GROWIN' UP

Album version



Well I stood stone-like at midnight suspended in my masquerade
And I combed my hair till it was just right and commanded the night brigade
I was open to pain and crossed by the rain and I walked on a crooked crutch
I strode all alone into a fallout zone, came out with my soul untouched
I hid in the clouded wrath of the crowd, when they said "sit down" I stood up
Ooh, ooh, growin' up

The flag of piracy flew from my mast, my sails were set wing to wing
I had a jukebox graduate for first mate, she couldn't sail but she sure could sing
And I pushed B-52 and bombed 'em with the blues with my gear set stubborn on standing
I broke all the rules, strafed my old high school, never once gave thought to landing
I hid in the clouded warmth of the crowd, when they said "come down" I threw up
Ooh, ooh, growin' up
Looking back, now!

I took month-long vacations in the stratosphere and you know it's really hard to hold your breath
Swear I lost everything I ever loved or feared, I was the cosmic kid in full costume dress
But my feet they finally took root in the earth but I got me a nice little place in the stars
And I swear I found the key to the universe in the engine of an old parked car
I hid in the mother breast of the crowd, when they said "pull down" I pulled up
Ooh, ooh, growin' up
Ooh, ooh, growin' up
Hoohoo


Info

GROWIN' UP is a song written by Bruce Springsteen and released on his 1973 album Greetings From Asbury Park, N.J. The above lyrics are for Bruce Springsteen's album version of GROWIN' UP as released in 1973.


The album version of GROWIN' UP was included on The Essential Bruce Springsteen (2015 edition) compilation album.

GROWIN' UP became a live favorite in the 70's and 80's, often including a long spoken story about Springsteen's youth and his problems with his father.

Writing and Recording

GROWIN' UP was written in 1971, as Springsteen recalled when introducing the song during his 09 Aug 1978 concert in Cleveland, OH. See the live 09 Aug 1978 version. ELOISE, a 1972 unreleased demo, shares similar music with GROWIN' UP.

GROWIN' UP was recorded during the Greetings From Asbury Park, N.J. album recording sessions at 914 Sound Studios in Blauvelt, NY. The track, as well as the whole album, was produced by Mike Appel and Jimmy Cretecos.

Two studio versions of the song are in circulation among collectors: the album version and an outtake version. They were likely recorded around Jul-Aug 1972 at 914 Sound Studios in Blauvelt, NY. The Jul-Aug 1972 sessions at 914 Sound Studios were produced by Mike Appel and Jim Cretecos, and Louis Lahav took the role of recording engineer. The above lyrics transcribed from the album version of GROWIN' UP. The album version and the outtake version are probably the same core recording, but a different vocal take. Bruce Springsteen plays guitar and sings vocals on this track (the album version), and is backed by Vini Lopez on drums, David Sancious on piano and keyboards, and Garry Tallent on electric bass. According to Sony's logs of Bruce Springsteen's studio sessions, GROWIN' UP was cut on 07 Jun 1972 (the first studio session for the Greetings From Asbury Park, N.J. album) and on 27 Jun 1972 at 914 Sound Studios. It is not clear if the album version and/or the outtake version were from either the 07 Jun 1972 session or the 27 Jun 1972 sessions, or form a later session.

A solo demo of GROWIN' UP was performed and recorded during Springsteen's first formal studio audition for CBS Records on 03 May 1972, and was later published on the Tracks box set in 1998 and the 18 Tracks collection in 1999. It features Springsteen solo on vocals and acoustic guitar. See the 03 May 1972 demo version for more details. Another solo demo of GROWIN' UP was performed during an informal audition for CBS Records on 02 May 1972. See the "1971-1972 Auditions" section below for more details.

GROWIN' UP appears on two Springsteen handwritten song lists that were put up for auction in July 2012 (below left) and December 2013 (below right) on GottaHaveRockAndRoll.com. The auction site claims the first to be a setlist and the second to be a song list for Springsteen's first album, but they're both most probably lists of songs that Springsteen was considering taking into the studio at the very early stages of the Greetings From Asbury Park, N.J. recording sessions (June 1972).

1972 handwritten song list
1972 handwritten song list
1972 handwritten song list
1972 handwritten song list

The solo acoustic guitar version recorded during Springsteen's 1972 audition for CBS Records was released on the Tracks box set in 1998 and the 18 Tracks collection in 1999. See the 03 May 1972 demo version for more details. The studio outtake from the Greetings From Asbury Park, N.J. sessions is circulating on bootlegs. See the outtake version for more details.

1971-1972 Auditions

On 04 Nov 1971, Carl "Tinker" West, then-manager of The Bruce Springsteen Band, drove Bruce Springsteen to New York City to introduce him to Mike Appel, a songwriter who carried on his songwriting activities jointly with Jim Cretecos. Appel was then employed at Pocketful Of Tunes Inc., Wes Farrell's publishing company in New York City, NY, and the meeting took place at Pocketful Of Tunes. Springsteen performed two or three songs, some on piano and some on acoustic guitar. Only Appel and West were present at this first meeting. Appel has stated in interview that he was not particularly impressed by what he heard at this initial audition but did see raw creativity in the lyrics of BABY DOLL. That performance was not recorded and the titles of the other song(s) performed remain unclear. Appel indicated an interest in promoting them in some way and the meeting ended with an agreement to keep in touch but no commitments from either party.

  • BABY DOLL

Meanwhile Springsteen continued gigging with The Bruce Springsteen Band in New Jersey and Virginia and visited his family in California for a few weeks around the holidays. The next meeting between Springsteen and Appel took place on 14 Feb 1972. Springsteen performed a set of seven songs at Appel's office at Pocketful Of Tunes. The songs were performed live solo on acoustic guitar to an audience of three: Mike Appel, Jim Cretecos, and Bob Spitz. Spitz recorded the performance on a reel-to-reel tape recorder. IT'S HARD TO BE A SAINT IN THE CITY was performed a second time at the request of Appel who reportedly was dazzled the lyrics. After that performance Appel and Cretecos began putting the wheels in motion to sign Springsteen to a comprehensive range of contracts.

  • NO NEED
  • COWBOYS OF THE SEA
  • IF I WAS THE PRIEST
  • IT'S HARD TO BE A SAINT IN THE CITY [take #1, fast version]
  • IT'S HARD TO BE A SAINT IN THE CITY [take #2, slow version]
  • THE ANGEL
  • HOLLYWOOD KIDS
  • ARABIAN NIGHTS
  • FOR YOU

In March 1972, it was agreed that Appel and Cretecos would promote Springsteen's interests. For that purpose, Appel and Cretecos formed three partnerships owned equally by the two: Laurel Canyon Management to act as Springsteen's manager, Laurel Canyon Productions to cover his recording activities, and Sioux City Music Inc to cover his songwriting activities. In the meantime, Springsteen entered into an "Exclusive Management Contract" with Laurel Canyon Management and an "Exclusive Recording Contract" with Laurel Canyon Productions, but did not sign any songwriting agreement at this time, apparently wishing to think this matter over a bit longer. The two contracts were signed at Appel's office.

Appel wanted to sign Springsteen to Columbia Records. He could not arrange a meeting with label head Clive Davis but was able to arrange one with CBS A&R Manager and talent scout John Hammond. An informal private audition took place around 10:30 AM on 02 May 1972 in Hammond's office in the A&R Department at Columbia Records in New York City. John Hammond and Mike Appel were the only two present at the audition. All songs were performed on acoustic guitar and the performance, which lasted about 30 to 40 minutes, was not recorded but based on the collective recollections of the attendees at least the following four songs were played:

  • GROWIN' UP
  • IT'S HARD TO BE A SAINT IN THE CITY
  • MARY QUEEN OF ARKANSAS
  • IF I WAS THE PRIEST

In a 1980 interview, Hammond mentioned he wasn't all that enamored with MARY QUEEN OF ARKANSAS, but that he loved all the other songs that Springsteen performed that morning. "It was a big, big day for me," Springsteen told Mark Hagen in an interview for Mojo magazine published in January 1999. "I was twenty-two and came up on the bus with an acoustic guitar with no case which I'd borrowed from the drummer from The Castiles. I was embarrassed carrying it around the city. I walked into [John Hammond's] office and had the audition and I played a couple of songs and he said, 'You've got to be on Columbia Records. But I need to see you play. And I need to hear how you sound on tape.'"

Springsteen said that he and Mike Appel "walked all around the Village trying to find some place that would let somebody just get up on stage and play. We went to the Bitter End, it didn't work out. We went to another club. And finally we went to the old Gaslight on MacDougal Street and the guy says, 'Yeah, we have an open night where you can come down and play for half an hour'. There were about 10 people in the place and I played for about half an hour." The performance took place at the Gaslight Au Go Go club in New York City. No recording has emanated from this club appearance which lasted about 30 minutes and included just 4 or 5 songs. Both Springsteen and Appel have mentioned these two tracks as having been played:

  • GROWIN' UP
  • IT'S HARD TO BE A SAINT IN THE CITY

John Hammond was impressed. "The kid absolutely knocked me out," he told Newsweek in 1975. "I only hear somebody really good once every ten years, and not only was Bruce the best, he was a lot better than Dylan when I first heard him." As Springsteen recalled, Hammond said, "Gee, that was great. I want you to come to the Columbia Recording Studio and make a demo tape". He invited Springsteen back to CBS to make a studio demo audition tape the following day. Springsteen said, "A demo I made at Bill Graham's studio in San Francisco in '69 was the only other time I'd ever been in a real recording studio. Columbia was very old-fashioned: everybody in ties and shirts; the engineer was in a white shirt and a tie and was probably 50, 55 years old, it was just him and John and Mike Appel there, and he just hits the button and gives you your serial number, and off you go. I was excited. I felt I'd written some good songs and this was my shot. I had nothing to lose and it was like the beginning of something."

Springsteen's first "formal" studio audition for CBS took place on 03 May 1972 at CBS Studios in New York City. The session consisted of 12 songs. Click on any of the below links for more details.

Four of the tracks recorded during that demo session would be officially released in 1998 on the Tracks box set. John Hammond's introduction of the audition was kept intact at the start of MARY QUEEN OF ARKANSAS which opens the box set. Hammond was prepared to sign Bruce on the spot but administrative formalities within CBS meant that it would take several weeks for that to become reality. According to Clinton Heylin's 2012 book E Street Shuffle: The Glory Days of Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band, Hammond send Clive Davis a dub of the audition and a memo saying: "Here is a copy of a couple of the reels of Bruce Springsteen, a very talented kid who recorded these twelve songs in a period of around two hours last Wednesday... I think we better act quickly because many people heard the boy at The Gaslight so that his fame is beginning to spread." Davis responded the next day, "I love Bruce Springsteen! He's an original in every respect. I'd like to meet him if you can arrange it."

Springsteen told Mark Hagen, "I knew a lot about John Hammond, the work he'd done, the people he'd discovered, his importance in music and it was very exciting to feel you were worth his time. No matter what happened afterwards, even it was just for this one night, you were worth his time. That meant a lot to me. He was very encouraging – simply being in that room with him at the board was one of my greatest recording experiences."

According to Heylin, Hammond thought that Springsteen might be better off on the Epic subsidiary, but Mike Appel intercepted: "[Hammond] decided that Bruce should be with the younger people at Epic and not with the stodgier, older people at Columbia – and he got this in his head. I always felt that Columbia was the classiest label on the planet. I just always saw [Bruce's] record going round on that red label, just like Dylan's did."

About a week following the audition, Springsteen entered into an "Exclusive Songwriting Contract" with Sioux City Music Inc and a new/revised "Exclusive Management Contract" with Laurel Canyon Management. The two contracts were signed at the office of New York attorney Jules Kurz, a sole practitioner specializing in music and entertainment law who was then handling Appel and Cretecos' business affairs. This new management agreement replaced the one from March and made changes in remuneration and compensation rates between the parties; it was a better deal for Springsteen than the previous one.

Following the signing of the agreements, Springsteen began a series of demo sessions for Sioux City Music Inc in May and June 1972. The session took place at two locations in New York City: Wes Farrell's Pocketful Of Sounds Studios where Appel was then still employed, and the apartment of Jim Cretecos. There were multiple sessions held at each location and the session dates at the two locations may have actually intertwined. Cretecos' apartment was utilized due to the limited availability of the studio at Pocketful Of Sounds. Cretecos was an electronics engineer and was able to emulate a reasonable recording environment in his apartment, so much so that it is difficult to distinguish some of the recordings Bruce made in Cretecos' apartment from those made in a professional studio.

On 09 Jun 1972 Laurel Canyon Productions (describing itself as Laurel Canyon Productions Inc) entered into a recording agreement with CBS Records. This meant that Springsteen was not signed directly to CBS, but his services were subcontracted to CBS by Laurel Canyon. Under the recording agreement, all individual recordings made by Springsteen under the CBS agreement remained the property of Laurel Canyon Productions until such point that they were assigned and transferred to CBS. This contract was signed by CBS at CBS Records offices and by Mike Appel at Laurel Canyon Productions offices. Bruce Springsteen signed it too, on the hood of a car in a dimly lit bar parking lot in New York City. Appel had him sign it as a matter of courtesy and as a matter of endorsement – from a legal standpoint it was not necessary that Springsteen signs this agreement as the "Exclusive Recording Agreement" between him and Laurel Canyon Productions did not grant him the right to block or refuse this contract between Laurel Canyon Productions and CBS. The contract was varied in August 1972 to also cover the master tapes of certain songs which had been recorded prior to the date of the agreement.

Mike Appel and Jimmy Cretecos later decided to change their business structure and model. They wanted to cease the partnership model and incorporate their businesses with the two having a 50/50 split in shares of the new incorporated business entities. These matters did not involve Springsteen – his signature or permission was not required. Laurel Canyon Productions (the sound recordings partnership) became Laurel Canyon Limited (incorporated) on 28 Jun 1972, Sioux City Music Inc (the songwriting partnership) became Sioux City Music Limited (incorporated) on 05 Oct 1972, and Laurel Canyon Management (the management partnership) became Laurel Canyon Management Limited (incorporated) on 05 Mar 1973. The three new companies were incorporated in New York and Appel and Cretecos were appointed the first directors. Appel and Cretecos wanted to change the name of Sioux City to Laurel Canyon in order to have name consistency among their family of companies, so on 24 Apr 1973 Sioux City Music Limited changed its name to Laurel Canyon Music Limited. In January 1974 Jimmy Cretecos sold his 50% shareholding in each of the Laurel Canyon companies to Mike Appel, thus Appel becoming the sole owner of the companies.

Greetings From Asbury Park, N.J.

After signing the contract with CBS Records, Laurel Canyon Productions was to receive an immediate cash advance from CBS and this money was to be used to pay for the studio time to record Springsteen' debut album. A delay by CBS in delivering the advance money to Laurel Canyon Productions resulted in delaying the sessions till early July 1972. During June Springsteen had finalized the selection of the musicians that would be used for the initial sessions. The musicians chosen, with an ok from Appel and Cretecos, constituted the entire line-up of the former Bruce Springsteen Band: David Sancious on keyboards, Garry Tallent on bass, Vini Lopez on drums, and Steve Van Zandt on quitar. Van Zandt ended up partaking in almost none of the 914 Sound Studios band sessions because of a prior commitment to tour as a member of The Dovells backing group.

The recording sessions for Greetings From Asbury Park, N.J. spanned a period of five months, from early June to late October 1972 (the majority were in June), and they all took place at 914 Sound Studios in Blauvelt, NY. The core "band" sessions were completed in only about two weeks. No unreleased band recordings from the debut album sessions have surfaced. Following these band sessions the various band members scattered. It should be noted that Springsteen had not decided to form a touring band at this stage.

Springsteen spent the next few weeks recording solo material. It was during this period that differences of opinion surfaced about what material was going to dominate the eventually released album. There were two sides in this disagreement: Mike Appel and John Hammond wanted a solo-dominated LP while Jim Cretecos was in favor of a band-dominated one. Springsteen was undecided at first, but soon sided with Cretecos. Appel later said that he was so impressed by Bruce's lyrics and told him, "Who needs a band when you can write lyrics like that?" In early August a compromise was reached and the album track selection was decided upon, featuring five band recordings (DOES THIS BUS STOP AT 82ND STREET?, GROWIN' UP, IT'S HARD TO BE A SAINT IN THE CITY, FOR YOU, and LOST IN THE FLOOD) and five solo recordings (THE ANGEL, MARY QUEEN OF ARKANSAS, JAZZ MUSICIAN, ARABIAN NIGHTS, and VISITATION AT FORT HORN). On 10 Aug 1972 Laurel Canyon transferred the sound recording copyrights to these ten songs to CBS. It seemed the album was finalized, but when then CBS president Clive Davis listened to the tracks he commented that not only did he prefer the band tracks, but he also felt the album lacked a potential hit single. In essence Davis was siding with Springsteen's vision of the album as being more rock-orientated.

In August 1972 Springsteen composed two more commercial-sounding songs, BLINDED BY THE LIGHT and SPIRIT IN THE NIGHT. Consequently a further "band" session was required. However both Sancious and Tallent, then-employed at Alpha Sound Studios in Richmond, NJ, were unable to return to New York to record. Bruce wished to incorporate saxophone in both new songs and contacted Clarence Clemons, a then-member of Norman Seldin & The Joyful Noyze. So the studio session line-up for these two songs was Clemons, Lopez, and Springsteen who played all other instruments, except for the piano on BLINDED BY THE LIGHT which was handled by Harold Wheeler. BLINDED BY THE LIGHT and SPIRIT IN THE NIGHT were completed by early September. These two band recordings bumped three solo recordings: JAZZ MUSICIAN, ARABIAN NIGHTS, and VISITATION AT FORT HORN. Therefore the final album was reduced from 10 tracks to 9, encompassing 7 band tracks and 2 solo tracks. Columbia Records' original intention was to release the album in late November 1972, but decided the album might get overlooked among the massive amount of pre-Christmas releases so the LP was held back for until early January.

Greetings From Asbury Park, N.J. was released on Columbia Records on 05 Jan 1973. It was produced by Mike Appel and Jim Cretecos. The album received mixed but mostly positive reviews and some critics found it under-produced, as Appel and Cretecos tried to spend as little as possible from Columbia's $65,000 advance and recording budget. The album sold 25,000 copies only in its first year of release and did not chart until the summer of 1975 when the hype over the BORN TO RUN single attracted buyers to Springsteen's earlier albums.

Bruce Springsteen -- Greetings From Asbury Park, N.J.
Bruce Springsteen -- Greetings From Asbury Park, N.J.

The album features 9 new Springsteen compositions and clocks at 37:08.

The Essential Bruce Springsteen

The Essential Bruce Springsteen is a compilation album released as part of Sony BMG'S (previously Sony Music Entertainment) series of "Essential" sets. According to Springsteen's liner notes comments, the collection was intended as an introduction to his music for new fans who attended shows on The Rising Tour.

The collection is fundamentally a 2-disc set (clocking at 153:37) compiling songs from all of Springsteen's studio albums to date plus his Live In New York City release. A 3-disc limited edition (clocking at 201:04) was also released. It includes a bonus third disc comprising of a selection of rarities and previously unreleased recordings.

The Essential Bruce Springsteen was released on 11 Nov 2003 on Columbia Records. It debuted and peaked at #14 on the U.S. Billboard 200 album chart where it spent 13 weeks. It also reached #28 on the UK Albums Chart. The album was awarded certified gold and platinum records by the RIAA on 16 Dec 2003.

Bruce Springsteen -- The Essential Bruce Springsteen (2003 edition)
Bruce Springsteen -- The Essential Bruce Springsteen (2003 edition)

The Essential Bruce Springsteen was reissued on 16 Oct 2015, this time as a 2-disc set (clocking at 156:25) with an updated track list, compiling songs from all of Springsteen's studio albums to date plus his Greatest Hits (1995 edition) collection. This 2015 reissue features remastered tracks not found in that form on other Springsteen releases.

Bruce Springsteen -- The Essential Bruce Springsteen (2015 edition)
Bruce Springsteen -- The Essential Bruce Springsteen (2015 edition)

Other Official Releases

The album version of GROWIN' UP was also included a very rare US-only promo EP in 1974. It can also be found on two Bruce Springsteen promo-only samplers.

Bruce Springsteen -- "Spirit In The Night / Growin' Up / Rosalita (Come Out Tonight)"
Bruce Springsteen -- "Spirit In The Night / Growin' Up / Rosalita (Come Out Tonight)"

7" EP - Columbia (AE7 1088) - USA, 1974

US-only white label promotional EP, runs at 33⅓ rpm speed. Comes in a Columbia company sleeve.

A1- SPIRIT IN THE NIGHT
A2- GROWIN' UP
B1- ROSALITA (COME OUT TONIGHT)
Bruce Springsteen -- The Future Of Rock'n'Roll / 70's To 80's
Bruce Springsteen -- The Future Of Rock'n'Roll / 70's To 80's

2xCD - CBS/Sony (XADP 90009~10) - Japan, 1988

Japan-only promotional 2-CD set sampler compiling 28 tracks from Bruce Springsteen's first nine albums plus two 1988 live B-sides.

Disc 1: (70's)
01- THUNDER ROAD [Live 18 Oct 1975 (early show) version]
02- BLINDED BY THE LIGHT
03- RACING IN THE STREET
04- KITTY'S BACK
05- BADLANDS
06- GROWIN' UP
07- PROVE IT ALL NIGHT
08- 4TH OF JULY, ASBURY PARK (SANDY)
09- BACKSTREETS [Live 07 Jul 1978 version]
10- FOR YOU
11- TENTH AVENUE FREEZE-OUT
12- THE PROMISED LAND
13- ROSALITA (COME OUT TONIGHT) [Live 07 Jul 1978 version]
14- BORN TO RUN

Disc 2: (80's)
01- BORN IN THE U.S.A. [Live 30 Sep 1985 version]
02- BRILLIANT DISGUISE
03- DANCING IN THE DARK
04- CADILLAC RANCH [Live 06 Jul 1981 version]
05- WALK LIKE A MAN
06- WAR [Live 30 Sep 1985 version]
07- JOHNNY 99
08- HUNGRY HEART [Live 28 Dec 1980 version]
09- I WANNA MARRY YOU
10- MY HOMETOWN [Live 30 Sep 1985 version]
11- THE RIVER
12- GLORY DAYS
13- OUT IN THE STREET
14- TOUGHER THAN THE REST [Live 27 Apr 1988 version]
15- SPARE PARTS [Live 09 Jul 1988 version]
16- THIS LAND IS YOUR LAND [Live 29 Dec 1980 version]
Bruce Springsteen -- Tougher Than The Rest
Bruce Springsteen -- Tougher Than The Rest

CD - Columbia (BOSS1) - Sweden, 1992

Sweden-only promotional CD sampler used for both radio promotion and as a VIP giveaway item at the opening shows of Springsteen's 1992 tour in Stockholm. It contains 14 tracks from the first nine albums only. Two different pressings exist: the first comes in a standard jewel case with title front inlay and back insert (cover art on the left), and the second comes in a plain slimline case with no inlays.

Other versions of GROWIN' UP were also officially released.

Bruce Springsteen -- Tracks
The 03 May 1972 demo version of GROWIN' UP was first released on the Tracks box set in 1998.
John Hammond: From Bessie Smith To Bruce Springsteen
The live Aug 1972 version of GROWIN' UP was released on the John Hammond: From Bessie Smith To Bruce Springsteen home video in 1990.
Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band -- London 11/24/1975
The live 24 Nov 1975 version of GROWIN' UP was released on the London 11/24/1975 official live download in 2020.
Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band -- Palace Theatre, Albany 1977
The live 07 Feb 1977 version of GROWIN' UP was released on the Palace Theatre, Albany 1977 official live download in 2017.
Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band -- Berkeley, July 1, 1978
The live 01 Jul 1978 version of GROWIN' UP was released on the Berkeley, July 1, 1978 official live download in 2021.
Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band -- Live/1975-85
The live 07 Jul 1978 version of GROWIN' UP was released on the Live/1975-85 box set in 1986.
Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band -- The Agora, Cleveland 1978
The live 09 Aug 1978 version of GROWIN' UP was released on The Agora, Cleveland 1978 official live download in 2014.
Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band -- Brendan Byrne Arena, New Jersey 1984
The live 05 Aug 1984 version of GROWIN' UP was released on the Brendan Byrne Arena, New Jersey 1984 official live download in 2015.
Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band -- Brendan Byrne Arena, NJ August 20, 1984
The live 20 Aug 1984 version of GROWIN' UP was released on the Brendan Byrne Arena, NJ August 20, 1984 official live download in 2015.
Bruce Springsteen -- In Concert / MTV Plugged
The live 22 Sep 1992 version of GROWIN' UP was released on the In Concert / MTV Plugged home video in 1992.
Bruce Springsteen -- Freehold, NJ 1996 Saint Rose Of Lima School Gym
The live 08 Nov 1996 version of GROWIN' UP was released on the Freehold, NJ 1996 Saint Rose Of Lima School Gym official live download in 2018.
Bruce Springsteen -- Asbury Park 11/24/96
The live 24 Nov 1996 version of GROWIN' UP was released on the Asbury Park 11/24/96 official live download in 2019.
Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band -- Nice, France 1997
The live 18 May 1997 version of GROWIN' UP was released on the Nice, France 1997 official live download in 2021.
Bruce Springsteen -- Sovereign Bank Arena, Trenton, NJ 2005
The live 22 Nov 2005 version of GROWIN' UP was released on the Sovereign Bank Arena, Trenton, NJ 2005 official live download in 2019.
Bruce Springsteen -- Wembley Arena, November 11, 2006
The live 11 Nov 2006 version of GROWIN' UP was released on the Wembley Arena, November 11, 2006 official live download in 2020.
Bruce Springsteen with The Sessions Band -- Live In Dublin
The live 17 Nov 2006 version of GROWIN' UP was released on the Live In Dublin album and home video in 2007.
Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band -- St. Pete Times Forum, Tampa, FL, April 22, 2008
The live 22 Apr 2008 version of GROWIN' UP was released on the St. Pete Times Forum, Tampa, FL, April 22, 2008 official live download in 2019.
Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band -- HSBC Arena, Buffalo, NY 11/22/2009
The live 22 Nov 2009 version of GROWIN' UP was released on the HSBC Arena, Buffalo, NY 11/22/2009 official live download in 2016.
live.brucespringsteen.net
Audio recordings for most High Hopes Tour shows were officially released on live.brucespringsteen.net. These include 4 versions of GROWIN' UP.

  1. 26 Feb 2014 at Brisbane Entertainment Centre, Brisbane, Australia
  2. 08 Apr 2014 at U.S. Bank Arena, Cincinnati, OH
  3. 24 Apr 2014 at PNC Arena, Raleigh, NC
  4. 17 May 2014 at Mohegan Sun Arena, Uncasville, CT
live.brucespringsteen.net
Audio recordings for all The River Tour 2016 shows were officially released on live.brucespringsteen.net. These include 12 versions of GROWIN' UP.

  1. 23 Feb 2016 at Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland, OH
  2. 13 Mar 2016 at Oakland Arena, Oakland, CA
  3. 12 Apr 2016 at Schottenstein Center, Columbus, OH
  4. 29 May 2016 at Croke Park, Dublin, Ireland
  5. 03 Jul 2016 at Stadio Giuseppe Meazza, Milan, Italy
  6. 13 Jul 2016 at AccorHotels Arena, Paris, France
  7. 23 Aug 2016 at Metlife Stadium, East Rutherford, NJ
  8. 01 Sep 2016 at Nationals Park, Washington, DC
  9. 05 Sep 2016 at Veterans United Home Loans Amphitheater, Virginia Beach, VA
  10. 07 Sep 2016 at Citizens Bank Park, Philadelphia, PA
  11. 11 Sep 2016 at Consol Energy Center, Pittsburgh, PA
  12. 14 Sep 2016 at Gillette Stadium, Foxborough, MA
Bruce Springsteen -- Springsteen On Broadway
The live July 2018 version of GROWIN' UP was released on the Springsteen On Broadway album in 2018.

Live History: on-tour

SECTION NOT YET COMPLETED

GROWIN' UP is known to have been performed at least twice in Bruce Springsteen's early years (pre-October 1972), including on 02 May 1972 at the Gaslight Au Go Go club in New York City (read the "1971-1972 Auditions" section above for more details). Very little is known about shows from this early period, and therefore, the song may have been played on some more dates. The live Aug 1972 version of GROWIN' UP was released on the John Hammond: From Bessie Smith To Bruce Springsteen home video in 1990.

  1. 02 May 1972 at Gaslight Au Go Go, New York City, NY (Bruce Springsteen solo)
  2. Aug 1972 at Max's Kansas City, New York City, NY (Bruce Springsteen solo)

GROWIN' UP is known to have been performed at least 5 times during what is considered the Greetings From Asbury Park, N.J. Tour (October 1972 to September 1973). Many of that period's setlists are incomplete or unknown, and therefore, the song must have been played on some more dates during the Greetings From Asbury Park, N.J. Tour. Bruce Springsteen opened for headliner Biff Rose in 1973 during a 6-night stand (from 31 January and 05 February, two shows each night) at Max's Kansas City in New York City, NY. In the 17 Feb 1973 issue of Billboard magazine, Jim Melanson wrote a review on one of twelve shows Max's Kansas City mentioning five songs performed by Springsteen, including GROWIN' UP. The review could be for any of the twelve shows in the stand, but is more likely from one of the latter ones considering the late publication of the review. On this tour, the song was played in a full-band album-style arrangement which was somewhat slower than later versions.

  1. Jan 1973 at Paul's Mall, Boston, MA
  2. Feb 1973 at Max's Kansas City, New York City, NY
  3. 09 Jun 1973 at Boston Garden, Boston, MA
  4. 18 Jul 1973 (early show) at Max's Kansas City, New York City, NY
  5. 08 Sep 1973 at University Of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA

GROWIN' UP is known to have been performed at least 20 times during what is considered The Wild, The Innocent, & The E Street Shuffle Tour (September 1973 to March 1975). 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. On this tour, the song was played in a full-band album-style arrangement.

  1. 30 Oct 1973 (late show) at The Main Point, Bryn Mawr, PA
  2. 31 Oct 1973 (late show) at The Main Point, Bryn Mawr, PA
  3. 06 Jan 1974 at Joe's Place, Cambridge, MA
  4. 12 Jan 1974 at The Joint In The Woods, Parsippany, NJ
  5. 29 Jan 1974 at Muther's Music Emporium, Nashville, TN
  6. 12 Feb 1974 at University Of Kentucky, Lexington, KY
  7. 26 Apr 1974 at Brown University, Providence, RI
  8. 04 May 1974 at Montclair State University, Montclair, NJ
  9. 08 Nov 1974 at Ritz Music Hall, Corpus Christi, TX
  10. 23 Nov 1974 at Salem State College, Salem, MA
  11. 29 Nov 1974 at War Memorial Theatre, Trenton, NJ
  12. 06 Dec 1974 at State Theatre, New Brunswick, NJ
  13. 07 Dec 1974 at Geneva Theatre, Geneva, NY
  14. 08 Dec 1974 at Burlington Memorial Auditorium, Burlington, VT
  15. 05 Feb 1975 at The Main Point, Bryn Mawr, PA
  16. 06 Feb 1975 at Widener College, Chester, PA
  17. 18 Feb 1975 at John Carroll University, Cleveland, OH
  18. 19 Feb 1975 at Penn State University, University Park, PA
  19. 23 Feb 1975 at Westbury Music Fair, Westbury, NY
  20. 08 Mar 1975 at DAR Constitution Hall, Washington, DC

GROWIN' UP is known to have been performed at least 33 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 must have been played on some more dates during the Born To Run Tour. On this tour, the song was played in its full-band album-style arrangement. The live 24 Nov 1975 version of GROWIN' UP was released on the London 11/24/1975 official live download in 2020.

  1. 20 Jul 1975 at Palace Concert Theatre, Providence, RI
  2. 22 Jul 1975 at Geneva Theatre, Geneva, NY
  3. 23 Jul 1975 at Music Inn, Lenox, MA
  4. 25 Jul 1975 at Kutztown State College, Kutztown, PA
  5. 26 Jul 1975 at Kutztown State College, Kutztown, PA
  6. 28 Jul 1975 at Carter Barron Amphitheatre, Washington, DC
  7. 01 Aug 1975 at Mosque Theatre, Richmond, VA
  8. 08 Aug 1975 at Akron Civic Theatre, Akron, OH
  9. 10 Aug 1975 at Allen Theatre, Cleveland, OH
  10. 13 Aug 1975 (late show) at Bottom Line, New York City, NY
  11. 14 Aug 1975 (early show) at Bottom Line, New York City, NY
  12. 15 Aug 1975 (early show) at Bottom Line, New York City, NY
  13. 15 Aug 1975 (late show) at Bottom Line, New York City, NY
  14. 16 Aug 1975 (early show) at Bottom Line, New York City, NY
  15. 17 Aug 1975 (early show) at Bottom Line, New York City, NY
  16. 17 Aug 1975 (late show) at Bottom Line, New York City, NY
  17. 23 Aug 1975 at Alex Cooley's Electric Ballroom, Atlanta, GA
  18. 06 Sep 1975 at Theatre Of The Performing Arts, New Orleans, LA
  19. 12 Sep 1975 at Municipal Auditorium, Austin, TX
  20. 13 Sep 1975 at Music Hall, Houston, TX
  21. 14 Sep 1975 at Music Hall, Houston, TX
  22. 16 Sep 1975 at Dallas Convention Center Theater, Dallas, TX
  23. 21 Sep 1975 at Guthrie Theater, Minneapolis, MN
  24. 23 Sep 1975 at University Of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI
  25. 25 Sep 1975 at Auditorium Theatre, Chicago, IL
  26. 26 Sep 1975 at University Of Iowa, Iowa City, IA
  27. 24 Nov 1975 at Hammersmith Odeon, London, England
  28. 02 Dec 1975 at Music Hall, Boston, MA
  29. 03 Dec 1975 at Music Hall, Boston, MA
  30. 05 Dec 1975 at Georgetown University, Washington, DC
  31. 06 Dec 1975 at Georgetown University, Washington, DC
  32. 11 Dec 1975 at Seton Hall University, South Orange, NJ
  33. 30 Dec 1975 at Tower Theater, Upper Darby, PA

GROWIN' UP is known to have been performed at least 17 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 must have been played on some more dates during the Chicken Scratch Tour; it may have been a stable number during the tour. On this tour, the song was played in its full-band album-style arrangement.

  1. 25 Mar 1976 at Township Auditorium, Columbia, SC
  2. 04 Apr 1976 at Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI
  3. 05 Apr 1976 at Ohio Theatre, Columbus, OH
  4. 07 Apr 1976 at Allen Theatre, Cleveland, OH
  5. 08 Apr 1976 at Allen Theatre, Cleveland, OH
  6. 09 Apr 1976 at Colgate University, Hamilton, NY
  7. 10 Apr 1976 at Paul Mellon Arts Center, Wallingford, CT
  8. 13 Apr 1976 at Penn State University, University Park, PA
  9. 15 Apr 1976 at Syria Mosque, Pittsburgh, PA
  10. 17 Apr 1976 at University Of Rochester, Rochester, NY
  11. 22 Apr 1976 at Virginia Tech University, Blacksburg, VA
  12. 28 Apr 1976 at Grand Ole Opry House, Nashville, TN
  13. 29 Apr 1976 at Ellis Auditorium, Memphis, TN
  14. 03 May 1976 at Robinson Auditorium, Little Rock, AR
  15. 13 May 1976 at Municipal Auditorium, New Orleans, LA
  16. 27 May 1976 at Eisenhower Hall Auditorium, West Point, NY
  17. 28 May 1976 at Halsey Field House, Annapolis, MD

GROWIN' UP is known to have been performed at least 27 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. On this tour, the song was played in its full-band album-style arrangement. Before the Lawsuit Tour, GROWIN' UP did not feature a story in the break. The instrumental after the second verse was heavily extended on the first two Lawsuit Tour performances, and the third performance (30 Sep 1976) was the first to include a full spoken story. See the below live versions for more details. The live 07 Feb 1977 version of GROWIN' UP was released on the Palace Theatre, Albany 1977 official live download in 2017.

  1. 07 Aug 1976 at Monmouth Arts Center, Red Bank, NJ
  2. 26 Sep 1976 at Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Phoenix, AZ
  3. 30 Sep 1976 at Santa Monica Civic Auditorium, Santa Monica, CA
  4. 02 Oct 1976 at Paramount Theatre, Oakland, CA
  5. 05 Oct 1976 at Santa Barbara County Bowl, Santa Barbara, CA
  6. 09 Oct 1976 at University Of Notre Dame, South Bend, IN
  7. 10 Oct 1976 at Miami University, Oxford, OH
  8. 12 Oct 1976 at Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ
  9. 13 Oct 1976 at Kean College, Union, NJ
  10. 16 Oct 1976 at The College Of William And Mary, Williamsburg, VA
  11. 17 Oct 1976 at Georgetown University, Washington, DC
  12. 18 Oct 1976 at Georgetown University, Washington, DC
  13. 25 Oct 1976 at Spectrum, Philadelphia, PA
  14. 27 Oct 1976 at Spectrum, Philadelphia, PA
  15. 28 Oct 1976 at Palladium, New York City, NY
  16. 29 Oct 1976 at Palladium, New York City, NY
  17. 30 Oct 1976 at Palladium, New York City, NY
  18. 02 Nov 1976 at Palladium, New York City, NY
  19. 03 Nov 1976 at Palladium, New York City, NY
  20. 04 Nov 1976 at Palladium, New York City, NY
  21. 07 Feb 1977 at Palace Theatre, Albany, NY
  22. 13 Feb 1977 at Maple Leaf Gardens, Toronto, Canada
  23. 02 Mar 1977 at Civic Center Auditorium, Atlanta, GA
  24. 10 Mar 1977 at Sports Arena, Toledo, OH
  25. 20 Mar 1977 at Providence College, Providence, RI
  26. 23 Mar 1977 at Music Hall, Boston, MA
  27. 24 Mar 1977 at Music Hall, Boston, MA

GROWIN' UP is known to have been performed at least 53 times times during the Darkness On The Edge Of Town Tour (111 dates, May 1978 to January 1979), all up to early September. A few setlists from that period are incomplete or unknown, and therefore, the song may have been played on some more dates during the Darkness On The Edge Of Town Tour. On this tour, the song was played in its full-band album-style arrangement and featured a story in the break. The live 01 Jul 1978 version of GROWIN' UP was released on the Berkeley, July 1, 1978 official live download in 2021. The live 07 Jul 1978 version of GROWIN' UP was released on the Live/1975-85 box set in 1986. The live 09 Aug 1978 version of GROWIN' UP was released on The Agora, Cleveland 1978 official live download in 2014.

  1. 26 May 1978 at Spectrum, Philadelphia, PA
  2. 27 May 1978 at Spectrum, Philadelphia, PA
  3. 29 May 1978 at Music Hall, Boston, MA
  4. 30 May 1978 at Music Hall, Boston, MA
  5. 31 May 1978 at Music Hall, Boston, MA
  6. 02 Jun 1978 at Halsey Field House, Annapolis, MD
  7. 03 Jun 1978 at Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Uniondale, NY
  8. 08 Jun 1978 at Dane County Memorial Coliseum, Madison, WI
  9. 09 Jun 1978 at MECCA Arena, Milwaukee, WI
  10. 10 Jun 1978 at Metropolitan Sports Center, Bloomington, MN
  11. 13 Jun 1978 at University Of Iowa, Iowa City, IA
  12. 14 Jun 1978 at Civic Auditorium Music Hall, Omaha, NE
  13. 16 Jun 1978 at Memorial Hall, Kansas City, KS
  14. 20 Jun 1978 at Red Rocks Amphitheatre, Morrison, CO
  15. 24 Jun 1978 at Paramount Theatre, Portland, OR
  16. 25 Jun 1978 at Paramount Northwest Theatre, Seattle, WA
  17. 26 Jun 1978 at Queen Elizabeth Theatre, Vancouver, Canada
  18. 30 Jun 1978 at Berkeley Community Theatre, Berkeley, CA
  19. 01 Jul 1978 at Berkeley Community Theatre, Berkeley, CA
  20. 05 Jul 1978 at The Forum, Inglewood, CA
  21. 07 Jul 1978 at The Roxy Theatre, West Hollywood, CA
  22. 08 Jul 1978 at Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Phoenix, AZ
  23. 09 Jul 1978 at San Diego Sports Arena, San Diego, CA
  24. 12 Jul 1978 at Dallas Convention Center Theater, Dallas, TX
  25. 14 Jul 1978 at San Antonio Municipal Auditorium, San Antonio, TX
  26. 15 Jul 1978 at Sam Houston Coliseum, Houston, TX
  27. 16 Jul 1978 at Municipal Auditorium, New Orleans, LA
  28. 18 Jul 1978 at Jackson Municipal Auditorium, Jackson, MS
  29. 28 Jul 1978 at Jai Alai Fronton, Miami, FL
  30. 29 Jul 1978 at Bayfront Center Arena, St. Petersburg, FL
  31. 31 Jul 1978 at Township Auditorium, Columbia, SC
  32. 01 Aug 1978 at Gaillard Municipal Auditorium, Charleston, SC
  33. 04 Aug 1978 at Charleston Civic Center, Charleston, WV
  34. 05 Aug 1978 at Louisville Gardens, Louisville, KY
  35. 07 Aug 1978 at Wings Stadium, Kalamazoo, MI
  36. 09 Aug 1978 at The Agora, Cleveland, OH
  37. 10 Aug 1978 at Rochester Community War Memorial, Rochester, NY
  38. 12 Aug 1978 at Augusta Civic Center, Augusta, ME
  39. 14 Aug 1978 at Hampton Roads Coliseum, Hampton, VA
  40. 15 Aug 1978 at Capital Centre, Largo, MD
  41. 18 Aug 1978 at Spectrum, Philadelphia, PA
  42. 19 Aug 1978 at Spectrum, Philadelphia, PA
  43. 21 Aug 1978 at Madison Square Garden, New York City, NY
  44. 22 Aug 1978 at Madison Square Garden, New York City, NY
  45. 25 Aug 1978 at New Haven Veterans Memorial Coliseum, New Haven, CT
  46. 26 Aug 1978 at Providence Civic Center, Providence, RI
  47. 28 Aug 1978 at Stanley Theatre, Pittsburgh, PA
  48. 29 Aug 1978 at Stanley Theatre, Pittsburgh, PA
  49. 30 Aug 1978 at Richfield Coliseum, Richfield, OH
  50. 01 Sep 1978 at Masonic Temple Theatre, Detroit, MI
  51. 03 Sep 1978 at Saginaw Civic Center, Saginaw, MI
  52. 05 Sep 1978 at Veterans Memorial Auditorium, Columbus, OH
  53. 06 Sep 1978 at Uptown Theatre, Chicago, IL

GROWIN' UP is known to have been performed at least 18 times during The River Tour (138 dates, October 1980 to September 1981). 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. The song was played in its full-band album-style arrangement and featured a story in the break.

  1. 31 Oct 1980 at Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena, Los Angeles, CA
  2. 03 Nov 1980 at Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena, Los Angeles, CA
  3. 15 Nov 1980 at The Summit, Houston, TX
  4. 20 Nov 1980 at Rosemont Horizon, Rosemont, IL
  5. 24 Nov 1980 at Capital Centre, Largo, MD
  6. 27 Nov 1980 at Madison Square Garden, New York City, NY
  7. 30 Nov 1980 at Civic Arena, Pittsburgh, PA
  8. 08 Dec 1980 at Spectrum, Philadelphia, PA
  9. 16 Dec 1980 at Boston Garden, Boston, MA
  10. 18 Dec 1980 at Madison Square Garden, New York City, NY
  11. 19 Dec 1980 at Madison Square Garden, New York City, NY
  12. 21 Jan 1981 at Maple Leaf Gardens, Toronto, Canada
  13. 26 Jan 1981 at University Of Notre Dame, South Bend, IN
  14. 19 Jul 1981 at Spectrum, Philadelphia, PA
  15. 16 Aug 1981 at Red Rocks Amphitheatre, Morrison, CO
  16. 24 Aug 1981 at Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena, Los Angeles, CA
  17. 27 Aug 1981 at Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena, Los Angeles, CA
  18. 02 Sep 1981 at San Diego Sports Arena, San Diego, CA

GROWIN' UP was performed 38 times during the Born In The U.S.A. Tour (156 dates, June 1984 to October 1985). On this tour, the song was played in its full-band album-style arrangement and featured a story in the break which evolved into a skit with assorted crew members in the cast. The live 05 Aug 1984 version of GROWIN' UP was released on the Brendan Byrne Arena, New Jersey 1984 official live download in 2015. The live 20 Aug 1984 version of GROWIN' UP was released on the Brendan Byrne Arena, NJ August 20, 1984 official live download in 2015.

  1. 31 Jul 1984 at Joe Louis Arena, Detroit, MI
  2. 05 Aug 1984 at Brendan Byrne Arena, East Rutherford, NJ
  3. 08 Aug 1984 at Brendan Byrne Arena, East Rutherford, NJ
  4. 09 Aug 1984 at Brendan Byrne Arena, East Rutherford, NJ
  5. 11 Aug 1984 at Brendan Byrne Arena, East Rutherford, NJ
  6. 12 Aug 1984 at Brendan Byrne Arena, East Rutherford, NJ
  7. 19 Aug 1984 at Brendan Byrne Arena, East Rutherford, NJ
  8. 20 Aug 1984 at Brendan Byrne Arena, East Rutherford, NJ
  9. 26 Aug 1984 at Capital Centre, Largo, MD
  10. 29 Aug 1984 at Capital Centre, Largo, MD
  11. 05 Sep 1984 at Centrum In Worcester, Worcester, MA
  12. 08 Sep 1984 at Hartford Civic Center, Hartford, CT
  13. 12 Sep 1984 at Spectrum, Philadelphia, PA
  14. 14 Sep 1984 at Spectrum, Philadelphia, PA
  15. 18 Sep 1984 at Spectrum, Philadelphia, PA
  16. 22 Sep 1984 at Civic Arena, Pittsburgh, PA
  17. 19 Oct 1984 at Tacoma Dome, Tacoma, WA
  18. 21 Oct 1984 at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum Arena, Oakland, CA
  19. 12 Nov 1984 at McNichols Sports Arena, Denver, CO
  20. 26 Nov 1984 at Reunion Arena, Dallas, TX
  21. 30 Nov 1984 at The Summit, Houston, TX
  22. 14 Dec 1984 at Mid-South Coliseum, Memphis, TN
  23. 17 Dec 1984 at The Omni, Atlanta, GA
  24. 05 Jan 1985 at Hampton Roads Coliseum, Hampton, VA
  25. 08 Jan 1985 at Market Square Arena, Indianapolis, IN
  26. 16 Jan 1985 at Charlotte Coliseum, Charlotte, NC
  27. 19 Jan 1985 at Greensboro Coliseum, Greensboro, NC
  28. 24 Jan 1985 at Providence Civic Center, Providence, RI
  29. 27 Jan 1985 at Carrier Dome, Syracuse, NY
  30. 23 Mar 1985 at Sydney Entertainment Centre, Sydney, Australia
  31. 27 Mar 1985 at Sydney Entertainment Centre, Sydney, Australia
  32. 11 Apr 1985 at Yoyogi National Gymnasium, Tokyo, Japan
  33. 21 Aug 1985 at Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, NJ
  34. 27 Aug 1985 at CNE Stadium, Toronto, Canada
  35. 31 Aug 1985 at Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, NJ
  36. 14 Sep 1985 at Cotton Bowl, Dallas, TX
  37. 19 Sep 1985 at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum, Oakland, CA
  38. 02 Oct 1985 at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, Los Angeles, CA

GROWIN' UP was performed 12 times during World Tour 1992-1993 (104 dates, June 1992 to June 1993), all of which in the 1992 part of the tour. The song was played in a stripped-down arrangement featuring only Bruce Springsteen and Roy Bittan, and no more featured a spoken story after the second verse.

  1. 04 Aug 1992 at Brendan Byrne Arena, East Rutherford, NJ
  2. 06 Aug 1992 at Brendan Byrne Arena, East Rutherford, NJ
  3. 07 Aug 1992 at Brendan Byrne Arena, East Rutherford, NJ
  4. 14 Aug 1992 at Centrum In Worcester, Worcester, MA
  5. 18 Aug 1992 at The Palace Of Auburn Hills, Auburn Hills, MI
  6. 22 Aug 1992 at Richfield Coliseum, Richfield, OH
  7. 26 Aug 1992 at Capital Centre, Largo, MD
  8. 28 Aug 1992 at Spectrum, Philadelphia, PA
  9. 02 Sep 1992 at World Music Theatre, Tinley Park, IL
  10. 08 Dec 1992 at Spectrum, Philadelphia, PA
  11. 14 Dec 1992 at Boston Garden, Boston, MA
  12. 16 Dec 1992 at Civic Arena, Pittsburgh, PA

GROWIN' UP was performed 7 times during The Ghost Of Tom Joad Solo Acoustic Tour (128 dates, November 1995 to May 1997), all in November 1996 in New Jersey and May 1997 in Europe. On this tour, the song was played solo on acoustic guitar. These were the first known solo versions of the song. The live 08 Nov 1996 version of GROWIN' UP was released on the Freehold, NJ 1996 Saint Rose Of Lima School Gym official live download in 2018. The live 24 Nov 1996 version of GROWIN' UP was released on the Asbury Park 11/24/96 official live download in 2019. The live 18 May 1997 version of GROWIN' UP was released on the Nice, France 1997 official live download in 2021.

  1. 08 Nov 1996 at Saint Rose Of Lima School, Freehold, NJ
  2. 24 Nov 1996 at Paramount Theatre, Asbury Park, NJ
  3. 15 May 1997 at Auditorium Maurice Ravel, Lyon, France
  4. 18 May 1997 at Palais Des Congrès Acropolis, Nice, France
  5. 21 May 1997 at Teatro Verdi, Florence, Italy
  6. 22 May 1997 at Teatro Augusteo, Naples, Italy
  7. 25 May 1997 at Palais Des Congrès De Paris, Paris, France

GROWIN' UP was performed 7 times during what is known as The Reunion Tour (132 dates, April 1999 to July 2000). The song was played in its full-band album-style arrangement on this tour.

  1. 24 Sep 1999 at First Union Spectrum, Philadelphia, PA
  2. 21 Oct 1999 at Staples Center, Los Angeles, CA
  3. 26 Oct 1999 at Oakland Arena, Oakland, CA
  4. 15 Nov 1999 at Gund Arena, Cleveland, OH
  5. 07 May 2000 at Hartford Civic Center, Hartford, CT
  6. 20 Jun 2000 at Madison Square Garden, New York City, NY
  7. 29 Jun 2000 at Madison Square Garden, New York City, NY

GROWIN' UP was performed 7 times during The Rising Tour (120 dates, August 2002 to October 2003). On 02 Mar 2003 in Austin, TX, the song was played in a stripped-down arrangement featuring just Springsteen on acoustic guitar and Clarence Clemons on saxophone. See the live 02 Mar 2003 version for more details. On 24 May 2003 in Saint-Denis, France, the song was played solo on acoustic guitar, during a short acoustic set prior to a concert at the venue. See the live 24 May 2003 version for more details. For the remaining five performances, the song was played in its full-band album-style arrangement, sometimes with spoken bits in the break and sometimes without. See the live 22 Jun 2003 version.

  1. 09 Dec 2002 at Carolina Center, Columbia, SC
  2. 02 Mar 2003 at Frank Erwin Center, Austin, TX
  3. 18 Apr 2003 at Corel Centre, Ottawa, Canada
  4. 24 May 2003 at Stade De France, Saint-Denis, France
  5. 22 Jun 2003 at Ullevi, Gothenburg, Sweden
  6. 28 Jun 2003 at Stadio Giuseppe Meazza, Milan, Italy
  7. 17 Jul 2003 at Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, NJ

GROWIN' UP was performed 13 times during the Devils & Dust Solo Acoustic Tour (72 dates, April to November 2005). The first four performances were solo acoustic guitar renditions while the remaining nine were solo ukulele. The live 22 Nov 2005 version of GROWIN' UP was released on the Sovereign Bank Arena, Trenton, NJ 2005 official live download in 2019.

  1. 27 Jun 2005 at Color Line Arena, Hamburg, Germany
  2. 28 Jul 2005 at Petersen Events Center, Pittsburgh, PA
  3. 07 Aug 2005 at Bradley Center, Milwaukee, WI
  4. 11 Aug 2005 at Keyarena At Seattle Center, Seattle, WA
  5. 06 Oct 2005 at Blue Cross Arena At The War Memorial, Rochester, NY
  6. 13 Oct 2005 at United Center, Chicago, IL
  7. 15 Oct 2005 at Dane County Arena At Alliant Center, Madison, WI
  8. 21 Oct 2005 at Dunkin' Donuts Center, Providence, RI
  9. 24 Oct 2005 at Richmond Coliseum, Richmond, VA
  10. 28 Oct 2005 at TD Banknorth Garden, Boston, MA
  11. 09 Nov 2005 at Wachovia Spectrum, Philadelphia, PA
  12. 11 Nov 2005 at Ted Constant Convocation Center At Old Dominion University, Norfolk, VA
  13. 22 Nov 2005 at Sovereign Bank Arena, Trenton, NJ

GROWIN' UP was performed 11 times during The Seeger Sessions Tour (56 dates, April to November 2006), all during the final European leg. The song was played in a radically revamped full-band arrangement. Note that GROWIN' UP was among the songs practiced during a 90-minute sound-check before the 02 Oct 2006 show at Palaisozaki in Torino Italy, but the song was not performed on the regular show, reportedly because Springsteen was unsatisfied with the violin parts at this point. The live 11 Nov 2006 version of GROWIN' UP was released on the Wembley Arena, November 11, 2006 official live download in 2020. The live 17 Nov 2006 version of GROWIN' UP was released on the Live In Dublin album and home video in 2007.

  1. 04 Oct 2006 at Villa Manin, Udine, Italy
  2. 08 Oct 2006 at Palamaggiò, Caserta, Italy
  3. 10 Oct 2006 at Palalottomatica, Rome, Italy
  4. 21 Oct 2006 at Estadio Ciutat De València, Valencia, Spain
  5. 24 Oct 2006 at Palau Sant Jordi, Barcelona, Spain
  6. 29 Oct 2006 at Oslo Spektrum, Oslo, Norway
  7. 30 Oct 2006 at Globe Arena, Stockholm, Sweden
  8. 06 Nov 2006 at Kölnarena, Cologne, Germany
  9. 11 Nov 2006 at Wembley Arena, London, England
  10. 14 Nov 2006 at Hallam FM Arena, Sheffield, England
  11. 17 Nov 2006 at Point Theatre, Dublin, Ireland

GROWIN' UP 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, sometimes with a spoken bit in the break. The live 11 Nov 2007 version of GROWIN' UP was the last ever and the only of the tour to feature Danny Federici. The live 22 Apr 2008 version of GROWIN' UP was released on the St. Pete Times Forum, Tampa, FL, April 22, 2008 official live download in 2019. The live 21 Aug 2008 version of GROWIN' UP was the only one on the tour that featured a true story in the traditional spot.

  1. 11 Nov 2007 at Verizon Center, Washington, DC
  2. 22 Apr 2008 at St. Pete Times Forum, Tampa, FL
  3. 02 May 2008 at BankAtlantic Center, Sunrise, FL
  4. 25 May 2008 at RDS Arena, Dublin, Ireland
  5. 28 May 2008 at Old Trafford Stadium, Manchester, England
  6. 31 May 2008 at Emirates Stadium, London, England
  7. 08 Jul 2008 at Valle Hovin Stadium, Oslo, Norway
  8. 15 Jul 2008 at Estadio Anoeta, Donostia-San Sebastian, Spain
  9. 27 Jul 2008 at Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, NJ
  10. 16 Aug 2008 at North Charleston Coliseum, Charleston, SC
  11. 21 Aug 2008 at Sommet Center, Nashville, TN

GROWIN' UP was performed 14 times during the Working On A Dream Tour (83 dates, April to November 2009). The song was played in its traditional full-band arrangement, sometimes with a spoken bit in the break. The live 22 Nov 2009 version of GROWIN' UP was released on the HSBC Arena, Buffalo, NY 11/22/2009 official live download in 2016.

  1. 01 Apr 2009 at HP Pavilion, San Jose, CA
  2. 16 Apr 2009 at Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena, Los Angeles, CA
  3. 21 Apr 2009 at TD Banknorth Garden, Boston, MA
  4. 02 May 2009 at Greensboro Coliseum, Greensboro, NC
  5. 21 May 2009 at Izod Center, East Rutherford, NJ (with Jay Weinberg on drums)
  6. 05 Jun 2009 at Stockholm Olympic Stadium, Stockholm, Sweden (with Jay Weinberg on drums)
  7. 13 Jun 2009 at Great Stage Park, Manchester, TN
  8. 05 Jul 2009 at Ernst-Happel-Stadion, Vienna, Austria
  9. 23 Aug 2009 at Comcast Center, Mansfield, MA (with Jay Weinberg on drums)
  10. 12 Sep 2009 at Ford Amphitheatre, Tampa, FL
  11. 30 Sep 2009 at Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, NJ
  12. 02 Nov 2009 at Verizon Center, Washington, DC
  13. 15 Nov 2009 at Bradley Center, Milwaukee, WI
  14. 22 Nov 2009 at HSBC Arena, Buffalo, NY (complete Greetings From Asbury Park, N.J. album performed)

GROWIN' UP was performed 13 times during the Wrecking Ball Tour (133 dates, March 2012 to September 2013). On this tour, the song was played 6 times in a solo acoustic guitar arrangement (during the solo acoustic pre-show) and 7 times in a full-band arrangement.

  1. 19 Jun 2012 at Park & Suites Arena, Montpellier, France (full band)
  2. 09 Jul 2012 at Letzigrund, Zurich, Switzerland (full band)
  3. 18 Aug 2012 at Gillette Stadium, Foxborough, MA (full band)
  4. 19 Sep 2012 at Metlife Stadium, East Rutherford, NJ (solo acoustic guitar, during the pre-show)
  5. 03 Nov 2012 at KFC Yum! Center, Louisville, KY (full band)
  6. 28 Nov 2012 at Rose Garden, Portland, OR (full band)
  7. 22 Mar 2013 at Allphones Arena, Sydney, Australia (full band)
  8. 29 Apr 2013 at Telenor Arena, Oslo, Norway (solo acoustic guitar, during the pre-show)
  9. 23 May 2013 at Piazza Del Plebiscito, Naples, Italy (solo acoustic guitar, during the pre-show)
  10. 31 May 2013 at Stadio Euganeo, Padua, Italy (solo acoustic guitar, during the pre-show)
  11. 22 Jun 2013 at Goffertpark, Nijmegen, The Netherlands (full band)
  12. 29 Jun 2013 at Stade De France, Saint-Denis, France (solo acoustic guitar, during the pre-show)
  13. 20 Jul 2013 at King's Hall, Belfast, Northern Ireland (solo acoustic guitar, during the pre-show)

GROWIN' UP was performed 6 times during the High Hopes Tour (34 dates, January to May 2014). On this tour, the song was played 4 times in a full-band arrangement and twice in a solo acoustic guitar arrangement, one of which during the solo acoustic pre-show (see the live 01 Feb 2014 version). Audio recordings for most High Hopes Tour shows are officially available for purchase. See the live 24 Apr 2014 version for more details.

  1. 01 Feb 2014 at FNB Stadium, Johannesburg, South Africa (solo acoustic guitar, during the pre-show)
  2. 16 Feb 2014 at AAMI Park, Melbourne, Australia (full band)
  3. 26 Feb 2014 at Brisbane Entertainment Centre, Brisbane, Australia (full band)
  4. 08 Apr 2014 at U.S. Bank Arena, Cincinnati, OH (full band)
  5. 24 Apr 2014 at PNC Arena, Raleigh, NC (full band)
  6. 17 May 2014 at Mohegan Sun Arena, Uncasville, CT (solo acoustic guitar)

GROWIN' UP was performed 12 times during The River Tour 2016 (75 dates, January to September 2016). On this tour, the song was played 11 times in a full-band arrangement (5 of which featuring a story in the break) and once in a solo acoustic arrangement (during the solo acoustic pre-show). Audio recordings for all The River Tour 2016 shows are officially available for purchase. See the below list for more details.

  1. 23 Feb 2016 at Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland, OH (full band)
  2. 13 Mar 2016 at Oakland Arena, Oakland, CA (full band)
  3. 12 Apr 2016 at Schottenstein Center, Columbus, OH (full band)
  4. 29 May 2016 at Croke Park, Dublin, Ireland (full band, with a story in the break)
  5. 03 Jul 2016 at Stadio Giuseppe Meazza, Milan, Italy (solo acoustic guitar, during the pre-show)
  6. 13 Jul 2016 at AccorHotels Arena, Paris, France (full band)
  7. 23 Aug 2016 at Metlife Stadium, East Rutherford, NJ (full band)
  8. 01 Sep 2016 at Nationals Park, Washington, DC (full band)
  9. 05 Sep 2016 at Veterans United Home Loans Amphitheater, Virginia Beach, VA (full band, with a story in the break)
  10. 07 Sep 2016 at Citizens Bank Park, Philadelphia, PA (full band, with a story in the break)
  11. 11 Sep 2016 at Consol Energy Center, Pittsburgh, PA (full band, with a story in the break)
  12. 14 Sep 2016 at Gillette Stadium, Foxborough, MA (full band, with a story in the break)

In preparation for Springsteen On Broadway, GROWIN' UP was performed during all of the tour's three known private rehearsal shows that took place in September 2017 in West Long Branch, NJ, and New York City, NY, and during both of the tour's known private rehearsal shows that took place in June 2021 in New York City, NY.

  1. 19 Sep 2017 at Monmouth University, West Long Branch, NJ (private rehearsal)
  2. 22 Sep 2017 at Monmouth University, West Long Branch, NJ (private rehearsal)
  3. 29 Sep 2017 at Walter Kerr Theatre, New York City, NY (private rehearsal)
  4. 24 Jun 2021 at St. James Theatre, New York City, NY (private rehearsal)
  5. 25 Jun 2021 at St. James Theatre, New York City, NY (private rehearsal)

GROWIN' UP was performed 268 times during Springsteen On Broadway (268 dates, October 2017 to December 2018 and June to September 2021). On this tour, the song was played solo on acoustic guitar. The live July 2018 version of GROWIN' UP was released on the Springsteen On Broadway album in 2018.

  1. 03 Oct 2017 at Walter Kerr Theatre, New York City, NY
  2. 04 Oct 2017 at Walter Kerr Theatre, New York City, NY
  3. 05 Oct 2017 at Walter Kerr Theatre, New York City, NY
  4. 06 Oct 2017 at Walter Kerr Theatre, New York City, NY
  5. 07 Oct 2017 at Walter Kerr Theatre, New York City, NY
  6. 10 Oct 2017 at Walter Kerr Theatre, New York City, NY
  7. 11 Oct 2017 at Walter Kerr Theatre, New York City, NY
  8. 12 Oct 2017 at Walter Kerr Theatre, New York City, NY
  9. 13 Oct 2017 at Walter Kerr Theatre, New York City, NY
  10. 14 Oct 2017 at Walter Kerr Theatre, New York City, NY
  11. 17 Oct 2017 at Walter Kerr Theatre, New York City, NY
  12. 18 Oct 2017 at Walter Kerr Theatre, New York City, NY
  13. 19 Oct 2017 at Walter Kerr Theatre, New York City, NY
  14. 20 Oct 2017 at Walter Kerr Theatre, New York City, NY
  15. 21 Oct 2017 at Walter Kerr Theatre, New York City, NY
  16. 24 Oct 2017 at Walter Kerr Theatre, New York City, NY
  17. 25 Oct 2017 at Walter Kerr Theatre, New York City, NY
  18. 26 Oct 2017 at Walter Kerr Theatre, New York City, NY
  19. 27 Oct 2017 at Walter Kerr Theatre, New York City, NY
  20. 28 Oct 2017 at Walter Kerr Theatre, New York City, NY
  21. 31 Oct 2017 at Walter Kerr Theatre, New York City, NY
  22. 01 Nov 2017 at Walter Kerr Theatre, New York City, NY
  23. 02 Nov 2017 at Walter Kerr Theatre, New York City, NY
  24. 03 Nov 2017 at Walter Kerr Theatre, New York City, NY
  25. 04 Nov 2017 at Walter Kerr Theatre, New York City, NY
  26. 07 Nov 2017 at Walter Kerr Theatre, New York City, NY
  27. 08 Nov 2017 at Walter Kerr Theatre, New York City, NY
  28. 09 Nov 2017 at Walter Kerr Theatre, New York City, NY
  29. 10 Nov 2017 at Walter Kerr Theatre, New York City, NY
  30. 11 Nov 2017 at Walter Kerr Theatre, New York City, NY
  31. 14 Nov 2017 at Walter Kerr Theatre, New York City, NY
  32. 15 Nov 2017 at Walter Kerr Theatre, New York City, NY
  33. 16 Nov 2017 at Walter Kerr Theatre, New York City, NY
  34. 17 Nov 2017 at Walter Kerr Theatre, New York City, NY
  35. 18 Nov 2017 at Walter Kerr Theatre, New York City, NY
  36. 21 Nov 2017 at Walter Kerr Theatre, New York City, NY
  37. 22 Nov 2017 at Walter Kerr Theatre, New York City, NY
  38. 24 Nov 2017 at Walter Kerr Theatre, New York City, NY
  39. 25 Nov 2017 at Walter Kerr Theatre, New York City, NY
  40. 26 Nov 2017 at Walter Kerr Theatre, New York City, NY
  41. 05 Dec 2017 at Walter Kerr Theatre, New York City, NY
  42. 06 Dec 2017 at Walter Kerr Theatre, New York City, NY
  43. 07 Dec 2017 at Walter Kerr Theatre, New York City, NY
  44. 08 Dec 2017 at Walter Kerr Theatre, New York City, NY
  45. 09 Dec 2017 at Walter Kerr Theatre, New York City, NY
  46. 12 Dec 2017 at Walter Kerr Theatre, New York City, NY
  47. 13 Dec 2017 at Walter Kerr Theatre, New York City, NY
  48. 14 Dec 2017 at Walter Kerr Theatre, New York City, NY
  49. 15 Dec 2017 at Walter Kerr Theatre, New York City, NY
  50. 16 Dec 2017 at Walter Kerr Theatre, New York City, NY
  51. 19 Dec 2017 at Walter Kerr Theatre, New York City, NY
  52. 20 Dec 2017 at Walter Kerr Theatre, New York City, NY
  53. 21 Dec 2017 at Walter Kerr Theatre, New York City, NY
  54. 22 Dec 2017 at Walter Kerr Theatre, New York City, NY
  55. 23 Dec 2017 at Walter Kerr Theatre, New York City, NY
  56. 26 Dec 2017 at Walter Kerr Theatre, New York City, NY
  57. 27 Dec 2017 at Walter Kerr Theatre, New York City, NY
  58. 28 Dec 2017 at Walter Kerr Theatre, New York City, NY
  59. 29 Dec 2017 at Walter Kerr Theatre, New York City, NY
  60. 30 Dec 2017 at Walter Kerr Theatre, New York City, NY
  61. 09 Jan 2018 at Walter Kerr Theatre, New York City, NY
  62. 10 Jan 2018 at Walter Kerr Theatre, New York City, NY
  63. 11 Jan 2018 at Walter Kerr Theatre, New York City, NY
  64. 12 Jan 2018 at Walter Kerr Theatre, New York City, NY
  65. 13 Jan 2018 at Walter Kerr Theatre, New York City, NY
  66. 16 Jan 2018 at Walter Kerr Theatre, New York City, NY
  67. 17 Jan 2018 at Walter Kerr Theatre, New York City, NY
  68. 18 Jan 2018 at Walter Kerr Theatre, New York City, NY
  69. 19 Jan 2018 at Walter Kerr Theatre, New York City, NY
  70. 20 Jan 2018 at Walter Kerr Theatre, New York City, NY
  71. 23 Jan 2018 at Walter Kerr Theatre, New York City, NY
  72. 24 Jan 2018 at Walter Kerr Theatre, New York City, NY
  73. 25 Jan 2018 at Walter Kerr Theatre, New York City, NY
  74. 26 Jan 2018 at Walter Kerr Theatre, New York City, NY
  75. 27 Jan 2018 at Walter Kerr Theatre, New York City, NY
  76. 30 Jan 2018 at Walter Kerr Theatre, New York City, NY
  77. 31 Jan 2018 at Walter Kerr Theatre, New York City, NY
  78. 01 Feb 2018 at Walter Kerr Theatre, New York City, NY
  79. 02 Feb 2018 at Walter Kerr Theatre, New York City, NY
  80. 03 Feb 2018 at Walter Kerr Theatre, New York City, NY
  81. 28 Feb 2018 at Walter Kerr Theatre, New York City, NY
  82. 01 Mar 2018 at Walter Kerr Theatre, New York City, NY
  83. 02 Mar 2018 at Walter Kerr Theatre, New York City, NY
  84. 03 Mar 2018 at Walter Kerr Theatre, New York City, NY
  85. 06 Mar 2018 at Walter Kerr Theatre, New York City, NY
  86. 07 Mar 2018 at Walter Kerr Theatre, New York City, NY
  87. 08 Mar 2018 at Walter Kerr Theatre, New York City, NY
  88. 09 Mar 2018 at Walter Kerr Theatre, New York City, NY
  89. 10 Mar 2018 at Walter Kerr Theatre, New York City, NY
  90. 14 Mar 2018 at Walter Kerr Theatre, New York City, NY
  91. 15 Mar 2018 at Walter Kerr Theatre, New York City, NY
  92. 16 Mar 2018 at Walter Kerr Theatre, New York City, NY
  93. 17 Mar 2018 at Walter Kerr Theatre, New York City, NY
  94. 20 Mar 2018 at Walter Kerr Theatre, New York City, NY
  95. 21 Mar 2018 at Walter Kerr Theatre, New York City, NY
  96. 22 Mar 2018 at Walter Kerr Theatre, New York City, NY
  97. 23 Mar 2018 at Walter Kerr Theatre, New York City, NY
  98. 24 Mar 2018 at Walter Kerr Theatre, New York City, NY
  99. 27 Mar 2018 at Walter Kerr Theatre, New York City, NY
  100. 28 Mar 2018 at Walter Kerr Theatre, New York City, NY
  101. 29 Mar 2018 at Walter Kerr Theatre, New York City, NY
  102. 30 Mar 2018 at Walter Kerr Theatre, New York City, NY
  103. 04 Apr 2018 at Walter Kerr Theatre, New York City, NY
  104. 05 Apr 2018 at Walter Kerr Theatre, New York City, NY
  105. 06 Apr 2018 at Walter Kerr Theatre, New York City, NY
  106. 07 Apr 2018 at Walter Kerr Theatre, New York City, NY
  107. 10 Apr 2018 at Walter Kerr Theatre, New York City, NY
  108. 11 Apr 2018 at Walter Kerr Theatre, New York City, NY
  109. 12 Apr 2018 at Walter Kerr Theatre, New York City, NY
  110. 13 Apr 2018 at Walter Kerr Theatre, New York City, NY
  111. 14 Apr 2018 at Walter Kerr Theatre, New York City, NY
  112. 17 Apr 2018 at Walter Kerr Theatre, New York City, NY
  113. 18 Apr 2018 at Walter Kerr Theatre, New York City, NY
  114. 19 Apr 2018 at Walter Kerr Theatre, New York City, NY
  115. 20 Apr 2018 at Walter Kerr Theatre, New York City, NY
  116. 02 May 2018 at Walter Kerr Theatre, New York City, NY
  117. 03 May 2018 at Walter Kerr Theatre, New York City, NY
  118. 04 May 2018 at Walter Kerr Theatre, New York City, NY
  119. 05 May 2018 at Walter Kerr Theatre, New York City, NY
  120. 08 May 2018 at Walter Kerr Theatre, New York City, NY
  121. 09 May 2018 at Walter Kerr Theatre, New York City, NY
  122. 10 May 2018 at Walter Kerr Theatre, New York City, NY
  123. 11 May 2018 at Walter Kerr Theatre, New York City, NY
  124. 12 May 2018 at Walter Kerr Theatre, New York City, NY
  125. 16 May 2018 at Walter Kerr Theatre, New York City, NY
  126. 17 May 2018 at Walter Kerr Theatre, New York City, NY
  127. 18 May 2018 at Walter Kerr Theatre, New York City, NY
  128. 19 May 2018 at Walter Kerr Theatre, New York City, NY
  129. 22 May 2018 at Walter Kerr Theatre, New York City, NY
  130. 23 May 2018 at Walter Kerr Theatre, New York City, NY
  131. 24 May 2018 at Walter Kerr Theatre, New York City, NY
  132. 25 May 2018 at Walter Kerr Theatre, New York City, NY
  133. 26 May 2018 at Walter Kerr Theatre, New York City, NY
  134. 30 May 2018 at Walter Kerr Theatre, New York City, NY
  135. 31 May 2018 at Walter Kerr Theatre, New York City, NY
  136. 01 Jun 2018 at Walter Kerr Theatre, New York City, NY
  137. 02 Jun 2018 at Walter Kerr Theatre, New York City, NY
  138. 05 Jun 2018 at Walter Kerr Theatre, New York City, NY
  139. 06 Jun 2018 at Walter Kerr Theatre, New York City, NY
  140. 07 Jun 2018 at Walter Kerr Theatre, New York City, NY
  141. 08 Jun 2018 at Walter Kerr Theatre, New York City, NY
  142. 09 Jun 2018 at Walter Kerr Theatre, New York City, NY
  143. 13 Jun 2018 at Walter Kerr Theatre, New York City, NY
  144. 14 Jun 2018 at Walter Kerr Theatre, New York City, NY
  145. 15 Jun 2018 at Walter Kerr Theatre, New York City, NY
  146. 16 Jun 2018 at Walter Kerr Theatre, New York City, NY
  147. 19 Jun 2018 at Walter Kerr Theatre, New York City, NY
  148. 20 Jun 2018 at Walter Kerr Theatre, New York City, NY
  149. 21 Jun 2018 at Walter Kerr Theatre, New York City, NY
  150. 22 Jun 2018 at Walter Kerr Theatre, New York City, NY
  151. 23 Jun 2018 at Walter Kerr Theatre, New York City, NY
  152. 27 Jun 2018 at Walter Kerr Theatre, New York City, NY
  153. 28 Jun 2018 at Walter Kerr Theatre, New York City, NY
  154. 29 Jun 2018 at Walter Kerr Theatre, New York City, NY
  155. 30 Jun 2018 at Walter Kerr Theatre, New York City, NY
  156. 10 Jul 2018 at Walter Kerr Theatre, New York City, NY
  157. 11 Jul 2018 at Walter Kerr Theatre, New York City, NY
  158. 12 Jul 2018 at Walter Kerr Theatre, New York City, NY
  159. 13 Jul 2018 at Walter Kerr Theatre, New York City, NY
  160. 14 Jul 2018 at Walter Kerr Theatre, New York City, NY
  161. 17 Jul 2018 at Walter Kerr Theatre, New York City, NY
  162. 18 Jul 2018 at Walter Kerr Theatre, New York City, NY
  163. 20 Jul 2018 at Walter Kerr Theatre, New York City, NY
  164. 21 Jul 2018 at Walter Kerr Theatre, New York City, NY
  165. 24 Jul 2018 at Walter Kerr Theatre, New York City, NY
  166. 25 Jul 2018 at Walter Kerr Theatre, New York City, NY
  167. 26 Jul 2018 at Walter Kerr Theatre, New York City, NY
  168. 27 Jul 2018 at Walter Kerr Theatre, New York City, NY
  169. 08 Aug 2018 at Walter Kerr Theatre, New York City, NY
  170. 09 Aug 2018 at Walter Kerr Theatre, New York City, NY
  171. 10 Aug 2018 at Walter Kerr Theatre, New York City, NY
  172. 11 Aug 2018 at Walter Kerr Theatre, New York City, NY
  173. 14 Aug 2018 at Walter Kerr Theatre, New York City, NY
  174. 15 Aug 2018 at Walter Kerr Theatre, New York City, NY
  175. 16 Aug 2018 at Walter Kerr Theatre, New York City, NY
  176. 17 Aug 2018 at Walter Kerr Theatre, New York City, NY
  177. 18 Aug 2018 at Walter Kerr Theatre, New York City, NY
  178. 22 Aug 2018 at Walter Kerr Theatre, New York City, NY
  179. 23 Aug 2018 at Walter Kerr Theatre, New York City, NY
  180. 24 Aug 2018 at Walter Kerr Theatre, New York City, NY
  181. 25 Aug 2018 at Walter Kerr Theatre, New York City, NY
  182. 28 Aug 2018 at Walter Kerr Theatre, New York City, NY
  183. 29 Aug 2018 at Walter Kerr Theatre, New York City, NY
  184. 30 Aug 2018 at Walter Kerr Theatre, New York City, NY
  185. 31 Aug 2018 at Walter Kerr Theatre, New York City, NY
  186. 04 Sep 2018 at Walter Kerr Theatre, New York City, NY
  187. 05 Sep 2018 at Walter Kerr Theatre, New York City, NY
  188. 06 Sep 2018 at Walter Kerr Theatre, New York City, NY
  189. 07 Sep 2018 at Walter Kerr Theatre, New York City, NY
  190. 26 Sep 2018 at Walter Kerr Theatre, New York City, NY
  191. 27 Sep 2018 at Walter Kerr Theatre, New York City, NY
  192. 28 Sep 2018 at Walter Kerr Theatre, New York City, NY
  193. 29 Sep 2018 at Walter Kerr Theatre, New York City, NY
  194. 02 Oct 2018 at Walter Kerr Theatre, New York City, NY
  195. 03 Oct 2018 at Walter Kerr Theatre, New York City, NY
  196. 04 Oct 2018 at Walter Kerr Theatre, New York City, NY
  197. 05 Oct 2018 at Walter Kerr Theatre, New York City, NY
  198. 06 Oct 2018 at Walter Kerr Theatre, New York City, NY
  199. 10 Oct 2018 at Walter Kerr Theatre, New York City, NY
  200. 11 Oct 2018 at Walter Kerr Theatre, New York City, NY
  201. 12 Oct 2018 at Walter Kerr Theatre, New York City, NY
  202. 13 Oct 2018 at Walter Kerr Theatre, New York City, NY
  203. 16 Oct 2018 at Walter Kerr Theatre, New York City, NY
  204. 17 Oct 2018 at Walter Kerr Theatre, New York City, NY
  205. 18 Oct 2018 at Walter Kerr Theatre, New York City, NY
  206. 19 Oct 2018 at Walter Kerr Theatre, New York City, NY
  207. 20 Oct 2018 at Walter Kerr Theatre, New York City, NY
  208. 24 Oct 2018 at Walter Kerr Theatre, New York City, NY
  209. 25 Oct 2018 at Walter Kerr Theatre, New York City, NY
  210. 26 Oct 2018 at Walter Kerr Theatre, New York City, NY
  211. 27 Oct 2018 at Walter Kerr Theatre, New York City, NY
  212. 30 Oct 2018 at Walter Kerr Theatre, New York City, NY
  213. 31 Oct 2018 at Walter Kerr Theatre, New York City, NY
  214. 01 Nov 2018 at Walter Kerr Theatre, New York City, NY
  215. 02 Nov 2018 at Walter Kerr Theatre, New York City, NY
  216. 03 Nov 2018 at Walter Kerr Theatre, New York City, NY
  217. 07 Nov 2018 at Walter Kerr Theatre, New York City, NY
  218. 08 Nov 2018 at Walter Kerr Theatre, New York City, NY
  219. 09 Nov 2018 at Walter Kerr Theatre, New York City, NY
  220. 10 Nov 2018 at Walter Kerr Theatre, New York City, NY
  221. 13 Nov 2018 at Walter Kerr Theatre, New York City, NY
  222. 14 Nov 2018 at Walter Kerr Theatre, New York City, NY
  223. 15 Nov 2018 at Walter Kerr Theatre, New York City, NY
  224. 16 Nov 2018 at Walter Kerr Theatre, New York City, NY
  225. 17 Nov 2018 at Walter Kerr Theatre, New York City, NY
  226. 28 Nov 2018 at Walter Kerr Theatre, New York City, NY
  227. 29 Nov 2018 at Walter Kerr Theatre, New York City, NY
  228. 30 Nov 2018 at Walter Kerr Theatre, New York City, NY
  229. 01 Dec 2018 at Walter Kerr Theatre, New York City, NY
  230. 04 Dec 2018 at Walter Kerr Theatre, New York City, NY
  231. 05 Dec 2018 at Walter Kerr Theatre, New York City, NY
  232. 06 Dec 2018 at Walter Kerr Theatre, New York City, NY
  233. 07 Dec 2018 at Walter Kerr Theatre, New York City, NY
  234. 08 Dec 2018 at Walter Kerr Theatre, New York City, NY
  235. 12 Dec 2018 at Walter Kerr Theatre, New York City, NY
  236. 13 Dec 2018 at Walter Kerr Theatre, New York City, NY
  237. 14 Dec 2018 at Walter Kerr Theatre, New York City, NY
  238. 15 Dec 2018 at Walter Kerr Theatre, New York City, NY
  239. 26 Jun 2021 at St. James Theatre, New York City, NY
  240. 29 Jun 2021 at St. James Theatre, New York City, NY
  241. 30 Jun 2021 at St. James Theatre, New York City, NY
  242. 01 Jul 2021 at St. James Theatre, New York City, NY
  243. 02 Jul 2021 at St. James Theatre, New York City, NY
  244. 03 Jul 2021 at St. James Theatre, New York City, NY
  245. 06 Jul 2021 at St. James Theatre, New York City, NY
  246. 07 Jul 2021 at St. James Theatre, New York City, NY
  247. 08 Jul 2021 at St. James Theatre, New York City, NY
  248. 09 Jul 2021 at St. James Theatre, New York City, NY
  249. 10 Jul 2021 at St. James Theatre, New York City, NY
  250. 13 Jul 2021 at St. James Theatre, New York City, NY
  251. 14 Jul 2021 at St. James Theatre, New York City, NY
  252. 15 Jul 2021 at St. James Theatre, New York City, NY
  253. 16 Jul 2021 at St. James Theatre, New York City, NY
  254. 17 Jul 2021 at St. James Theatre, New York City, NY
  255. 17 Aug 2021 at St. James Theatre, New York City, NY
  256. 18 Aug 2021 at St. James Theatre, New York City, NY
  257. 19 Aug 2021 at St. James Theatre, New York City, NY
  258. 20 Aug 2021 at St. James Theatre, New York City, NY
  259. 24 Aug 2021 at St. James Theatre, New York City, NY
  260. 25 Aug 2021 at St. James Theatre, New York City, NY
  261. 26 Aug 2021 at St. James Theatre, New York City, NY
  262. 27 Aug 2021 at St. James Theatre, New York City, NY
  263. 28 Aug 2021 at St. James Theatre, New York City, NY
  264. 31 Aug 2021 at St. James Theatre, New York City, NY
  265. 01 Sep 2021 at St. James Theatre, New York City, NY
  266. 02 Sep 2021 at St. James Theatre, New York City, NY
  267. 03 Sep 2021 at St. James Theatre, New York City, NY
  268. 04 Sep 2021 at St. James Theatre, New York City, NY

Live History: off-tour

In 1973 and 1974, Bruce Springsteen performed GROWIN' UP on four radio performances. On all four occasions, the song was played in a full-band acoustic arrangement. See the individual versions below for more details.

GROWIN' UP was performed off-tour on 22 Sep 1992 at Warner Hollywood Studios in Los Angeles, CA, during the taping of MTV Unplugged. That performance was released on the In Concert / MTV Plugged home video in 1992 and the audio was released on the Streets Of Philadelphia maxi single in 1994. See the live 22 Sep 1992 version for more details.

GROWIN' UP was performed off-tour on 26 Jul 2002 at Sonny's Southern Cuisine restaurant in Asbury Park, NJ, when Springsteen played an intimate acoustic set for contest winners who were at the warm-up gig for The Rising Tour that took place on the afternoon of the same day at the Convention Hall in Asbury Park. All songs, except GROWIN' UP, were played by request of the contest winners.

GROWIN' UP was performed off-tour on 19 and 20 Feb 2003 at Somerville Theatre in Somerville, MA, during the DoubleTake Magazine benefit shows. The song was played solo on acoustic guitar. See the live 19 Feb 2003 version and the live 20 Feb 2003 version for more details.

Since 2002, Springsteen has been playing private benefit shows for schools and colleges that his kids attended ─ Rumson Country Day School of Rumson, NJ, and Ranney School of Tinton Falls, NJ, and Boston College of Chestnut Hill, MA. GROWIN' UP was performed at 3 of these fundraisers, always at The Stone Pony in Asbury Park, NJ, and backed by Bobby Bandiera and his band.

  1. 11 Sep 2010 at The Stone Pony, Asbury Park, NJ (during a private fundraiser for Boston College)
  2. 29 Jan 2011 at The Stone Pony, Asbury Park, NJ (during a private fundraiser for Ranney School)
  3. 22 Oct 2011 at The Stone Pony, Asbury Park, NJ (during a private fundraiser for Boston College)

Bruce Springsteen has been performing on almost all the annual Stand Up for Heroes benefits since 2007. GROWIN' UP was performed during the eighth (2014) annual benefit.

  1. 05 Nov 2014 at The Theater At Madison Square Garden, New York City, NY (during the eighth annual Stand Up For Heroes benefit)

References in Popular Culture

Bruce Springsteen's album version of GROWIN' UP appears in two movies.

Promotional poster for the film "Big Daddy"
Big Daddy

It was used in the 1999 film Big Daddy, directed by Dennis Dugan and starring Adam Sandler. The song was not included in the film's soundtrack album.

The song plays towards the end of the movie.
Promotional poster for the film "Gracie"
Gracie

It was used in the 2007 film Gracie, directed by Davis Guggenheim and starring Dermot Mulroney, Elisabeth Shue, and Carly Schroeder. The song was not included in the film's soundtrack album.

The film is set in 1978 in South Orange, NJ, and GROWIN' UP plays during a montage of Gracie training for her upcoming soccer tryouts. The song also plays over the film's closing credits.

Bruce Springsteen's GROWIN' UP is mentioned in the Nora Roberts 2005 book Blue Smoke. The character Brad is driving in traffic and listening to GROWIN' UP playing on his radio. Next to him is a pretty woman driving a Chevy, listening to something on her radio and tapping her fingers on the steering wheel. From the rhythm of her fingers, Brad thinks she had the same station going.

Nora Roberts -- Blue Smoke
Nora Roberts -- Blue Smoke

Covers

At least 21 artists have recorded and released Bruce Springsteen's GROWIN' UP.

Any Trouble -- Where Are All The Nice Girls?
Any Trouble -- Where Are All The Nice Girls?

LP - Stiff America (USE 6) - USA, 1980
LP - Stiff Canada (RIP-2001) - Canada, 1980

See Any Trouble 's cover version for more details.
Tim Goodman -- Footsteps
Tim Goodman -- Footsteps

LP - Columbia (BL 37410) - USA, 1981
Carl Rosen -- Section 8
Carl Rosen -- Section 8

MC - no label (no catalog number) - USA, 1986
CD - Time Zone (no catalog number) - USA, 2004
David Bowie -- Pin Ups
David Bowie -- Pin Ups

CD - Rykodisc (RCD 10136) - USA, 1990
CD - EMI (CDP 79 4767 2) - UK, 1990

GROWIN' UP was released as a bonus track on the 1990 reissue of Bowie's 1973 album Pin Ups. See David Bowie's cover version for more details.
Pearl Jam -- #70 July 14th 2003 Holmdel
Pearl Jam -- #70 July 14th 2003 Holmdel

2xCD - Epic (E2K 90521) - USA, 2003

This is a live recording of Pearl Jam's 14 Jul 2003 concert at PNC Bank Arts Center in Holmdel, NJ.
Portastatic -- Autumn Was A Lark
Portastatic -- Autumn Was A Lark

CD - Merge Records (mrg236) - USA, 2003
Session musicians featuring David West -- Pickin' On Springsteen Volume 2
Session musicians featuring David West -- Pickin' On Springsteen Volume 2

CD - CMH (CD-8463) - USA, 2003

This is a Bruce Springsteen tribute album.
John Strada Acoustic Trio -- Live In The Park
John Strada Acoustic Trio -- Live In The Park

CD - unknown label (unknown catalog number) - Italy, 2005

GROWIN' UP is a live version.
Car Commercials -- A Young Victoriaville
Car Commercials -- A Young Victoriaville

MC - Leaf Leaf Records (LLR23) - USA, 2006
Dirk Darmstaedter -- Original Podcasts, Vol. 1
Dirk Darmstaedter -- Original Podcasts, Vol. 1

CD-R - no label (no catalog number) - Germany, 2006
Steve Lieberman The Gangsta Rabbi -- Jewish Pirate
Steve Lieberman The Gangsta Rabbi -- Jewish Pirate

CD - Gangsta Rabbi Bad'lan USA (no catalog number) - USA, 2006
Various artists -- If I Were The Boss: The Songs Of Bruce Springsteen
Various artists -- If I Were The Boss: The Songs Of Bruce Springsteen

CD - Castle (CMQCD1422) - UK, 2006

This is a Bruce Springsteen tribute album. GROWIN' UP is performed by Alvin Stardust. The song was originally released in 1977 as a single in the USA and Europe, and was also included on Stardust's Greatest Hits album that same year.
Gary Heffern -- Consolation
Gary Heffern -- Consolation

CD - fin-rosa (fin-rosa 001) - Finland, 2008
Andrew Nicholson -- Driving All Night: A Tribute To Bruce Springsteen Volume II
Andrew Nicholson -- Driving All Night: A Tribute To Bruce Springsteen Volume II

CD - no label (no catalog number) - UK, 2009

This is a Bruce Springsteen tribute album.
Jackie Barnett -- "Growin Up" With Bruce
Jackie Barnett -- "Growin Up" With Bruce

CD - no label (no catalog number) - UK, 2009

This is a Bruce Springsteen tribute album.
Various artists -- For You 2: A Tribute To Bruce Springsteen
Various artists -- For You 2: A Tribute To Bruce Springsteen

2xCD - Route 66 Music (DTCDA005-2) - Italy, 2010

This is a Bruce Springsteen tribute album. GROWIN' UP is performed by Antonio Zirilli.
Randy Brown -- High Price Of Low Livin'
Randy Brown -- High Price Of Low Livin'

CD - Wild Eye Records (unknown catalog number) - USA, 2011
Frankenstein 3000 -- The Scoops Are On Their Way
Frankenstein 3000 -- The Scoops Are On Their Way

CD - Main Man Records (MMR047) - USA, 2013
Martyn Joseph -- Tires Rushing By In The Rain
Martyn Joseph -- Tires Rushing By In The Rain

CD - Pipe Records (PRCD023) - UK, 2013

This is a Bruce Springsteen tribute album.
Various artists -- I Hear You're From Australia - My Name's Bruce Too
Various artists -- I Hear You're From Australia - My Name's Bruce Too

2xCD - Laughing Outlaw (LOR160CD) - Australia, 2013

This is a Bruce Springsteen tribute album. GROWIN' UP is performed by The Nature Strip.
Hungry Hearts -- Live In My Hometown
Hungry Hearts -- Live In My Hometown

CD-R - no label (no catalog number) - Italy, 2015

This is a Bruce Springsteen tribute album, recorded live on 09 Jan 2015 at Inferno Di Dante in Tortona, Italy.

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. Info about some of the above GROWIN' UP cover releases is taken from the Nebraska website.

Request

Please contact me if you have scans for or info about any official release containing Bruce Springsteen's album version of GROWIN' UP or a cover of it that's not mentioned on this page. I also need scans for the following releases:

  • Car Commercials -- A Young Victoriaville || MC - Leaf Leaf Records (LLR23) - USA, 2006

Any additions, comments, or corrections to this page are welcome. You can contact me via the below form or by email: .

Available Versions

List of available versions of GROWIN' UP on this website:

GROWIN' UP [Album version]
GROWIN' UP [Outtake version]
GROWIN' UP [03 May 1972 demo version]
GROWIN' UP [Live Aug 1972 version]
GROWIN' UP [Live 31 May 1973 (WGOE-FM) version]
GROWIN' UP [Live 02 Jun 1973 version]
GROWIN' UP [Live 31 Oct 1973 (late show) version]
GROWIN' UP [Live 09 Mar 1974 (KLOL-FM) version]
GROWIN' UP [Live 09 Apr 1974 version]
GROWIN' UP [Live 05 Feb 1975 version]
GROWIN' UP [Live 23 Aug 1975 version]
GROWIN' UP [Live 13 Sep 1975 version]
GROWIN' UP [Live 30 Dec 1975 version]
GROWIN' UP [Live 07 Apr 1976 version]
GROWIN' UP [Live 07 Aug 1976 version]
GROWIN' UP [Live 30 Sep 1976 version]
GROWIN' UP [Live 25 Oct 1976 version]
GROWIN' UP [Live 27 Oct 1976 version]
GROWIN' UP [Live 04 Nov 1976 version]
GROWIN' UP [Live 13 Feb 1977 version]
GROWIN' UP [Live 23 Mar 1977 version]
GROWIN' UP [Live 24 Mar 1977 version]
GROWIN' UP [Live 31 May 1978 version]
GROWIN' UP [Live 25 Jun 1978 version]
GROWIN' UP [Live 01 Jul 1978 version]
GROWIN' UP [Live 05 Jul 1978 version]
GROWIN' UP [Live 07 Jul 1978 version]
GROWIN' UP [Live 04 Aug 1978 version]
GROWIN' UP [Live 09 Aug 1978 version]
GROWIN' UP [Live 15 Aug 1978 version]
GROWIN' UP [Live 01 Sep 1978 version]
GROWIN' UP [Live 20 Nov 1980 version]
GROWIN' UP [Live 27 Nov 1980 version]
GROWIN' UP [Live 26 Jan 1981 version]
GROWIN' UP [Live 24 Aug 1981 version]
GROWIN' UP [Live 20 Aug 1984 version]
GROWIN' UP [Live 14 Sep 1984 version]
GROWIN' UP [Live 02 Oct 1985 version]
GROWIN' UP [Live 07 Aug 1992 version]
GROWIN' UP [Live 22 Sep 1992 version]
GROWIN' UP [Live 08 Nov 1996 version]
GROWIN' UP [Live 24 Sep 1999 version]
GROWIN' UP [Live 19 Feb 2003 version]
GROWIN' UP [Live 20 Feb 2003 version]
GROWIN' UP [Live 02 Mar 2003 version]
GROWIN' UP [Live 24 May 2003 version]
GROWIN' UP [Live 22 Jun 2003 version]
GROWIN' UP [Live 11 Aug 2005 version]
GROWIN' UP [Live 22 Nov 2005 version]
GROWIN' UP [Live 11 Nov 2006 version]
GROWIN' UP [Live 17 Nov 2006 version]
GROWIN' UP [Live 22 Apr 2008 version]
GROWIN' UP [Live 27 Jul 2008 version]
GROWIN' UP [Live 21 Aug 2008 version]
GROWIN' UP [Live 21 Apr 2009 version]
GROWIN' UP [Live 23 Aug 2009 version]
GROWIN' UP [Live 30 Sep 2009 version]
GROWIN' UP [Live 22 Nov 2009 version]
GROWIN' UP [Live 01 Feb 2014 version]
GROWIN' UP [Live 24 Apr 2014 version]
GROWIN' UP [Live 23 Feb 2016 version]
GROWIN' UP [Live 29 May 2016 version]
GROWIN' UP [Live 03 Jul 2016 version]
GROWIN' UP [Live 05 Sep 2016 version]
GROWIN' UP [Live 07 Sep 2016 version]
GROWIN' UP [Live 11 Sep 2016 version]
GROWIN' UP [Live 14 Sep 2016 version]
GROWIN' UP [Live July 2018 version]
GROWIN' UP [Any Trouble's cover version]
GROWIN' UP [David Bowie's cover version]

Page last updated: 05 Oct 2016