Ghost of Tom Joad Tour

Ghost of Tom Joad Tour

Tour by Bruce Springsteen
Associated album	The Ghost of Tom Joad
Start date	November 21, 1995
End date	May 26, 1997
Legs	7
Number of shows	128
Bruce Springsteen concert chronology

The Ghost of Tom Joad Tour was a worldwide concert tour featuring Bruce Springsteen performing alone on stage in small halls and theatres, that ran off and on from late 1995 through the middle of 1997. It followed the release of his 1995 album The Ghost of Tom Joad.

Itinerary

The tour began on November 21, 1995, at the State Theatre in New Brunswick, New Jersey. The first group of shows ran through the end of the year in major media centers such as Los Angeles, the San Francisco area, Washington, D.C., Philadelphia, New York City, and Boston.

After a winter holiday break, the show visited other North American cities in January 1996, including a stop in Youngstown, Ohio due to "Youngstown" being the album track most (relatively) played on radio.

February and March saw shows in Western Europe, followed by a three-week break during which Springsteen attended the Academy Awards show in Los Angeles. The tour resumed in Europe through early May.

A family man with three small children at the time, Springsteen took off the summer of 1996 and then started again in the U.S. in mid-September, playing smaller markets and colleges, as well as local stops in Asbury Park and his old St. Rose of Lima School in Freehold, and finishing in mid-December.

Another winter holiday break was taken, then in late January 1997 Springsteen took the show to Japan and Australia for three weeks. In May the final leg started up; first Springsteen went to Stockholm to accept the Polar Music Prize, then he toured Central Europe for perhaps the first time, seeing Austria, Poland, and the Czech Republic, before concluding with additional shows back in Western Europe. The 128th and final show of the tour was on May 26, 1997, at the Palais des Congrès in Paris and was attended by hundreds of fans from around the world.

Show

While the Ghost of Tom Joad album was in the more acoustic, somber vein of his earlier Nebraska, it did contain some limited additional instrumentation and arrangements. However, Springsteen decided to perform the new material completely by himself, using only acoustic guitar and harmonica. (A couple of the dourest Joad numbers did have a hidden offstage synthesizer being played, by Springsteen's guitar technician Kevin Buell.)

Given that Springsteen was famous for his full-band, high-energy, crowd-rousing concerts, this tour was sure to be a surprising departure. Advertisements tried to make this clear, and all show tickets were printed with Solo Acoustic Tour on them to give audiences a firm understanding of what to expect (and leading some to call the tour by that name, although it would become ambiguous in light of the later Devils & Dust Tour; Springsteen's publicists did not give this tour any formal name).

After an opening rendition of "The Ghost of Tom Joad", which featured audience members whooping and "Brooocing" by habit, Springsteen regularly addressed this audience with some variation of this speech:

"This is where I get to set the ground rules a little bit ... a lot of these songs tonight were composed using a lot of silence, silence is a part of the music, so I really need your collaboration tonight in giving me that silence so I can do my best for you ... if you feel like clapping or singing along, you'll be an embarrassment to your friends and family ... if someone sitting next to you is talking, politely ask them to shut the fuck up ... Don't make me come down there and smack you around, it'll mess with my man-of-the-people image."

Sometimes Springsteen felt the need to reiterate parts of the message after subsequent songs, especially if Brooocing continued. The whole bit created quite an impression among Springsteen fans, some of whom would always refer to this as the Shut the Fuck Up Tour as a result, and others of whom would wish the same rules were in effect for slower songs at future Springsteen E Street Band concerts.

The performance style of the tour varied greatly depending upon song. Some older numbers such as "Darkness on the Edge of Town" and the recently exhumed "Murder Inc." were vigorously strummed on guitar and bellowed in voice. Slide work also sometimes lent musical dynamism. But most selections, including almost all of the Joad material, were indeed arranged with silence as the leading accompaniment. Even normal fan favorite "Born in the U.S.A." was recast into a snarling attack mostly bereft of its anthemic title line. "The Promised Land" was transformed into a ghostly echo of its usually rousing self, propelled by percussive slapping of Springsteen's Takamine guitar body.

The typical all-Joad six-song closing sequence of the main set – "Youngstown", "Sinaloa Cowboys", "The Line", "Balboa Park", "The New Timer", and "Across the Border" – was especially stark and quiet. Based on the fates of lost American workers and Mexican immigrants in California, it suffered from some of same lack of melodic interest and forced didactic purpose that the album had been criticized for.

As the tour wore on, shows became a little looser. Springsteen introduced some humorous songs he had recently written, including "In Freehold", a ribald homage to his growing up, "In Michigan", a homage about the folks in Michigan, "Sell It and They Will Come", a tribute to the insanity of late-night infomercials, and "Pilgrim in the Temple of Love", a tale of Santa Claus doing something naughty. Indeed, explicit sexual mentions became something of a theme of the tour, with Springsteen telling any children in the audience that words they didn't understand were Latin for "doing your homework". Springsteen also engaged the faithful by unearthing some old numbers that had not seen concert action in a long time, or in the case of Greetings from Asbury Park, N.J.'s "The Angel", ever; Springsteen once swore he would never perform the song live (it wasn't performed again until 2009 during full performances of the album). The tour also marked the first time that Springsteen did not perform anything from the Born to Run. Nothing from the album was sound-checked although on the third to final date of the tour, Springsteen treated fans in Italy to a post-show singalong performance of "Thunder Road" from the venue's balcony. Two songs written for the Joad album that did not make the final cut, "The Hitter" and "Long Time Comin'", made their tour debuts although Springsteen would not release the two songs for another ten years until the 2005 Devils & Dust album.

Critical and commercial reaction

Due to the small venues played on the tour, often in the 2,000–3,000 capacity range, tickets were often hard to get, creating a "ticket scalpers' heaven". Dave Marsh's Two Hearts biography assessed the tour as not expanding Springsteen's audience any, but helping to solidify it, especially in Europe.

The Asbury Park Press characterized a November 1995 Count Basie Theatre show as Springsteen "spinning his acoustic tales of desperation and hope ... he played with power and poise ... The lyrics are bleaker than usual for Springsteen and the music reflects the solemn mood." The New York Times said a December 1995 Beacon Theatre show "easily qualifies as the most earnest concert of the year", that "Where [Springsteen] once saw open highways, he now sees roads to nowhere", and that "Springsteen turned in a painstaking and convincing performance. But with that material, he has turned himself into nearly a one-note performer." The Washington Post, on the other hand, found a December 1995 DAR Constitution Hall performance showing strains of the "sense of triumph" that Springsteen's previous work had evoked, although his physical appearance made him "look more like the custodian at Constitution Hall than the star attraction."

The biography Hard Travelin': The Life and Legacy of Woody Guthrie by Robert Santelli and Emily Davidson found praise for the tour, saying the album's songs gained onstage and that the shows, "although hushed and void of the anthemic rockers that made him the greatest performer that rock has ever known, managed to bring Woody Guthrie back to life again." Jimmy Gutterman's Runaway American Dream: Listening to Bruce Springsteen criticized the first leg of the tour for producing "the most dour performances of his career", but praised later legs that incorporated new material that was "sly, low-key, and funny."

Broadcasts and recordings

Portions of the December 8 and December 9, 1995, shows from Philadelphia's Tower Theater were later broadcast on the syndicated Columbia Records Radio Hour on U.S. album-oriented rock stations. The April 19, 1996, show from Internationales Congress Centrum Berlin was recorded live and a decade later aired on E Street Radio.

Tour dates

Date	City	Country	Venue
North America
November 22, 1995	Red Bank	United States	Count Basie Theatre
November 26, 1995	Los Angeles		Wiltern Theatre
November 27, 1995
November 29, 1995	Berkeley		Berkeley Community Theatre
November 30, 1995
December 3, 1995	Rosemont		Rosemont Theatre
December 5, 1995	Washington, D.C.		DAR Constitution Hall
December 6, 1995
December 8, 1995	Upper Darby		Tower Theatre
December 9, 1995
December 12, 1995	New York City		Beacon Theatre
December 13, 1995
December 15, 1995	Boston		Orpheum Theatre
December 16, 1995
December 17, 1995	New York City		Beacon Theatre
January 7, 1996	Montreal	Canada	Salle Wilfrid-Pelletier
January 8, 1996	Toronto		Massey Hall
January 10, 1996	Detroit	United States	Fox Theatre
January 11, 1996
January 12, 1996	Youngstown		Stambaugh Auditorium
January 16, 1996	Cleveland		Cleveland Music Hall
January 17, 1996
January 18, 1996	St. Louis		Fox Theatre
January 22, 1996	New Orleans		Saenger Theatre
January 23, 1996	Houston		Jesse H. Jones Hall for the Performing Arts
January 25, 1996	Austin		Austin Music Hall
January 26, 1996	Dallas		Bronco Bowl
January 28, 1996	Atlanta		Fox Theatre
Europe
February 12, 1996	Frankfurt	Germany	Alte Oper
February 14, 1996	Dresden		Kulturpalast
February 15, 1996	Munich		Rudi-Sedlmayer-Halle
February 17, 1996	Hamburg		Congress Centrum Hamburg Halle 1
February 18, 1996	Düsseldorf		Philipshalle
February 21, 1996	Paris	France	Le Zénith
February 22, 1996
February 25, 1996	Rotterdam	The Netherlands	De Doelen
February 26, 1996	Amsterdam		Koninklijk Theater Carré
February 28, 1996	Manchester	England	Manchester Apollo
February 29, 1996	Birmingham		Symphony Hall
March 2, 1996	Newcastle		Newcastle City Hall
March 3, 1996	Edinburgh	Scotland	Edinburgh Playhouse
March 13, 1996	Stockholm	Sweden	Cirkus
March 14, 1996	Oslo	Norway	Oslo Spektrum
March 16, 1996	Copenhagen	Denmark	Falkoner Salen
March 19, 1996	Belfast	Northern Ireland	King's Hall
March 20, 1996	Dublin	Ireland	Point Theatre
April 10, 1996	Rome	Italy	Auditorium Santa Cecilia
April 11, 1996	Milan		Teatro Smeraldo
April 13, 1996	Genoa		Teatro Carlo Felice
April 16, 1996	London	England	Royal Albert Hall
April 17, 1996
April 19, 1996	Berlin	Germany	ICC Berlin Halle 1
April 20, 1996	Antwerp	Belgium	Koningin Elisabethzaal
April 22, 1996	London	England	Royal Albert Hall
April 24, 1996			Brixton Academy
April 25, 1996
April 27, 1996			Royal Albert Hall
April 30, 1996	Strasbourg	France	Salle Erasme
May 1, 1996	Brussels	Belgium	Palais des Beaux-Arts
May 2, 1996	Zürich	Switzerland	Kongresshaus Zürich
May 6, 1996	Barcelona	Spain	Teatro Tivoli
May 7, 1996
May 8, 1996	Madrid		Palacio de Congresos Y Exposiciones
North America
September 16, 1996	Pittsburgh	United States	Benedum Center
September 18, 1996	Wallingford		Oakdale Theatre
September 19, 1996	Providence		Providence Performing Arts Center
September 24, 1996	Kalamazoo		James W. Miller Auditorium
September 25, 1996	Akron		E.J. Thomas Performing Arts Hall
September 26, 1996	Ann Arbor		Hill Auditorium
October 1, 1996	Normal		Braden Auditorium
October 2, 1996	Milwaukee		Riverside Theater
October 3, 1996	Minneapolis		Northrop Auditorium
October 15, 1996	Salt Lake City		Abravanel Hall
October 16, 1996	Denver		Paramount Theatre
October 17, 1996
October 19, 1996	Albuquerque		Kiva Auditorium
October 21, 1996	Tempe		Grady Gammage Memorial Auditorium
October 22, 1996	San Diego		Civic Theatre
October 23, 1996	Fresno		William Saroyan Theatre
October 25, 1996	Santa Barbara		Arlington Theatre
October 26, 1996	San Jose		Event Center Arena
October 28, 1996	Portland		Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall
October 29, 1996	Seattle		Paramount Theatre
November 8, 1996	Freehold		Saint Rose of Lima School
November 12, 1996	Buffalo		Shea's Performing Arts Center
November 13, 1996	Syracuse		Landmark Theatre
November 14, 1996	Lowell		Lowell Memorial Auditorium
November 19, 1996	Memphis		Ellis Auditorium
November 20, 1996	Louisville		The Louisville Palace
November 21, 1996	Indianapolis		Murat Theatre
November 24, 1996	Asbury Park		Paramount Theatre
November 25, 1996
November 26, 1996
December 2, 1996	Sunrise		Sunrise Musical Theater
December 3, 1996
December 5, 1996	Columbia		Township Auditorium
December 6, 1996	Birmingham		Birmingham-Jefferson Civic Center Concert Hall
December 10, 1996	Cincinnati		Music Hall
December 11, 1996	Columbus		Veterans Memorial Auditorium
December 12, 1996	Nashville		Ryman Auditorium
December 14, 1996	Charlotte		Ovens Auditorium
Japan (Heian period)
January 27, 1997	Tokyo	Japan	Kokusai Forum Hall
January 29, 1997
January 30, 1997
January 31, 1997
Australia
February 4, 1997	Brisbane	Australia	QPAC Concert Hall
February 5, 1997
February 7, 1997	Sydney		Capitol Theatre
February 8, 1997
February 10, 1997
February 11, 1997
February 12, 1997
February 15, 1997	Melbourne		Palais Theatre
February 16, 1997
February 17, 1997
Europe
May 6, 1997	Vienna	Austria	Austria Center Vienna
May 7, 1997
May 9, 1997	Warsaw	Poland	Sala Kongresowa
May 10, 1997
May 12, 1997	Prague	Czech Republic	Congress Center
May 15, 1997	Lyon	France	Auditorium Maurice Ravel
May 16, 1997	Montpellier		Berlioz Opera House
May 18, 1997	Nice		Acropolis
May 19, 1997	Toulon		Zénith Omega
May 21, 1997	Florence	Italy	Teatro Verdi
May 22, 1997	Naples		Teatro Augusteo
May 25, 1997	Paris	France	Palais des congres de Paris
May 26, 1997

Songs performed

Originals

Greetings from Asbury Park, New Jersey

• "The Angel"
• "Blinded By the Light"
• "Does This Bus Stop at 82nd Street?"
• "For You"
• "Growin' Up"
• "It's Hard to Be a Saint in the City"
• "Spirit in the Night"

The Wild, the Innocent & the E Street Shuffle

• "4th of July, Asbury Park (Sandy)"
• "Rosalita (Come Out Tonight)"
• "Wild Billy's Circus Story"

Darkness on the Edge of Town

• "Adam Raised a Cain"
• "Darkness on the Edge of Town"
• "The Promised Land"
• "Racing in the Street"

The River

• "I Wanna Marry You"
• "Independence Day"
• "Point Blank"
• "The River"
• "Two Hearts"
• "You Can Look (But You Better Not Touch)"

Nebraska

• "Atlantic City"
• "Highway Patrolman"
• "Johnny 99"
• "Mansion on the Hill"
• "My Father's House"
• "Nebraska"
• "Open All Night"
• "Reason to Believe"
• "State Trooper"
• "Used Cars"

Born in the U.S.A.

• "Bobby Jean"
• "Born in the U.S.A."
• "No Surrender"
• "My Hometown"
• "Working on the Highway"

Tunnel of Love

• "All That Heaven Will Allow"
• "Spare Parts"
• "Tougher Than the Rest"
• "When You're Alone"

Human Touch

• "Pony Boy"

Lucky Town

• "If I Should Fall Behind"

Greatest Hits

• "Murder Incorporated"
• "Streets of Philadelphia"
• This Hard Land"

The Ghost of Tom Joad

• "Across the Border"
• "Balboa Park"
• "Dry Lightning"
• "Galveston Bay"
• "The Ghost of Tom Joad"
• "Highway 29"
• "The Line"
• "My Best Was Never Good Enough"
• "The New Timer"
• "Sinaloa Cowboys"
• "Straight Time"
• "Youngstown"

Other

• "Brothers Under the Bridge"
• "Dead Man Walkin'"
• "The Hitter"
• "I'm Turning Into Elvis"
• "In Freehold"
• "In Michigan"
• "It's the Little Things That Count"
• "Long Time Comin'"
• "Pilgrim in the Temple of Love"
• "Red Headed Woman"
• "Seeds"
• "Sell It and They Will Come"
• "Shut Out the Light"
• "There Will Never Be Any Other for Me But You"
• "The Wish"

Cover songs

• "Blowing Down the Road (Old Dusty Road)"
• "Deportee (Plane Wreck at Los Gatos)"
• "Diamonds in the Yard"

• "Homestead"
• "I Don't Want to Go Home"
• "O Sole Mio"
• "Tom Joad (aka The Ballad of Tom Joad)"

Soundchecked/on setlist but not performed

• "I Wish I Were Blind"
• "Local Hero"
• "Souls of the Departed"
• "Thunder Road"

Source:

Sources

• Marsh, Dave. Bruce Springsteen on Tour: 1968–2005. Bloomsbury USA, 2006. ISBN 1-59691-282-0.
• Killing Floor's concert database supplies the itinerary and set lists for the shows, but does not support direct linking to individual dates.
• Brucebase the same, with ticket and promotional images as well.