BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN – DARKNESS STARTS HERE (2 CD)

Live at Shea’s Buffalo Theatre, Buffalo, NY. USA 23rd May 1978 TRULY AMAZING SOUND

　That performance alone is worth listening to on this day’s stage, but even with regard to the overall performance and stage, even though it was the first day of the tour, the surprisingly undecided structure is still almost laughable. Considering that the stage configuration would be fixed soon after, it almost seems like a public rehearsal (the use of a small venue only on this day also hints at this). After all, Thunder Road and Racing In The Street were performed separately, and Streets Of Fire was performed on this day, but was subsequently sealed away for a while, which is a strange thing. And the encore cover, “You Can’t Sit Down,” is a 1977-esque finale. This alone makes it a show packed with things to dig into and listen to.

　Springsteen also seemed to be exploring how to sing the new songs from “Darkness on Town,” which hadn’t even been released yet, as is evident in “Racing in the Street.” He sang in a very clear voice, without the husky vocals he used later, which was truly refreshing. Furthermore, the opening of the tour featured “Prove It All Night,” in a live arrangement with a higher key than the album version, featuring Springsteen playing guitar. And above all, this was an exciting day, as all the songs from the album “Darkness on Town” were performed live for the first time.

　The Darkness Tour was originally hugely popular with fans, but the release of the sound source of the first day in Buffalo, which was such a rare performance, was eagerly awaited. However, the sound quality of the audience recordings that existed on this day was not good at all, and as a result, only a few CD-Rs were released, and as a result, it did not go beyond the realm of a legendary show that is only talked about among enthusiastic fans at the trader level. The item that anyone can enjoy on the first day of the ultra-rare Darkness Tour was already a long-cherished wish for fans.

　A few years ago, another recording from that day was finally discovered. The sound quality has improved dramatically, and even though it’s the same monaural audience recording, it can now be heard with a quality that’s incomparable to previous recordings. The sound from the venue itself seems a little weaker at the beginning, as it was the first day of the tour. However, by the time of the aforementioned “Prove It All Night” and “Racing In The Street,” the sound was well-balanced and had evolved into a much better sound quality. It’s a wonderful sound quality that clearly conveys the atmosphere of a small venue.

　The tape change occurred at the end of Backstreets, which was the latter half of the show, and the missing section was patched in with the previously mentioned sound source. If you listen to this section, you will clearly notice the difference in sound quality. The upgraded sound source of the “Darkness Tour First Day” that all fans have been waiting for has finally been released on a press disc. Enjoy this rare show to your heart’s content, with the highlights being not only the moving encore “The Promise” but also the entire show!

Disc 1(68:37)
1. Introduction 2. Badlands 3. Night 4. Something In The Night 5. For You
6. Thunder Road 7. Sprit In The Night 8. Prove It All Night 9. Racing In The Street
10. Candy’s Room 11. The Promised Land 12. Paradise By The C
13. Fire 14. Darkness On The Edge Of Town

Disc 2(66:00)
1. Streets Of Fire 2. Mona – She’s The One 3. Adam Raised A Cain 4. Backstreets
5. Rosalita (Come Out Tonight) 6. The Promise (Band Version) 7. Born To Run
8. Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out 9. You Can’t Sit Down