringsteen.net was launched. It's a new addition to the official website, serving as an online store offering high-quality live concert recordings as well as high-resolution digital releases of Springsteen's album catalog. The download store is powered by Nugs.net in cooperation with Columbia Records. Audio recordings for 30 of the 34 High Hopes Tour dates (all except 16 Feb 2014, 06 Apr 2014, 03 May 2014, and 18 May 2014) were re-released on the new download store in multiple formats, including MP3, lossless CD-quality FLAC or ALAC, and 24-bit HD FLAC or ALAC or MQA, as well as audio CD-R with custom artwork. Nugs.net adopted the MQA (Master Quality Authenticated) format on 24 May 2017. From then on, all Bruce Springsteen live concert recordings, including the previously released ones, became also available in MQA.

Audio recordings for all 75 The River Tour 2016 dates were also released on Live.BruceSpringsteen.net in multiple formats, including MP3, lossless CD-quality FLAC or ALAC, and 24-bit HD FLAC or ALAC or MQA, as well as audio CD-R with custom artwork. Each show was generally released within a month after it took place.

Audio recordings for all 14 Summer '17 Tour dates were also released on Live.BruceSpringsteen.net in multiple formats, including MP3, lossless CD-quality FLAC or ALAC, and 24-bit HD FLAC or ALAC or MQA, as well as audio CD-R with custom artwork. Each show was generally released within a month after it took place.

Archival releases were periodically released on the same site, as part of the Bruce Springsteen Archive Series. These shows were also made available in multiple formats, including MP3, lossless FLAC or ALAC, 24-bit FLAC or ALAC or MQA, DSD, and audio CD-R. So far 90 shows (or sets of shows) were released from the ongoing series.

The Legendary 1979 No Nukes Concerts

The Legendary 1979 No Nukes Concerts is a film released in November 2021 by Sony Music Entertainment's Premium Content Division, in partnership with Sony Pictures Home Entertainment. The film consists of a 13-song selection from Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band's sets from the 21 and the 22 Sep 1979 MUSE concerts.

Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band -- The Legendary 1979 No Nukes Concerts

The Legendary 1979 No Nukes Concerts film, along with its accompanying soundtrack album of the same title, was released globally for digital download on 16 Nov 2021, as a 2-CD plus DVD set, as a 2-CD plus Blu-ray set, and as a 2-disc vinyl record set on 19 Nov 2021, and for digital rental on 23 Nov 2021. The 2-CD plus DVD and the 2-CD plus Blu-ray packages include a 24-page booklet, a sticker, and reproductions of a vintage ticket envelope and a ticket stub. The 2-disc vinyl record set comes in a gatefold sleeve and includes a 24-page booklet and a 33"x19" poster showing a wider view of the cover shot. Film producer Jon Kilik, who served in the camera crew for the MUSE concerts, wrote liner notes for the release.

2-CD plus DVD or Blu-ray set

2-disc vinyl record set

The film was newly edited by Springsteen's longtime collaborator Thom Zimny from the original 16mm film, restored and remixed in HD. The audio was newly remixed by Bob Clearmountain and remastered. "A few years ago, I started re-examining the filmed archives for Bruce and the Band's appearances at the No Nukes concerts of 1979," Zimny said in the film's press release. "I quickly realized that these were the best performances and best filming from the Band's legendary Seventies, and dedicated myself to bringing out the full potential of the footage. Having worked as Bruce's principal director and editor for the last 20 years, I can say without reservation that this newly re-edited, re-mixed and restored ninety-minute film is the gold standard for Bruce and the Band live during one of their greatest creative periods."

Though first announced on 20 Jul 2021, an official press release for The Legendary 1979 No Nukes Concerts came out on Springsteen's 72nd birthday, on 23 Sep 2021. A trailer was simultaneously posted on Bruce Springsteen's VEVO YouTube channel.

Available Versions

List of available versions of THE PROMISED LAND on this website:

Page last updated: 28 Oct 2021