THUNDER ROAD

Live 29 Apr 2003 version



Bruce Springsteen (spoken intro):This is for Bobby!

Jon Bon Jovi:The screen door slams, Mary's dress waves
Yeah, like a vision she dances across the porch as the radio plays
And Roy Orbison singing for the lonely
Hey, that's me and I want you only
Don't turn me home again
I just can't face myself alone again
Bruce Springsteen:Don't you run back inside, darling, you know just what I'm here for
So you're scared and you're thinking that maybe we ain't so young anymore
Show a little faith, there's magic in the night
You ain't a beauty, but, hey, you're all right
Oh, and that's all right with me
One, two, three!

Jon Bon Jovi:You can hide 'neath your covers and study your pain
Make crosses from your lovers, throw roses in the rain
Waste your summers praying in vain for your savior to rise from these streets
Bruce Springsteen:Well, I'm no hero, that's understood
All the redemption I can offer, girl, is beneath this dirty hood
With a chance to make it good somehow
Well, what else can we do now
Jon Bon Jovi:Except roll down the window and let the wind blow back your hair
Well, the night's busted open, these two lanes will take us anywhere
Bruce Springsteen:Yeah, we got one last chance to make it real
To trade in these wings on some wheels
Climb in back, heaven's waiting down on the tracks

Jon Bon Jovi:Whoa, oh, come take my hand
We're riding out tonight to case the promised land
Whoa, oh, oh, oh, Thunder Road, oh, Thunder Road, oh, Thunder Road
Lying out there like a killer in the sun
Hey, I know it's late, but we can make it if we run
Whoa, oh, oh, Thunder Road, sit tight, take hold, Thunder Road

Jon Bon Jovi:Well, I got my guitar and I learned how to make it talk
The car's out back if you're ready to take that long walk
Bruce Springsteen:From your front porch to my front seat
The door's open but the ride, it ain't free
Yeah, I know you're lonely, there's words that I ain't spoken
But tonight, girl, we'll be free, all the promises will be broken
Jon Bon Jovi:There were ghosts in the eyes of all the boys you sent away
They haunt this dusty beach road in the skeleton frames of burned out Chevrolets
They scream your name at night in the streets
Your graduation gown lies in rags at their feet
And in the lonely cool before dawn
You hear their engines roaring on
But when you get to the porch, they're gone on the wind
Bruce Springsteen:So Mary climb in
It's a town full of losers, we're pulling out of here to win
Jon Bon Jovi:Hey!

Info

The above lyrics are for the live 29 Apr 2003 performance of THUNDER ROAD at Count Basie Theatre in Asbury Park, NJ, during "The Hope Concert" benefit. The song was played in a full-band version, with Bruce Springsteen backed by the Max Weinberg 7, plus Bobby Bandiera on guitar, and joined by Jon Bon Jovi on guitar and vocals.

The 29 Apr 2003 Show

The 29 Apr 2003 show at Count Basie Theatre, billed "The Hope Concert", was a benefit for Robert Bandiera Jr., son of Bobby Bandiera, who suffers from a rare neurological disorder and requires full time care. Along with Bobby Bandiera and his band, the concert featured Bruce Springsteen, Jon Bon Jovi, Gary U.S. Bonds, The Max Weinberg 7, Southside Johnny, and others.

Promotional poster for the 29 Apr 2003 show at Count Basie Theatre, Red Bank, NJ
Promotional poster for the 29 Apr 2003 show at Count Basie Theatre, Red Bank, NJ
Ticket stub for the 29 Apr 2003 show at Count Basie Theatre, Red Bank, NJ
Ticket stub for the 29 Apr 2003 show at Count Basie Theatre, Red Bank, NJ
(Taken from Brucebase)

Bobby Bandiera is a New Jersey guitarist and songwriter whose relationship with Bruce Springsteen dates back to the early eighties, when Bandiera was the front man of Cats On A Smooth Surface. The band was throughout the eighties the house band at The Stone Pony in Asbury Park, NJ. They backed Springsteen on drop-in appearances mostly at The Stone Pony but also at other clubs around the Jersey Shore. Bandiera was reportedly considered for the guitarist position in the E Street Band for the Born In The U.S.A. Tour in 1984 when Steve Van Zandt left the band, but this position went to Nils Lofgren. Bandiera joined Southside Johnny and The Asbury Jukes in 1985, and continued to perform with Springsteen at various off-tour shows, including club appearances, benefit concerts, and Holiday shows. Bandiera remains one of Springsteen's most frequent non-E Street Band musical mates.

  1. THIS TIME IT'S FOR REAL (with all performers)
  2. THE E STREET SHUFFLE (with The Max Weinberg 7)
  3. TENTH AVENUE FREEZE-OUT (with The Max Weinberg 7)
  4. JOLE BLON (with Gary U.S. Bonds)
  5. THE FEVER (with Southside Johnny)
  6. KITTY'S BACK (with The Max Weinberg 7 and Bobby Bandiera)
  7. SOUL DEEP (with Gary U.S. Bonds)
  8. THIS LITTLE GIRL (with Gary U.S. Bonds)
  9. THUNDER ROAD (with Jon Bon Jovi and The Max Weinberg 7)
  10. ROSALITA (COME OUT TONIGHT) (with Jon Bon Jovi and The Max Weinberg 7)
  11. A CHANGE IS GONNA COME (with all performers)
  12. HAVING A PARTY (with all performers)
  13. COLD SWEAT (with all performers)
  14. TWIST AND SHOUT (with all performers)
  15. QUARTER TO THREE (with all performers)
  16. SEVEN NIGHTS TO ROCK (with all performers)

Credits

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

Available Versions

List of available versions of THUNDER ROAD on this website:

THUNDER ROAD [Album version]
THUNDER ROAD [Early draft]
THUNDER ROAD [Alternative version #1]
THUNDER ROAD [Alternative version #2]
THUNDER ROAD [Alternative version #3]
THUNDER ROAD [Alternative version #4]
THUNDER ROAD [Live 05 Feb 1975 version]
THUNDER ROAD [Live 20 Jul 1975 version]
THUNDER ROAD [Live 17 Oct 1975 (early show) version]
THUNDER ROAD [Live 18 Oct 1975 (early show) version]
THUNDER ROAD [Live 18 Nov 1975 version]
THUNDER ROAD [Live 31 Dec 1975 version]
THUNDER ROAD [Live 07 Apr 1976 version]
THUNDER ROAD [Live 25 Mar 1977 version]
THUNDER ROAD [Live 13 May 1977 (early show) version]
THUNDER ROAD [Live 13 Sep 1977 version]
THUNDER ROAD [Live 19 Sep 1978 version]
THUNDER ROAD [Live 08 Dec 1978 version]
THUNDER ROAD [Live 21 Sep 1979 version]
THUNDER ROAD [Live 22 Sep 1979 version]
THUNDER ROAD [Live 03 Oct 1980 version]
THUNDER ROAD [Live 03 Jul 1981 version]
THUNDER ROAD [Live 08 Jun 1984 version]
THUNDER ROAD [Live 19 Nov 1984 version]
THUNDER ROAD [Live 27 Jul 1988 version]
THUNDER ROAD [Live 02 Sep 1988 version]
THUNDER ROAD [Live 16 Nov 1990 version]
THUNDER ROAD [Live 22 Sep 1992 version]
THUNDER ROAD [Live 28 Sep 1992 version]
THUNDER ROAD [Live 24 Jun 1993 version]
THUNDER ROAD [Live 15 Feb 1995 version]
THUNDER ROAD [Live 21 Feb 1995 version]
THUNDER ROAD [Live 05 Apr 1995 (Sony Music Studios) version]
THUNDER ROAD [Live 09 Jul 1995 version]
THUNDER ROAD [Live 05 May 1997 version]
THUNDER ROAD [Live 22 May 1997 version]
THUNDER ROAD [Live 31 Jan 1998 version]
THUNDER ROAD [Live 23 Oct 1999 version]
THUNDER ROAD [Live 27 Jun 2000 version]
THUNDER ROAD [Live 27 Jun 2000 / 01 Jul 2000 version]
THUNDER ROAD [Live 01 Jul 2000 version]
THUNDER ROAD [Live 19 Oct 2001 version]
THUNDER ROAD [Live 29 Aug 2002 version]
THUNDER ROAD [Live 04 Oct 2002 version]
THUNDER ROAD [Live 16 Oct 2002 version]
THUNDER ROAD [Live 19 Feb 2003 version]
THUNDER ROAD [Live 29 Apr 2003 version]
THUNDER ROAD [Live 22 Jun 2003 version]
THUNDER ROAD [Live 01 Nov 2004 version]
THUNDER ROAD [Live 04 Apr 2005 version]
THUNDER ROAD [Live 12 Oct 2005 version]
THUNDER ROAD [Live 07 Nov 2007 version]
THUNDER ROAD [Live 09 Nov 2007 version]
THUNDER ROAD [Live 14 Mar 2008 version]
THUNDER ROAD [Live 07 May 2008 version]
THUNDER ROAD [Live 18 Jun 2008 version]
THUNDER ROAD [Live 23 Aug 2008 version]
THUNDER ROAD [Live 04 Oct 2008 version]
THUNDER ROAD [Live 16 Oct 2008 version]
THUNDER ROAD [Live 30 May 2009 version]
THUNDER ROAD [Live 17 Nov 2009 version]
THUNDER ROAD [Live 22 Nov 2009 version]
THUNDER ROAD [Live 04 Nov 2010 version]
THUNDER ROAD [Live 15 Jan 2011 version]
THUNDER ROAD [Live 03 Nov 2011 version]
THUNDER ROAD [Live 04 Nov 2011 version]
THUNDER ROAD [Live 14 Jan 2012 version]
THUNDER ROAD [Live 09 Mar 2012 version]
THUNDER ROAD [Live 06 Apr 2012 version]
THUNDER ROAD [Live 07 Nov 2016 version]
THUNDER ROAD [Live July 2018 version]
THUNDER ROAD [Greg Kihn's cover version]
THUNDER ROAD [Badly Drawn Boy's cover version]
THUNDER ROAD [Cowboy Junkies' cover version]
THUNDER ROAD [Kevin Rowland's cover version]

Page last updated: 13 May 2012