New Year's Night 1979... Round 2... I was ready! Or was I?! Though it was 30 years ago... It feels like it was just yesterday... I can remember how it felt waiting for Bruce... from 3rd row, center!! It was his turn to be the god and it was my turn to worship at the alter of ROCK-n-ROLL!! This was it, the only place to be... it felt like life itself and I was there!! "So'd everybody survive New Year's Eve or what?" Bruce giggled... knowing that tonight he planned on taking us further than we could have imagined!! Starting with Rave On... we raved on and on... through BADLANDS / RENDEZVOUS / SPIRIT IN THE NIGHT / DARKNESS ON THE EDGE OF TOWN / FACTORY / STREETS OF FIRE... Tears streamed down my face... I was breathless... he was so intense!! The band was so tight!! Clarence was soooo cool!! and I was so close!! HEARTBREAK HOTEL / THE PROMISED LAND / PROVE IT ALL NIGHT / RACIN' IN THE STREET / THUNDER ROAD... Oh my goodness... what was this energy?? This was so different than hovering in the back rafters... It felt as though he was singing to me... and he was... straight into my heart with a message of hope and purpose... I had no idea what that purpose could be... I had been so battered and broken... I was only 18 but I had already been through hell... I had been abused, abandoned, kidnapped, tortured, but I was "lucky" to be alive... so I was confused... lost... and in my mind I was all alone, feeling as if no one understood my pain... so when Bruce sang Thunder Road it felt as if it was personal invitation to leave it all behind and climb in... he wasn't a hero and he couldn't offer any redemption but he could show me a way out without actually having to leave... just get in the front seat and he would take me to case the promised land... and so I climbed in and he took me with him... to MEETING ACROSS THE RIVER / JUNGLELAND... Sweet Jesus... that was amazing... Beneath the city two hearts beat... it was magical... looking back I believe this was one of his all time greatest performances of Jungleland. Could it get any better?? I stood in awe as Bruce disappeared off of the stage for a 20 minute break...
Bruce came out and thanked all the fans who saved up their dough to follow him around from city to city... and then for them: we got my first FOR YOU... I was down for the count... again, IMO, his best full band performance!! Bruce did offer me redemption that night... so long ago... he helped me get past my pain and gave me a desire to be me... just like he was being himself and expressing himself... so differently than anyone or anything I had ever seen!! Bruce gave me a place to escape... and so I escaped... into the music... SAINT IN THE CITY guitars blazing!! SANTA CLAUS / I FOUGHT THE LAW / FEVER... Hot hot hot!! I had gotten The Fever EVERY show so far! This was the best!! Bruce was so on fire that New Year's night 30 years ago!! There was no turning back... I would spend the rest of my life unable to find another sound... another emotion... another existence that could match this place that Bruce was taking me... BECAUSE THE NIGHT... I was spiraling out of control!!! FIRE / CANDY'S ROOM :o / POINT BLANK... a masterpiece... he out did himself... an exquisite performance of Point Blank... with a sweet intro into an impassioned MONA - SHE'S THE ONE - GLORIA... I frickin' love Bruce's and Stevie vocal blend/scream in this one!! They are on fire and Bruce is a wild man... The bass lines drive us on... and Bruce goes into another tangent... guitars exploding... the raw emotion erupts as we surrender to the urgency of Bruce's passion!! But Bruce isn't done yet... he has more to give as he begs his baby to come back... "my arms they cry for you" he pleads her in this very special intro to BACKSTREETS... He promised to never ever make her cry... never ever make her blue... and so I escape into his promises... and I become Terri for the next 7 minutes... what an amazing night this was... but it wasn't over yet... it was time to rock!! THE LAST TIME / ROSALITA / BORN TO RUN / DETROIT MEDLEY / 10TH AVENUE FREEZE OUT / QUARTER TO THREE... He was so much fun!! Brooooooce!!! What an awesome show!! I think I was in shock as I left the building... still I had no idea what I was witnessing at the time... but what I did know was that I would never recover!!
Being that this Darkness show was by far my favorite you can imagine how disappointed I was to find that the boot was absolutely TERRIBLE! The sound, muddy and the worst part, For You was cut to pieces. This had to have been one of the best shows ever... totally amazing... and I had no boot to stand behind my claim... and when naming a show as "one of the greats" such as Winterland, Passaic, The Roxy... I'd better have proof that The Last Night Of Darkness can stand proud beside the likes of these. I tucked my little dream away... hoping that someday we'd get a good boot... and that I would be able to brag about "being there"... well someday has come and thanks to the masterful workings of "Converted @ Cobo" another dream comes true!! John has been helping me with the "Complete Shows" section of my site... fixing up a few Mp3s for me... which I'd like to say, "Thank you so much, John!"... but I asked him if there was anyway to clean it up, he said that he'd give it a shot... I hoped for the best but didn't expect much. How could he fix that For You?? It was so chopped up... How? Well I was so happy to hear that there was a sound board of For You from this very show!! When John sent me the show and I listened... I couldn't believe my ears!! I think he did a fabulous job cleaning it up!! So without further ado... we bring you The Last Night of Darkness!! Thanks, John!! Happy HAPPY HAPPY New Year Everyone!! xo
New Year's Night 1979... Round 2... I was ready! Or was I?! Though it was 30 years ago... It feels like it was just yesterday... I can remember how it felt waiting for Bruce... from 3rd row, center!! It was his turn to be the god and it was my turn to worship at the alter of ROCK-n-ROLL!! This was it, the only place to be... it felt like life itself and I was there!! "So'd everybody survive New Year's Eve or what?" Bruce giggled... knowing that tonight he planned on taking us further than we could have imagined!! Starting with Rave On... we raved on and on... through BADLANDS / RENDEZVOUS / SPIRIT IN THE NIGHT / DARKNESS ON THE EDGE OF TOWN / FACTORY / STREETS OF FIRE... Tears streamed down my face... I was breathless... he was so intense!! The band was so tight!! Clarence was soooo cool!! and I was so close!! HEARTBREAK HOTEL / THE PROMISED LAND / PROVE IT ALL NIGHT / RACIN' IN THE STREET / THUNDER ROAD... Oh my goodness... what was this energy?? This was so different than hovering in the back rafters... It felt as though he was singing to me... and he was... straight into my heart with a message of hope and purpose... I had no idea what that purpose could be... I had been so battered and broken... I was only 18 but I had already been through hell... I had been abused, abandoned, kidnapped, tortured, but I was "lucky" to be alive... so I was confused... lost... and in my mind I was all alone, feeling as if no one understood my pain... so when Bruce sang Thunder Road it felt as if it was personal invitation to leave it all behind and climb in... he wasn't a hero and he couldn't offer any redemption but he could show me a way out without actually having to leave... just get in the front seat and he would take me to case the promised land... and so I climbed in and he took me with him... to MEETING ACROSS THE RIVER / JUNGLELAND... Sweet Jesus... that was amazing... Beneath the city two hearts beat... it was magical... looking back I believe this was one of his all time greatest performances of Jungleland. Could it get any better?? I stood in awe as Bruce disappeared off of the stage for a 20 minute break...
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