Back in 1979, the No Nukes: The Muse Concerts for a Non-Nuclear Future was the event. A who’s who of music’s best and brightest stars came out to New York City’s Madison Square Garden for two nights to raise money and awareness. The highlight, unquestionably, was the performance of Bruce Springsteen and the E-Street Band. It is a live show that is only becoming exponentially more legendary with the passage of time. For the first time ever, the pride of New Jersey’s iconic set is available as a stand-alone home video event.
Bruce Springsteen’s The 1979 Legendary No Nukes Concert will land at retailers both physical and virtual for purchase on November 16 and digital rental on November 23. After experiencing this borderline religious event of a concert, The Movie Mensch can unequivocally state that it is one of the most must-own home video releases of 2021.
At the time of the benefit shows in September 1979, the nation was still reeling from the meltdown at the Three Mile Island nuclear facility in Pennsylvania. It shook people, who had been told that nuclear energy was the safest, and the cleanest way forward. The gathering of an incredible laundry list of music’s biggest sellers has more than accomplished what it sought to do in that the performances—coupled with the issue that brought everyone together—have reverberated through time and made people think about nuclear energy and its role in our present and future.
But if there was one turn that out rocked the rest it was Springsteen and his blockbuster backup band. The film Bruce Springsteen’s The 1979 Legendary No Nukes Concert does an incredibly impressive job at capturing the explosive energy and musical mastery of Bruce and his supporting troupe. The musician is known for his electric and commanding live shows and to capture that cinematically is a triumph all on its own. The footage in its entirety has never been seen before this release. This is truly special, people!
The setlist for the home video release will make longtime Springsteen fans’ collective jaws drop. Opening with Prove it All Night and then going right into Badlands alone is worth the price of admission. Then, Jersey’s finest ran the emotive landscape as they blew through The Promised Land, The River, Sherry Darling, Thunder Road, Jungleland, a rollicking Rosalita Come Out Tonight, and of course, the song that landed Springsteen on the covers of Time and Newsweek the same week, Born to Run.
Then, he brought out some friends. As if everyone wasn’t already light-headed from the exquisiteness that was his set, Tom Petty, Rosemary Butler, and Jackson Browne joined him for a brilliant take on Stay and a Detroit Medley that would have made Mitch Ryder smile ear-to-ear.
With the release of Bruce Springsteen’s The 1979 Legendary No Nukes Concert, look for something to happen that has essentially been burgeoning with people who know for years… As Queen was to Live Aid, Springsteen’s seismic performance was to the No Nukes Concert. The impeccably captured show on this home video release now is the firm proof that people have been “hearing” about for decades.
After four decades, the potential for disappointment could have been enormous. Those who adore Springsteen have heard and keenly known about this show since it happened. But the thing is, humans are a visual entity. We respond to what we can see so much more than simply hearing it. This release is the first time the Springsteen set at the No Nukes Concert has been seen and heard and honestly, it is historic. May we all get to see a performance as dialed-in as Bruce and the band were during this set. It is not one that can be easily forgotten, even with the passage of time.
With the release of Bruce Springsteen’s The 1979 Legendary No Nukes Concert, look for the legend to only grow.
Film Grade: A+