Bruce Springsteen has just issued Tower Theatre – 12/9/95, the latest official bootleg of his ongoing monthly archive series. The show, recorded in Upper Darby, Pennsylvania just outside of Philadelphia, was culled from his 1995/1997 solo acoustic tour behind his 1995 Grammy Award-winning album, The Ghost Of Tom Joad.
The set marks “The Boss'” fifth dip into the soundboards from the historic tour, which has also seen the release of Freehold, NJ – November 8th, 1996; Belfast, UK – March 19th, 1996; Asbury Park, NJ – November 26th, 1996; and Nice, France – May 18th, 1997.
The new release features the first dip into the solo acoustic tour’s initial leg, and marks the first of vault release from the tour to include all 12 songs from the then-recent The Ghost Of Tom Joad album. Older highlights include acoustic takes of “Darkness On The Edge Of Town,” “Born In The U.S.A.,” “Adam Raised A Cain,” “Blinded By The Light,” and the Tunnel Of Love favorite “Spare Parts.”
The tracklisting to Bruce Springsteen’s Tower Theatre – 12/9/95 is: “The Ghost Of Tom Joad,” “Adam Raised A Cain,” “Straight Time,” “Highway 29,” “Darkness On The Edge Of Town,” “Murder Incorporated,” “Mansion On The Hill,” “It’s The Little Things That Count,” “Born In The U.S.A.,” “Dry Lightning,” “Spare Parts,” “Youngstown,” “Sinaloa Cowboys,” “The Line,” “Balboa Park,” “The New Timer,” “Across The Border,” “Blinded By The Light,” “This Hard Land,” “Streets Of Philadelphia,” “Galveston Bay,” and “My Best Was Never Good Enough.”
FAST FACTS
- Bruce Springsteen released his 11th studio album, The Ghost Of Tom Joad, on November 21st, 1995.
- The album just missed hitting the Billboard‘s Top 10, stalling at Number 11, yet went on win the 1997 Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Folk Album.
- Among the then-current and future members of the E Street Band performing on the set were Danny Federici, Garry Tallent, Patti Scialfa, and Soozie Tyrell.
- Springsteen’s younger sister Pamela took the interior photos for the album.
- “The Ghost Of Tom Joad Tour” played 128 dates across seven legs between November 21st, 1995 and May 26th, 1997.
- Over the course of the trek, Springsteen hit North America, Europe, Japan, and Australia.
CHECK IT OUT: Bruce Springsteen on December 9th, 1995 performing “Galveston Bay” live in Upper Darby, Pennsylvania: