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Masonic Temple Theatre

Detroit, MI
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05/09/1975
Jeff Beck Group
Set 1Constipated Duck
She's A Woman
Freeway Jam >
Definitely Maybe
Superstition
Cause We've Ended As Lovers
Power
Got The Feeling
Diamond Dust
You Know What I Mean
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02/15/1977
Bruce Springsteen
Set 1Something In The Night
Night
Rendezvous
Spirit in the Night
It's My Life
Thunder Road
Mona > She's the One
Tenth Avenue Freeze-out (w/ Miami Horns)
Action in the Streets (w/ Miami Horns)
Backstreets
Jungleland
Rosalita (w/ Miami Horns)
Detroit Medley
Born to Run
Set 2
Set 3
CommentWelcome to the seventh edition of JEMS' Nothing to Lose series revisiting Bruce's remarkable 1977 tour. For the full history of our obsession with this era and the back story on the "Official Audience Tapes" that made up the first five volumes of the series, please refer to the notes in Vol. One found here:

http://jungleland.dnsalias.com/torrents-details.php?id=38539

Installment No. 7 transports us again to the first week of the tour and a 14-song set at Detroit’s Masonic Temple Theatre. It is the second of three Springsteen master recordings JEMS made in ‘77, and, dare I say, we think you're going to like this one as much as you liked the first one, Toronto, recorded two days before.

Like Toronto, Detroit '77 has circulated among collectors since not long after J taped it 38 years ago. A master-to-DAT transfer was also made in the early days of the digital format, copies of which almost certainly provided the source for releases like Masonic Temple (Joker) and The Devil In Detroit. It's long been one of the better audience recordings of the tour, but it has never sounded as good as it could. This marks the first direct digital transfer of the master tapes, and every step along the chain, from the azimuth-adjusted playback to high-resolution capture to final mastering, is superior to what was done to DAT 25 years ago.

This particular night holds an interesting place in Springsteen history because it came at a particular low moment in his career. Brucebase explains it succinctly: “Bruce would later comment that this night was the first time in his life that he did not want to get up on stage. At this point the lawsuit preventing him from recording had been dragging on for several months.” Seven shows into his third tour since the release of his last album (Born to Run), it make sense that Bruce might have lost faith in a light at the end of the tunnel.

But you’d never know his mood by listening to the show itself, which is every bit the equal of Toronto. That being said, there is a tone set by the absolutely striking version of “Something in the Night” which opens the show, and this is the last time on the tour he would start with it (“Night” would serve as the opener going forward). Knowing what we know in hindsight, the stark, emotional reading of “Something” feels like some form of catharsis and, for me, it is one of the greatest show openers in Springsteen history. I absolutely adore this version and the audacity of opening with a song that starts with such a slow build. If I only I had been there to witness it.

Happily, J was, and once again his mono capture is quite excellent, consistent and free from audience interruption. Samples provided.

There is one set variation from Toronto with “Growin’ Up” coming out and the “Detroit Medley” coming into the encore for the first and only time in 1977. Brucebase lists “Raise Your Hand” as the last song of the show, a detail included in a Michigan Daily review. That J wouldn’t record the final encore, on a side of a tape that still had nearly 20 mins of recording time left on it, in his hometown no less, strikes me as extremely unlikely, so despite that review, I’d suggest this recording is the complete performance.

I know a lot of you have Detroit ‘77 already and, make no mistake, it has always sounded good, but I think this version is definitive. Then again, I'm biased. We're making it available in both standard and high-resolution 24/96 editions.

J has been on my mind a lot this week as he faces a new setback in his battle against cancer. He went through successful surgery about a week ago and will begin new treatment soon. If you have positive thoughts, prayers and wishes, it couldn’t hurt to send them his way. J is single-handedly responsible for hundreds and hundreds of audience recordings the collecting community has enjoyed for decades. We all owe him our thanks.

Massive credit goes to J for his outstanding original recording and for pulling out the masters one last time to capture them at 24/96 and giving me so much to work with. Thanks yet again to M, for providing his '77 source tapes; to the folks on the Stone Pony message board whose thread sparked this series; and to mjk5510 who continues to provide invaluable assistance as JEMS' packaging and distribution supervisor par excellance.

Our final stop in the '77 series will mark the debut of one of Springsteen’s greatest rock songs.

BK for JEMS
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04/14/1984
Stevie Wonder
Set 1It's Growing
Walking The Floor Over You
Nobody Loves Me
Did I Hear You Say You Love Me
Superwoman (Where Were You When I Needed You)
All In Love Is Fair
You And I (We Can Conquer The World)
Lately
Send One Your Love
I Can't Help It
Ribbon In The Sky
Don't You Worry 'Bout A Thing
Fingertips
Medley: Uptight (Everything's Alright) / For Once In My Life / Cold Sweat
My Cherie Amour
Signed, Sealed, Delivered (I'm Yours)
Higher Ground
You Haven't Done Nothin'
Living For The City
Go Home
Sir Duke
I Wish
You Are The Sunshine Of My Life
Superstition
Master Blaster (Jammin')
Lighting Up The Candles
Isn't She Lovely
Do I Do
Happy Birthday
Set 2
Set 3
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04/16/2003
White Stripes
Set 1Black Math
When I Hear My Name
Dead Leaves And The Dirty Ground
Jolene
Let's Shake Hands
I Think I Smell A Rat
The Hardest Button To Button
I Want To Be The Boy That Warms Your Mother's Heart
In The Cold, Cold, Night
Hotel Yorba
Small Faces
We Are Going To Be Friends
Seven Nation Army
Lafayette Blues
Clarabella
Ball and Biscuit
Wasting My Time
The Big Three Killed My Baby
Let's Build A Home
Going Back To Memphis
Boll Weevil
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11/28/2003
White Stripes
Set 1Black Math
Dead Leaves and the Dirty Ground
I Think I Smell a Rat > Take a Whiff on Me
When I Hear My Name
Lovesick
Hotel Yorba
In the Cold, Cold Night
I Wanna Be the Boy to Warm Your Mother's Heart
Death Letter > Grinnin' in Your Face > Death Letter
Cannon
Hardest Button to Button
Wasting My Time
We are Gonna be Friends
Same Boy You've Always Known
Lord, Send Me an Angel
Let's Shake Hands
Ball and Biscuit
Fell In Love with a Girl
I Just Don't Know What To Do With Myself
Seven Nation Army
Boll Weevil
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11/29/2003
White Stripes
Set 1Seven Nation Army
Black Math
Dead Leaves and the Dirty Ground
Cannon > John the Revelator > Cannon
The Big Three Killed My Baby
I'm Finding It Harder to be a Gentleman
Why Can't You be Nicer to Me?
Jolene
In the Cold, Cold Night
Hotel Yorba
You're Pretty Good Lookin'
Hello Operator
Outlaw Blues
Wasting My Time
I Fought Pirhanas
Let's Build a Home
Girl, You Have No Faith In Medicine
I Just Don't Know What to Do With Myself
Apple Blossom
Small Faces
Fell In Love With A Girl
Ball and Biscuit
Death Letter
Little Bird
The Hardest Button to Button
Boll Weevil
CommentRescheduled from 08/10/2003
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11/07/2006
Van Morrison
Set 1(pre-Van song)
Back On Top
? (one or more songs)
There Stands The Glass
I'm Not Feeling It Anymore
Beautiful Vision
Real Real Gone
I Can't Stop Loving You
Moondance
Saint James Infirmary
Choppin' Wood
Precious Time
It's All In The Game
You Know What They're Writing About
Wild Night
Crazy Love
Help Me
Brown Eyed Girl
Gloria

CommentThe show was supposed to start at 7:30, but by 8:00 it was announced it would start at 8:30.

Van & the crew were running late for the gig (still doing sound check after 6:30, but I think it was more due to it taking a while to get everyone seated. The show started it at 8:15.
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07/30/2014
Jack White
Set 1Fell In Love With a Girl
Astro
The Big Three Killed My Baby
High Ball Stepper
Lazaretto
Missing Pieces
Just One Drink
Hotel Yorba
Banter
You Know That I Know
Love Interruption
Weep Themselves to Sleep
I Cut Like a Buffalo (W/ Dead Weather)
Cannon
Icky Thump
Screwdriver
Ramblin' Man
Apple Blossom
Three Women
The Same Boy You've Always Known
We're Going To Be Friends
Sugar Never Tasted So Good
Entitlement
Banter
Alone In My Home
Steady, As She Goes
Jam
Ball and Biscuit
The Lemon Song

Encore:
The Hardest Button to Button
Sixteen Saltines/Devil's Haircut
Hypocritical Kiss
That Black Bat Liquorice
Would You Fight For My Love?
Blue Blood Blues
You Don't Know What Love Is (You Just Do As You're Told)
My Doorbell
I Fought Piranhas
Seven Nation Army
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04/29/2022
Opeth
Set 1Hjärtat vet vad handen gör
Ghost Of Perdition
Cusp Of Eternity
The Devil's Orchard
The Drapery Falls
In My Time of Need
Sorceress
Deliverance
Set 2
Set 3
Bold dates can be downloaded from the Internet Archive    Italic dates have been a featured show