INCIDENT ON 57TH STREET

Album version



Spanish Johnny drove in from the underworld last night
With bruised arms and broken rhythm in a beat-up old Buick but dressed just like dynamite
He tried selling his heart to the hard girls over on Easy Street
But they sighed, "Johnny, it falls apart so easy and you know hearts these days are cheap"
And the pimps swung their axes and said, "Johnny, you're a cheater"
Well, the pimps swung their axes and said, "Johnny, you're a liar"
And from out of the shadows came a young girl's voice
Said, "Johnny, don't cry"
Puerto Rican Jane, oh, won't you tell me what's your name
I want to drive you down to the other side of town
Where paradise ain't so crowded, there'll be action going down on Shanty Lane tonight
All them golden heeled fairies in a real bitch fight pull thirty-eights and kiss the girls goodnight

Oh, goodnight, it's all right, Jane
Now let them black boys in to light the soul flame
We may find it out on the street tonight, baby
Or we may walk until the daylight, maybe

Well, like a cool Romeo he made his moves, ah, she looked so fine
And like a late Juliet she knew he'd never be true, but then she didn't really mind
Upstairs a band was playing, the singer was singing something about going home
She whispered, "Spanish Johnny, you can leave me tonight, but just don't leave me alone"
And Johnny cried, "Puerto Rican Jane, word is down the cops have found the vein"
Well, them barefoot boys, they left their homes for the woods
Them little barefoot street boys, they said homes ain't no good
They left the corners, threw away all of their switchblade knives
And kissed each other goodbye

Johnny was sitting on the fire escape watching the kids playing down in the street
He called down, "Hey, little heroes, summer's long, but I guess it ain't very sweet around here anymore"
Janey sleeps in sheets damp with sweat; Johnny sits up alone and watches her dream on, dream on
And the sister prays for lost souls, then breaks down in the chapel after everyone's gone
Jane moves over to share her pillow but opens her eyes to see Johnny up and putting his clothes on
She says, "Those romantic young boys (those romantic young boys), all they ever want to do is fight"
Those romantic young boys (those romantic young boys), they're calling through the window:
"Hey, Spanish Johnny, you want to make a little easy money tonight?"
And Johnny whispered, "Goodnight, it's all tight, Jane
I'll meet you tomorrow night on Lover's Lane
We may find it out on the street tonight, baby
Or we may walk until the daylight, maybe"
Oh, goodnight, it's all right, Jane
I'm gonna meet you tomorrow night on Lover's Lane
Ah, we can find it out on the street tonight, baby
Or we may walk until the daylight, maybe
Ah, goodnight, it's all right, Jane
I'll meet you tomorrow night on Lover's Lane
Now we may find it out on, on the street tonight, baby
Or we may have to walk until the morning light, maybe
(Goodnight, it's all right, Jane)
(Goodnight, it's all right, Jane)
(Goodnight, it's all right, Jane)
(Goodnight, it's all right, Jane)
(Goodnight, it's all)


Info

INCIDENT ON 57TH STREET is a song written by Bruce Springsteen and released on his 1973 album The Wild, The Innocent, & The E Street Shuffle. The above lyrics are for Bruce Springsteen's album version of INCIDENT ON 57TH STREET as released in 1973.


Writing and Recording

According to Brucebase, INCIDENT ON 57TH STREET was written in mid-1973 and recorded during the second phase of The Wild, The Innocent, & The E Street Shuffle recording sessions. It was apparently the final song completed for the album.

The band line-up on this track is unknown, but as far as one can tell, Bruce Springsteen sings vocals and handles guitar, David Sancious plays piano, Danni Federici plays second piano, Vini Lopez plays drums, Garry Tallent plays bass, and Suki Lahav sings choir vocals. The track also has organ. Clarence Clemons was around for the recording, but did not play on this song so far as one can tell. The track, as well as the whole album, was recorded at Sound Studios in Blauvelt, NY and produced by Mike Appel and Jimmy Cretecos. On the album, the piano moves seamlessly from INCIDENT ON 57TH STREET into the next track, ROSALITA (COME OUT TONIGHT).

INCIDENT ON THE W. SIDE is a unknown song from The Wild, The Innocent, & The E Street Shuffle period (fall 1972 to fall 1973). It is probably an early draft of INCIDENT ON 57TH STREET, or possibly just an alternate title for it.

A handwritten lyrics sheet containing what appears to be an early draft of INCIDENT ON 57TH STREET exists. See the early draft for more details.

The Wild, The Innocent & The E Street Shuffle

The Wild, The Innocent & The E Street Shuffle is Bruce Springsteen's second studio album. It was recorded between mid-May 1973 and mid-September 1973 at 914 Sound Studios in Blauvelt, NY. Studio time was slotted in during various itinerary breaks in the Greetings From Asbury Park, N.J. Tour, but recording sessions dragged on much longer than originally anticipated and this eventually caused some gig rescheduling and cancellations during the period from July to September 1973.

The album's recording sessions can be split into distinct phases:

  • The first phase of sessions took place on 15-22 May and 17-20 June, and featured the then-touring line-up of Bruce Springsteen, Clarence Clemons, Danny Federici, Garry Tallent, and Vini Lopez. Neither David Sancious nor any other musicians were involved in these initial sessions.
  • The second phase of sessions took place on 26 June-02 July, 11-16 July, 04-12 August, and 10-25 September, and included all of the above-mentioned musicians, plus new E Street Band member David Sancious (who joined in on 22 June), as well as niche session contributions by Suki Lahav on vocals, Richard Blackwell on congas and percussion, and Albee Tellone on baritone sax.

Most of the basic ensemble recording of The Wild, The Innocent & The E Street Shuffle emanates from the first phase of sessions, prior to the arrival of David Sancious to the sessions on 22 Jun 1973. Sancious verified in a late seventies interview with Thunder Road magazine that most of the session songs had already been recorded (as basic tracks) by the time he joined. He then overdubbed his parts onto these recordings. THE E STREET SHUFFLE is an exception, which was written after Sancious became a member of the band. The latter phase of the sessions involved embellishing additional "frills" instrumentation, vocals, and experimenting with different mixes. No audio evidence has yet emerged that any of the basic recordings of were re-recorded from scratch with Sancious. Indeed, one of the most noteworthy aspects to the audio evidence that has emerged from The Wild, The Innocent & The E Street Shuffle recording sessions is that there is not one genuine alternate take to be found – all song recording variations are merely alternate mixes of the same basic recording.

Bruce Springsteen -- The Wild, The Innocent & The E Street Shuffle
Bruce Springsteen -- The Wild, The Innocent & The E Street Shuffle

The Wild, The Innocent & The E Street Shuffle was produced by Mike Appel and Jim Cretecos and engineered by Louis Lahav. It features 7 new Springsteen compositions and clocks at 46:47. It was commercially released on 05 Nov 1973.

Other Official Releases

INCIDENT ON 57TH STREET can also be found on two Bruce Springsteen promo-only samplers.

Bruce Springsteen -- Tougher Than The Rest
Bruce Springsteen -- Tougher Than The Rest

CD - Columbia (XPCD 192) - UK, 1992

UK-only promotional CD sampler issued in limited quantities to tie in with the 1992 Wembley shows and contains 16 tracks from Springsteen's albums up to 1992.

Bruce Springsteen -- Ballads Vol. 1 (1973 - 1982)
Bruce Springsteen -- Ballads Vol. 1 (1973 - 1982)

CD-R - Sony (no catalog number) - Japan, 2005

Japan-only promotional "Digest" CDR advance sampler tying in with the release of the first six Japanese 2005 "mini-LP"-style Springsteen CD album reissues. This disc comes in a plain slimline jewel case with no artwork.

Other versions of INCIDENT ON 57TH STREET were also officially released.

Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band -- Capitol Theatre, Passaic, NJ September 20, 1978
The live 20 Sep 1978 version of INCIDENT ON 57TH STREET was released on the Capitol Theatre, Passaic, NJ September 20, 1978 official live download in 2017.
Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band -- War
The live 29 Dec 1980 version of INCIDENT ON 57TH STREET was first released on the War European EP in 1986.
Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band -- First Union Center, Philadelphia September 25, 1999
The live 25 Sep 1999 version of INCIDENT ON 57TH STREET was released on the First Union Center, Philadelphia September 25, 1999 official live download in 2020.
Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band -- Los Angeles October 23, 1999
The live 23 Oct 1999 version of INCIDENT ON 57TH STREET was released on the Los Angeles October 23, 1999 official live download in 2019.
Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band -- Live In Barcelona
The live 16 Oct 2002 version of INCIDENT ON 57TH STREET was released on the Live In Barcelona home video in 2003.
Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band -- MSG 11.07.09
The live 07 Nov 2009 version of INCIDENT ON 57TH STREET was released on the MSG 11.07.09 official live download in 2020.
Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band -- Ippodromo Delle Capannelle, Rome 2013
The live 11 Jul 2013 version of INCIDENT ON 57TH STREET was released on the Ippodromo Delle Capannelle, Rome 2013 official live download in 2015.
live.brucespringsteen.net
Audio recordings for most High Hopes Tour shows were officially released on live.brucespringsteen.net. These include one version of INCIDENT ON 57TH STREET.

  1. 26 Feb 2014 at Brisbane Entertainment Centre, Brisbane, Australia
live.brucespringsteen.net
Audio recordings for all The River Tour 2016 shows were officially released on live.brucespringsteen.net. These include 8 versions of INCIDENT ON 57TH STREET.

  1. 29 May 2016 at Croke Park, Dublin, Ireland
  2. 11 Jul 2016 at AccorHotels Arena, Paris, France
  3. 30 Aug 2016 at Metlife Stadium, East Rutherford, NJ
  4. 01 Sep 2016 at Nationals Park, Washington, DC
  5. 05 Sep 2016 at Veterans United Home Loans Amphitheater, Virginia Beach, VA
  6. 07 Sep 2016 at Citizens Bank Park, Philadelphia, PA
  7. 11 Sep 2016 at Consol Energy Center, Pittsburgh, PA
  8. 14 Sep 2016 at Gillette Stadium, Foxborough, MA
live.brucespringsteen.net
Audio recordings for all the Summer '17 Tour shows were officially released on live.brucespringsteen.net. These include one version of INCIDENT ON 57TH STREET.

  1. 22 Jan 2017 at Perth Arena, Perth, Australia

Live History: on-tour

INCIDENT ON 57TH STREET is known to have been performed at least 34 times during what is considered The Wild, The Innocent, & The E Street Shuffle Tour (September 1973 to March 1975), from 1974 onward. Some of that period's setlists are incomplete or unknown, and therefore, the song must have been played on some more dates during The Wild, The Innocent, & The E Street Shuffle Tour. The first of these performances, from 26 Jan 1974 in Nashville, TN, was a jazzy full-band version featuring Vini Lopez on drums and David Sancious on piano (see the live 29 Jan 1974 version). The next 4 performances, from spring and summer of 1974, featured Ernest "Boom" Carter on drums and David Sancious on piano (no audio from these performances circulates). The next performance, from 20 Sep 1974 in Upper Darby, PA, featured Max Weinberg on drums and Roy Bittan on piano (no audio from this performance circulates). The song became the show opener from that date onwards. The last 29 performances, from fall 1974 and winter 1975, were performed in a stripped down arrangement featuring Springsteen backed by Roy Bittan on piano and Suki Lahav on violin and backup vocals (see the live 05 Feb 1975 version).

  1. 29 Jan 1974 at Muther's Music Emporium, Nashville, TN
  2. 03 Mar 1974 (early show) at Georgetown University, Washington, DC
  3. 28 Jul 1974 at Tucson Community Center Theater, Tucson, AZ
  4. 30 Jul 1974 at The Troubadour, West Hollywood, CA
  5. 14 Aug 1974 (late show) at Monmouth Arts Center, Red Bank, NJ
  6. 20 Sep 1974 at Tower Theater, Upper Darby, PA
  7. 04 Oct 1974 at Avery Fisher Hall, New York City, NY
  8. 05 Oct 1974 at Albright College, Reading, PA
  9. 06 Oct 1974 at Clark University, Worcester, MA
  10. 11 Oct 1974 at Shady Grove Music Fair, Gaithersburg, MD
  11. 12 Oct 1974 at Princeton University, Princeton, NJ
  12. 18 Oct 1974 at Capitol Theatre, Passaic, NJ
  13. 19 Oct 1974 at Union College, Schenectady, NY
  14. 20 Oct 1974 at Dickinson College , Carlisle, PA
  15. 26 Oct 1974 at Julia Sanderson Theater, Springfield, MA
  16. 29 Oct 1974 at Music Hall, Boston, MA
  17. 01 Nov 1974 at Tower Theater, Upper Darby, PA
  18. 08 Nov 1974 at Ritz Music Hall, Corpus Christi, TX
  19. 16 Nov 1974 at American University, Washington, DC
  20. 17 Nov 1974 at University Of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA
  21. 22 Nov 1974 at West Chester College, West Chester, PA
  22. 23 Nov 1974 at Salem State College, Salem, MA
  23. 29 Nov 1974 at War Memorial Theatre, Trenton, NJ
  24. 06 Dec 1974 at State Theatre, New Brunswick, NJ
  25. 07 Dec 1974 at Geneva Theatre, Geneva, NY
  26. 08 Dec 1974 at Burlington Memorial Auditorium, Burlington, VT
  27. 05 Feb 1975 at The Main Point, Bryn Mawr, PA
  28. 06 Feb 1975 at Widener College, Chester, PA
  29. 18 Feb 1975 at John Carroll University, Cleveland, OH
  30. 19 Feb 1975 at Penn State University, University Park, PA
  31. 23 Feb 1975 at Westbury Music Fair, Westbury, NY
  32. 07 Mar 1975 at Painters Mill Music Fair, Owings Mills, MD
  33. 08 Mar 1975 at DAR Constitution Hall, Washington, DC
  34. 09 Mar 1975 at DAR Constitution Hall, Washington, DC

INCIDENT ON 57TH STREET is known to have been performed at least 18 times during the Born To Run Tour (73 know dates / 81 known shows, July to December 1975). Some of that period's setlists are incomplete or unknown, and therefore, the song may have been played on some more dates during the Born To Run Tour. On this tour, the song was the show opener whenever it was performed, and it was played in a stripped-down arrangement featuring Springsteen on vocals and Roy Bittan on piano.

  1. 20 Jul 1975 at Palace Concert Theatre, Providence, RI
  2. 22 Jul 1975 at Geneva Theatre, Geneva, NY
  3. 25 Jul 1975 at Kutztown State College, Kutztown, PA
  4. 26 Jul 1975 at Kutztown State College, Kutztown, PA
  5. 28 Jul 1975 at Carter Barron Amphitheatre, Washington, DC
  6. 30 Jul 1975 at Carter Barron Amphitheatre, Washington, DC
  7. 01 Aug 1975 at Mosque Theatre, Richmond, VA
  8. 02 Aug 1975 at Chrysler Hall, Norfolk, VA
  9. 08 Aug 1975 at Akron Civic Theatre, Akron, OH
  10. 10 Aug 1975 at Allen Theatre, Cleveland, OH
  11. 06 Sep 1975 at Theatre Of The Performing Arts, New Orleans, LA
  12. 12 Sep 1975 at Municipal Auditorium, Austin, TX
  13. 13 Sep 1975 at Music Hall, Houston, TX
  14. 14 Sep 1975 at Music Hall, Houston, TX
  15. 16 Sep 1975 at Dallas Convention Center Theater, Dallas, TX
  16. 20 Sep 1975 at Grinnell College, Grinnell, IA
  17. 21 Sep 1975 at Guthrie Theater, Minneapolis, MN
  18. 11 Oct 1975 (late show) at Monmouth Arts Center, Red Bank, NJ

INCIDENT ON 57TH STREET is known to have been performed at least 11 times during the so-called Chicken Scratch Tour (35 know dates, March to May 1976). Some of that period's setlists are incomplete or unknown, and therefore, the song may have been played on some more dates during the Chicken Scratch Tour. On this tour, the song was played in a full-band version, closer to the album arrangement than The Wild, The Innocent, & The E Street Shuffle Tour full-band arrangement, but "rockier".

  1. 05 Apr 1976 at Ohio Theatre, Columbus, OH
  2. 07 Apr 1976 at Allen Theatre, Cleveland, OH
  3. 08 Apr 1976 at Allen Theatre, Cleveland, OH
  4. 09 Apr 1976 at Colgate University, Hamilton, NY
  5. 10 Apr 1976 at Paul Mellon Arts Center, Wallingford, CT
  6. 13 Apr 1976 at Penn State University, University Park, PA
  7. 15 Apr 1976 at Syria Mosque, Pittsburgh, PA
  8. 17 Apr 1976 at University Of Rochester, Rochester, NY
  9. 22 Apr 1976 at Virginia Tech University, Blacksburg, VA
  10. 26 Apr 1976 at Soldiers & Sailors Memorial Auditorium, Chattanooga, TN
  11. 29 Apr 1976 at Ellis Auditorium, Memphis, TN

INCIDENT ON 57TH STREET is known to have been performed at least 5 times during what is known as The Lawsuit Tour (62 know dates, August 1976 to March 1977). Some of that period's setlists are incomplete or unknown, and therefore, the song may have been played on some more dates during the Lawsuit Tour; it may have been played only once during the 1976 leg of the tour. On this tour, the song was played in a full-band arrangement similar to that from the Chicken Scratch Tour, but including the since-traditional extended guitar outro by Springsteen followed by a reprise of the chorus, not to mention some horrible harmonies from Steve Van Zandt on the choruses.

  1. 27 Oct 1976 at Spectrum, Philadelphia, PA
  2. 25 Feb 1977 at Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN
  3. 23 Mar 1977 at Music Hall, Boston, MA
  4. 24 Mar 1977 at Music Hall, Boston, MA
  5. 25 Mar 1977 at Music Hall, Boston, MA

INCIDENT ON 57TH STREET is known to have been performed at least 6 times during the Darkness On The Edge Of Town Tour (111 dates, May 1978 to January 1979), all between mid-September and early October. On this tour, the song was played in a straight-forward full-band arrangement. The live 20 Sep 1978 version of INCIDENT ON 57TH STREET was released on the Capitol Theatre, Passaic, NJ September 20, 1978 official live download in 2017.

  1. 16 Sep 1978 at Palladium, New York City, NY
  2. 17 Sep 1978 at Palladium, New York City, NY
  3. 20 Sep 1978 at Capitol Theatre, Passaic, NJ
  4. 21 Sep 1978 at Capitol Theatre, Passaic, NJ
  5. 25 Sep 1978 at Boston Garden, Boston, MA
  6. 01 Oct 1978 at Fox Theatre, Atlanta, GA

INCIDENT ON 57TH STREET is known to have been performed at least once during The River Tour (138 dates, October 1980 to September 1981), on 29 Dec 1980 in Uniondale, NY. A few setlists from that period are incomplete, and therefore, the song may have been played on some more dates during The River Tour, but that's very unlikely. On this tour, the song was played in a full-band album-style arrangement. The live 29 Dec 1980 version of INCIDENT ON 57TH STREET was first released on the War European EP in 1986.

INCIDENT ON 57TH STREET was performed 4 times during what is known as The Reunion Tour (132 dates, April 1999 to July 2000). The song was played in its traditional full-band arrangement. The live 25 Sep 1999 version of INCIDENT ON 57TH STREET was released on the First Union Center, Philadelphia September 25, 1999 official live download in 2020. The live 23 Oct 1999 version of INCIDENT ON 57TH STREET was released on the Los Angeles October 23, 1999 official live download in 2019.

  1. 25 Sep 1999 at First Union Center, Philadelphia, PA
  2. 23 Oct 1999 at Staples Center, Los Angeles, CA
  3. 04 May 2000 at Air Canada Centre, Toronto, Canada
  4. 22 Jun 2000 at Madison Square Garden, New York City, NY

INCIDENT ON 57TH STREET was performed 15 times during The Rising Tour (120 dates, August 2002 to October 2003). The song was played in a solo piano arrangement (see the live 27 Oct 2002 version), expet twice in 2003 when it was played in its traditional full-band arrangement (see the live 11 Aug 2003 version). The live 16 Oct 2002 version of INCIDENT ON 57TH STREET was released on the Live In Barcelona home video in 2003.

  1. 24 Sep 2002 at Kemper Arena, Kansas City, MO (solo piano arrangemnet)
  2. 06 Oct 2002 at First Union Center, Philadelphia, PA (solo piano arrangemnet)
  3. 16 Oct 2002 at Palau Sant Jordi, Barcelona, Spain (solo piano arrangemnet)
  4. 20 Oct 2002 at Velodrom, Berlin, Germany (solo piano arrangemnet)
  5. 24 Oct 2002 at Globe Arena, Stockholm, Sweden (solo piano arrangemnet)
  6. 27 Oct 2002 at Wembley Arena, London, England (solo piano arrangemnet)
  7. 03 Nov 2002 at American Airlines Center, Dallas, TX (solo piano arrangemnet)
  8. 16 Nov 2002 at Greensboro Coliseum, Greensboro, NC (solo piano arrangemnet)
  9. 24 Nov 2002 at Ice Palace, Tampa, FL (solo piano arrangemnet)
  10. 14 Apr 2003 at Skyreach Centre, Edmonton, Canada (solo piano arrangemnet)
  11. 19 Apr 2003 at Bell Centre, Montreal, Canada (solo piano arrangemnet)
  12. 06 May 2003 at Stadion Feyenoord, Rotterdam, The Netherlands (solo piano arrangemnet)
  13. 25 Jun 2003 at Ernst-Happel-Stadion, Vienna, Austria (traditional full-band arrangemnet)
  14. 11 Aug 2003 at Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia, PA (traditional full-band arrangemnet)
  15. 18 Sep 2003 at Rentschler Field, Hartford, CT (solo piano arrangemnet)

INCIDENT ON 57TH STREET was performed 13 times during the Devils & Dust Solo Acoustic Tour (72 dates, April to November 2005). The song was played in a solo piano arrangement. See the live 08 Nov 2005 version.

  1. 02 May 2005 at Pantages Theatre, Hollywood, CA
  2. 11 May 2005 at Rosemont Theatre, Rosemont, IL
  3. 15 May 2005 at Wolstein Center At Cleveland State University, Cleveland, OH
  4. 17 May 2005 at Tower Theater, Upper Darby, PA
  5. 06 Jun 2005 at Palalottomatica, Rome, Italy
  6. 16 Jun 2005 at Philipshalle, Dusseldorf, Germany
  7. 22 Jun 2005 at Forum København, Copenhagen, Denmark
  8. 23 Jun 2005 at Scandinavium, Gothenburg, Sweden
  9. 23 Jul 2005 at Philips Arena, Atlanta, GA
  10. 07 Oct 2005 at Hartford Civic Center, Hartford, CT
  11. 15 Oct 2005 at Dane County Arena At Alliant Center, Madison, WI
  12. 24 Oct 2005 at Richmond Coliseum, Richmond, VA
  13. 08 Nov 2005 at Wachovia Spectrum, Philadelphia, PA

In preparation for the Magic Tour, INCIDENT ON 57TH STREET is known to have been practiced during at least one of the private rehearsals that took place in September 2007 in Asbury Park prior to the tour's first leg.

  1. 11 Sep 2007 at Convention Hall, Asbury Park, NJ (private rehearsal)

INCIDENT ON 57TH STREET was performed 11 times during the Magic Tour (100 dates, October 2007 to August 2008). The song was played in its traditional full-band arrangement. The first four of these performances featured Danny Federici on organ (see the live 06 Oct 2007 version) while the rest featured Charles Giordano on organ (see the live 31 Jul 2008 version).

  1. 06 Oct 2007 at Wachovia Center, Philadelphia, PA (with Danny Federici on organ)
  2. 10 Oct 2007 at Continental Airlines Arena, East Rutherford, NJ (with Danny Federici on organ)
  3. 15 Oct 2007 at Air Canada Centre, Toronto, Canada (with Danny Federici on organ)
  4. 02 Nov 2007 at Xcel Energy Center, Saint Paul, MN (with Danny Federici on organ)
  5. 28 Nov 2007 at Datch Forum, Milan, Italy (with Charles Giordano on organ)
  6. 10 Mar 2008 at Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Uniondale, NY (with Charles Giordano on organ)
  7. 24 Mar 2008 at Value City Arena, Columbus, OH (with Charles Giordano on organ)
  8. 05 Apr 2008 at HP Pavilion At San Jose, San Jose, CA (with Charles Giordano on organ)
  9. 21 Jun 2008 at HSH Nordbank Arena, Hamburg, Germany (with Charles Giordano on organ)
  10. 15 Jul 2008 at Estadio Anoeta, Donostia-San Sebastian, Spain (with Charles Giordano on organ)
  11. 31 Jul 2008 at Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, NJ (with Charles Giordano on organ)

INCIDENT ON 57TH STREET was performed 4 times during the Working On A Dream Tour (83 dates, April to November 2009). The song was played in a full-band arrangement. The live 07 Nov 2009 version of INCIDENT ON 57TH STREET was released on the MSG 11.07.09 official live download in 2020.

  1. 23 May 2009 at Izod Center, East Rutherford, NJ
  2. 14 Jul 2009 at Hampden Park, Glasgow, Scotland
  3. 21 Sep 2009 at Wells Fargo Arena, Des Moines, IA
  4. 07 Nov 2009 at Madison Square Garden, New York City, NY (complete The Wild, The Innocent, & The E Street Shuffle album performed)

INCIDENT ON 57TH STREET was performed 10 times during the Wrecking Ball Tour (133 dates, March 2012 to September 2013). On this tour, the song was played 8 times in a full-band arrangement and twice in a solo piano arrangement.

  1. 12 Apr 2012 at The Palace Of Auburn Hills, Auburn Hills, MI (full band)
  2. 05 Jul 2012 at Palais Omnisports De Paris-Bercy, Paris, France (full band)
  3. 24 Aug 2012 at Rogers Centre, Toronto, Canada (solo piano)
  4. 21 Sep 2012 at Metlife Stadium, East Rutherford, NJ (full band)
  5. 25 Oct 2012 at XL Center, Hartford, CT (full band)
  6. 17 Nov 2012 at Sprint Center, Kansas City, MO (full band)
  7. 06 Dec 2012 at Jobing.com Arena, Glendale, AZ (solo piano)
  8. 16 Mar 2013 at Brisbane Entertainment Centre, Brisbane, Australia (full band)
  9. 31 Mar 2013 at Hanging Rock, Macedon, Australia (full band)
  10. 11 Jul 2013 at Ippodromo Delle Capannelle, Rome, Italy (full band)

INCIDENT ON 57TH STREET was performed once during the High Hopes Tour (34 dates, January to May 2014), on 26 Feb 2014 in Brisbane, Australia. The song was played in a full-band arrangement. Audio recordings for most High Hopes Tour shows are officially available for purchase. See the live 26 Feb 2014 version for more details.

  1. 26 Feb 2014 at Brisbane Entertainment Centre, Brisbane, Australia (complete The Wild, The Innocent, & The E Street Shuffle album performed)

INCIDENT ON 57TH STREET was performed 8 times during The River Tour 2016 (75 dates, January to September 2016). On this tour, the song was played twice in a solo piano arrangement (as show opener) and 6 times in a full-band arrangement. Audio recordings for all The River Tour 2016 shows are officially available for purchase.

  1. 29 May 2016 at Croke Park, Dublin, Ireland (solo piano)
  2. 11 Jul 2016 at AccorHotels Arena, Paris, France (solo piano)
  3. 30 Aug 2016 at Metlife Stadium, East Rutherford, NJ (full band)
  4. 01 Sep 2016 at Nationals Park, Washington, DC (full band)
  5. 05 Sep 2016 at Veterans United Home Loans Amphitheater, Virginia Beach, VA (full band)
  6. 07 Sep 2016 at Citizens Bank Park, Philadelphia, PA (full band)
  7. 11 Sep 2016 at Consol Energy Center, Pittsburgh, PA (full band)
  8. 14 Sep 2016 at Gillette Stadium, Foxborough, MA (full band)

INCIDENT ON 57TH STREET was performed once during the Summer '17 Tour (14 dates, January and February 2017), on 22 Jan 2017 in Perth, Australia. The song was played in a full-band arrangement. Audio recordings for all Summer '17 Tour shows are officially available for purchase.

  1. 22 Jan 2017 at Perth Arena, Perth, Australia

Live History: off-tour

INCIDENT ON 57TH STREET was performed during two of the five 2001 Asbury Park holiday shows. These concerts were billed as "Bruce Springsteen with The Max Weinberg 7 and Friends", with The Max Weinberg 7 serving as the house band, and Springsteen bringing guests on and off the stage throughout the shows. On these shows the song was played in an arrangement featuring Bruce Springsteen on piano and vocals, Soozie Tyrell on violin and backup vocals, Patti Scialfa on backup vocals, and Lisa Lowell on backup vocals. See the live 08 Dec 2001 version.

Bruce Springsteen appeared at a total of six Joe Grushecky & The Houserockers concerts at Soldiers & Sailors Memorial Hall & Museum in Pittsburgh, PA, in 2010, 2011, and 2014. INCIDENT ON 57TH STREET was performed on 04 Nov 2011 and 22 May 2014. The song was played solo on acoustic guitar.

  1. 04 Nov 2011 at Soldiers & Sailors Memorial Hall & Museum, Pittsburgh, PA
  2. 22 May 2014 at Soldiers & Sailors Memorial Hall & Museum, Pittsburgh, PA

INCIDENT ON 57TH STREET was performed during the twelfth (2012) annual Light Of Day benefit. The song was played solo acoustic.

  1. 14 Jan 2012 at Paramount Theatre, Asbury Park, NJ (during the twelfth annual Light Of Day benefit)

Covers

At least 5 artists have recorded and released Bruce Springsteen's INCIDENT ON 57TH STREET.

Lorenzo Bertocchini -- Hearts Of Stone: Some Bruce Springsteen Songs
Lorenzo Bertocchini -- Hearts Of Stone: Some Bruce Springsteen Songs

CD - no label (GOMB 16) - Italy, 2009

This is a Bruce Springsteen tribute album.
Clinton Curtis -- Rock N Roll Chameleon
Clinton Curtis -- Rock N Roll Chameleon

Digital album - no label (no catalog number) - USA, 2011

This is a download-only digital album.
Jessica Roemischer -- Haven
Jessica Roemischer -- Haven

CD - no label (no catalog number) - USA, 2011
Moa Holmsten -- Bruised Arms & Broken Rhythm
Moa Holmsten -- Bruised Arms & Broken Rhythm

CD - Fill In The Blank Records (no catalog number) - USA, 2015

This is a Bruce Springsteen tribute album.
David Furtado -- Tribute to Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band
David Furtado -- Tribute to Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band

Digital album - no label (no catalog number) - Portugal, 2020

This is a download-only digital Bruce Springsteen tribute album.

Credits / References

Thanks Jake (ol'catfishinthelake at BTX and Greasy Lake) for the lyrics help.

Some of the above info about the studio recording and the live performances is taken from Brucebase.

Available Versions

List of available versions of INCIDENT ON 57TH STREET on this website:

INCIDENT ON 57TH STREET [Album version]
INCIDENT ON 57TH STREET [Early draft]
INCIDENT ON 57TH STREET [Live 29 Jan 1974 version]
INCIDENT ON 57TH STREET [Live 05 Feb 1975 version]
INCIDENT ON 57TH STREET [Live 11 Oct 1975 (late show) version]
INCIDENT ON 57TH STREET [Live 07 Apr 1976 version]
INCIDENT ON 57TH STREET [Live 25 Mar 1977 version]
INCIDENT ON 57TH STREET [Live 20 Sep 1978 version]
INCIDENT ON 57TH STREET [Live 29 Dec 1980 version]
INCIDENT ON 57TH STREET [Live 25 Sep 1999 version]
INCIDENT ON 57TH STREET [Live 23 Oct 1999 version]
INCIDENT ON 57TH STREET [Live 08 Dec 2001 version]
INCIDENT ON 57TH STREET [Live 16 Oct 2002 version]
INCIDENT ON 57TH STREET [Live 27 Oct 2002 version]
INCIDENT ON 57TH STREET [Live 11 Aug 2003 version]
INCIDENT ON 57TH STREET [Live 08 Nov 2005 version]
INCIDENT ON 57TH STREET [Live 06 Oct 2007 version]
INCIDENT ON 57TH STREET [Live 31 Jul 2008 version]
INCIDENT ON 57TH STREET [Live 07 Nov 2009 version]
INCIDENT ON 57TH STREET [Live 26 Feb 2014 version]

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