Bruce Springsteen fans, rejoice. The boss is releasing the high-quality version of his legendary concert in Cleveland on Aug. 9, 1978 at the Agora Theatre and Ballroom. Playing alongside his E Street Band, The Boss, delivered one of his most replayed live performances ever that was streamed on the radio, but never recorded and released officially. As a result, the only copies that have surfaces are tape cassettes from the era that have been bootlegged around between super fans. By adding the performance from the Darkness On The Town tour to his archival concert project, he gives back to fans that have been listening to the radio rip for close to 35 years and exposes the show to fans who have not had the chance to hear yet or were unaware of what happened (via Rolling Stone.)
Springsteen archivist Tony Scott revealed why they decided to release the copy to the public in a statement on the Springsteen live website.
"I found the seven Agora tape reels in a box that had been returned from the Rock'n Roll Hall Of Fame. The tapes were part of an exclusive Springsteen exhibit "Asbury Park to the Promised Land". It wasn't until the request to release this show came up that the tapes needed to be found. Not at Sony, not at Thrill Hill Archives, not at the archiving company. Last known location was the Rock'n Roll Hall of Fame. They informed me what box to look in and there they were, marked with the original indication of speed, tracks and show date. "
The new re-release will come with a new master on the sound, making the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame band sound even better than before.
The Agoria concert is available for download now, just in time for Christmas, while the CD copies of the live album will start shipping on Jan. 23.
