Bruce Springsteen - Growing Up [Acoustic] 1972

Gaslight Club, '72.
More Bruce clips in my playlist: • Bruce Springsteen - Bo...

[@kindnessfirst9670]

There were seven people in the audience that night at Gerdies Folk City in Greenwich Village. It was an "open microphone night". He went on from 8- 8;30 pm. He also played "Saint in the City" and a few other songs that he never released. This was part of his audition for Columbia Records. John Hammond loved him but wanted to know if he was any good in front of an audience so they went there to see him on stage. That's a loaned guitar (with a crack in it) from a friend back in Freehold named Vinnie "Skeebots" Maniello (the drummer from his high school band "The Castiles"). There was no case for it so he had to carry it on the bus from NJ and through the streets of NYC over his shoulder "Midnight Cowboy" style feeling very conspicuous (to quote Bruce). He didn't own an acoustic guitar at that point. He still wasn't signed until Clive Davis heard him a few days later. He had auditioned earlier for Atlantic Records but they had no interest in him.

[@spencerrode215]

Great backstory

[@angelacallaghan4632]

Thank you so much for sharing that brilliant true story of a star in the making!

[@DGemme1000]

Thanks, I love the legendary stories.

[@gustavopena02116]

This is from may of 72 (5/2/72) he is 22...first album comes out next year. Pretty damn special. My favorite song when I was growing up.

[@Rh1no1]

He's what rock used to be! Sexy, fun, soulful, inventive, celebratory, a sweet escape.

[@spencerrode215]

Love his reaction after announcing the song, dead silence. Don't worry young man, they'll be cheering soon enough

[@Cathye3]

Love this song, always been a big fan !!!

[@Jlisa24]

This is incredible!

[@anthonybabiasz2011]

My favorite version

[@midnightrider7648]

I'm 61 now. I never was a fan of Springsteen, but this is pretty good!

[@annarosen9706]

If you’re so inclined, u might wanna check out “before the fame”. Deeply felt stuff for sure ❤.

[@midnightrider7648]

@@annarosen9706: He was definitely channeling the Dylan persona here.

[@annarosen9706]

@@midnightrider7648 For sure 😎 edit: I guess I could use a different affirmative.. Yes, definitely lol

[@midnightrider7648]

@@annarosen9706: I see where you are going with this! I'm actually a fan of Dylan. Bruce was "borrowing" the Dylan persona here. Dylan's lyrics were unparalleled.

[@eddievelardi531]

Amazing!

[@yankeespy3]

glammer, thanks so much for that piece of history. I'll bet the Village hadn't seen anything like that performance since Dylan. It's great to see Bruce evolving his art.

[@sdcalaca]

Pardon my language. This is bee fucking beautiful. Just chokes me up that a kid could write a song that great.

[@guidedbyvoices23]

Speechless...just incredible

[@scottallee]

wow...what a find... thank you

[@katherinepoletto3259]

Good song to see. Glad i was around then.

[@fivejersey5956]

"It was bye bye New Jersey, we were airborne!"

[@MrMadMurdoc]

Boss!!

[@dab4546]

My favorite Boss song. One person has a tin ear...

[@taishankm]

Authentic, original audition tape, jackpot❤

[@Reizermo]

When they said sit down, I stood up!

[@skinnyskaller]

Maybe he spent some time listening to Bob? :) Man, this is really tremendous!

[@annarosen9706]

Wow, this was uploaded a decade point 5 ago. *Thank you* all this time later. I’d not seen this before. Love ❤️.

[@glammer]

It was all fields round here back then. I found it on Limewire a few years before I uploaded it, which is another sign of ancient times, so credit to the original Limer.

[@JESUSZIMMERMAN]

thanks glammer, this is why you tube is so vital

[@bendyman_72]

24,000 views, the world don't know shit from clay. Pure art.

[@jamesrealistic7953]

Is it a wonder after hearing this he became a legend?

[@kindnessfirst9670]

He auditioned for Atlantic Records around the same time and they had no interest. It took 12 more years before he made any money at it. I saw an interview with his E street base player Garry Tallent where he said in 1982 the musicians in a Springsteen tribute band had more money than he (Gary) had and the only reason he didn't file for unemployment benefits was he was afraid it would get out publicly and be embarrassing.

[@richroehl]

wow!

[@chiefashley56]

Outfuckingstanding! Just read about this performance in the book, "Bruce"!

[@DGemme1000]

“Stood all alone to a fall out zone” I thought it was “Stood all alone to a ball I’d thrown.” I like the former.

[@Mark11725]

Monday night at the coliseum!

[@tdheston]

"Could be a song about becoming a woman too--but I don't know." lol

[@alexsherel3344]

And that was ‘72…😂

[@joepermenter7228]

This was obviously professional musicianship hubris. Ya know, what we all had to do to make it on our own back then.....

[@kurtinklern3262]

Does anyone know any details about this gig? Was it well attended? Was it a frickin open-mic? When did he start gigging solo acoustic???

[@moichicken1]

1972-08-10 Max's Kansas City, New York City, NY (Early) "Very brief audio-video excerpts of both "Henry Boy" and "Growin' Up" from one of the twelve shows during this August 1972 Max's residency first surfaced in a 1990 documentary about John Hammond called From Bessie Smith To Bruce Springsteen. The complete audio-video of both songs has since leaked out and is circulating among collectors. These complete takes represent what was originally supplied to the Hammond film producers by CBS. The producers were only allowed to use brief excerpts of the two songs in the documentary and were not supplied any footage of the rest of the show. The remainder of the show (probably only a couple of songs, for a total of around thirty minutes) exists in CBS's vault but has never circulated. The other show this night may also have been filmed. The video footage is sometimes misidentified as emanating from Springsteen's appearance at Gaslight Au Go Go in May 1972. Video of both songs is circulating in two variations. One version shows the MC (believed to be Max's Kansas City manager Sam Hood) take the stage and introduce Bruce prior to "Henry Boy". The other version has the entire MC introduction segment deleted. Brucebase has placed these audio/video segments under this date but it could be from any of the shows during this residency. Video of "Does This Bus Stop At 82nd Street?" was first shown to the public at "An Evening with Thom Zimny", an event held at Monmouth University on September 23, 2014.

[@no9dixiedean]

bruce is 23 here

[@jb9097]

theres a version on the "philidelphia" cd of growing up but cant find it. can anyone help?

[@rwmhunt7562]

“I used to go and see him. I hated him as a solo artist, when he came on and did this Bob Dylan thing. It was awful. So cringe-making. He’d sit there with his guitar and be folky, have these slow philosophical raps in between the songs. As soon as the band came on, it was like a different performer and he was just marvellous.” -David Bowie. This is very much in the style of the former, though Bowie did cover the song, though in the style of the latter.

[@Klaymator97]

I cant find the studio verison on youtube!

[@sammyiammy748]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/nWSmpGCYj5eMjpI

[@PhightinPhil]

Dylan starter pack