There was a bit of skepticism in front of this film given the mammoth production live of his career in the form of DVDs, albums and all that the net has to offer. But after seeing it – after hiding for 42 years – it’s safe to say that The Legendary 1979 No Nukes Concerts is the movie all Bruce Springsteen fans should see. For the simple fact that it is ninety minutes of pure energy and experience springsteeniana.
The two Boss concerts were held on 21 and 22 September 1979, organized by Jackson Browne, Graham Nash, Bonnie Raitt e John Hall united under the banner of Musicians United for Safe Energy (MUSE), the protest movement against nuclear power born after the accident at the Three Mile Island power plant that took place on March 28 of that year. The event had five nights on the bill – called appunto No Nukes – at Madison Square Garden in New York. In addition to Springsteen, Crosby, Stills & Nash, The Doobie Brothers, James Taylor, Tom Petty, Carly Simon and Gil Scott-Heron also performed on stage. They were enormously successful, so much so that at the time they contributed a lot to sensitizing people on the issue of the dangers of nuclear power. Some traces of the concert were already part of the documentary film No Nukes from 1980, but this is the first time we see the complete set, in 16mm, edited by Thom Zimny ​​and remixed by Bob Clearmountain. And the filming crew was no less, led by cinematographer Haskell Wexler, known for working on In The Heat of the Night, American Graffiti e The Thomas Crown Affair. 13 songs that encapsulate some of the best performances of the New Jersey rocker’s career. “A few years ago I started reviewing the footage archives of Bruce’s and the Band’s appearances at concerts No Nukes Tour 1979 and I immediately realized that these were the best performances and the best shots of the band in the seventies »said Zimny ​​who has been shooting the Boss for twenty years as director and editor.
It was in fact 1979, in the middle of the best creative period of the Boss, fresh from Darkness on the Edge of Town of 1978 and in the process of recording The River the following year. And in fact the tracks from these two albums are the first in the lineup (starting with Prove It All Night, Badlands e The Promised Land and below The River e Sherry Darling). «L’the band’s energy was just incredible»Continues Zimny. “It’s one thing to listen to the recordings, it’s another to see them on video. They were as exciting as The Clash, a band that literally explodes on the screen ».
The film is a mix of the two evenings and the atmosphere seems to be that of the first concerts at the Stone Pony, the club in Asbury Park that launched the Boss, who also calls on stage Jackson Browne, Tom Petty and Rosemary Butler for a version of “Stay” by Maurice Williams & The Zodiacs of 1960, before Detroit Medley, Quarter to Three by Gary US Bonds e Rave On di Buddy Holly. There is certainly familiar electricity throughout the concert to anyone who has ever seen Springsteen perform live. You can see him dancing all the time, jumping on the piano, looking for the hands of the audience, celebrating his birthday with a cake then thrown to the public, getting his jacket dirty (scene commented with an “Oh don’t remember that” and then “send me the laundry bill »), Wear sunglasses and have fun like a child in the numerous duets and choreographies with Clarence Clemons. In short, the film contains all the essence of a classic Springsteen concert. The Legendary 1979 No Nukes Concerts however it shows the rocker at the height of his power and physicality, a total mastery of his music with the stage as his natural environment.
“I can not handle it anymore!” he exclaims before falling back on stage, fainting and then starting the gag with Clemons and Steven Van Zandt reanimating him at the end of the fantastic performance of Quarter to Three, the penultimate piece of the film. Then he smiles a “I can’t go on like this, I’m 30! “ reminding us that in those days, September 23 would be his birthday. He declares it with a carefree and innocent air, obviously lying but without the slightest idea that even today those stages always see him as the absolute protagonist. “We were young, we were children, and the film is full of youthful energy to a level that surprised even me when I saw it.“. So has the Boss after seeing him. And if this film managed to surprise even the protagonist, there is no reason why it cannot be loved by all its audience.
The Legendary 1979 No Nukes Concerts it’s something never seen in Springsteen’s production and it’s truly amazing that it hasn’t been done before. Now available on DVD, Bluray but also as double LP and CD. And on streaming platforms.
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