Bruce Springsteen will release The Legendary 1979 No Nukes Concerts in HD on physical formats on November 19th, including on two CDs with DVD, two CDs with Blu-Ray, and double-LP formats. The film will be available globally in HD for digital download on November 16th and digital rental on November 23rd.
Back in 2019, as part of his ongoing bootleg series, Springsteen released No Nukes '79 – Madison Square Garden, NYC, featuring both his September 21st and 22nd, 1979 shows at Madison Square Garden. The new edit will be an amalgam of the two shows.
Springsteen, who had been in the midst of the sessions for 1980's The River when he and the E Street Band played the two benefit shows, spoke to Rolling Stone and shed light on his early phobia about being filmed in concert: “I had some voodoo thing about that. Film and television were relatively cool mediums, and we were a hot band. I said, 'If you want to feel that heat, you need to be at that show.' (With No Nukes) they were filming it. They said, 'You'll have a choice of whether you’re in the movie or not.' That meant I didn’t have to think about the cameras since I knew I could throw it away if I wanted to.”
It was during the September 22nd show that Springsteen world premiered “The River,” which chronicled his sister Virginia and brother-in-law's early relationship: “That song was a real turn in my songwriting. I felt like I had broken through to a narrative type of songwriting that I previously hadn’t quite (figured out). That turned into Nebraska and The Ghost Of Tom Joad, Devils& Dust, and so many other things. That one song birthed so many other incarnations and so much other music. It was a really critical song in my development and I knew it when I wrote it.”
Springsteen couldn't help but be emotional when viewing footage of his fallen bandmates Clarence Clemons and Danny Federici: “It’s very intense to see the young Clarence and Danny. But Clarence particularly, since he was in front and so athletic and so youthful, and he just looked so damn great. It’s a wonderful moment in Clarence’s performing experience, and mine with him.”
Springsteen's longtime archivist and director Thom Zimny credited legendary cinematographer Haskell Wexler's work shooting the concerts and explained, “These guys were filmmakers and cinematographers at the top of their game, and they were in sync with the band. The cameramen are at the foot of the stage, and they’re literally side-by-side with audience members. This is not a language of MTV and this is not a language of multi-cam cranes and swooping angles and quick cuts. It’s pure documentary.”
Over the years, no one has been able to describe the magic and mystery of rock n' roll better than Bruce Springsteen: “Rock is primarily about longing. All the great rock songs are about longing. 'Like A Rolling Stone' is about longing; 'How does it feel to be without a home?' — 'Louie, Louie' (laughs)! You're yearning for –'Where's that big party that I know is out there, but I can't find it' (laughs), or 'Where's that girl that I know, or that partner, that's out there, but I can't find her?' Well, rock's a little map to those things and it's like a little pill you take that they can't give 'em to ya, but it can create a spark in you that leads you to them.”
The tracklisting to Bruce Springsteen's 'The Legendary 1979 No Nukes Concerts' is:
“Prove It All Night”
“Badlands”
“The Promised Land”
“The River”
“Sherry Darling”
“Thunder Road”
“Jungleland”
“Rosalita (Come Out Tonight)”
“Born To Run”
“Stay”
“Detroit Medley”
“Quarter To Three”
“Rave On”
