About an hour long, raw footage of primarily three songs – Spirit In The Night, Thundercrack and Wild Billy’s Circus Story from various camera angles interspersed with voices from the cameras and director, and seemingly random (occasionally upside-down) footage of unknown people sitting around on grass talking. Also includes audio snips of Tokyo and (if you’re really paying attention) Saint In The City.

A curiousity, too many cuts and splices to be really enjoyable, but interesting nevertheless.

Recorded on a standalone recorder in XP mode, with a standalone menu. Chapters for some reason about every 30 seconds or so.

brucebase info:

01/05/73 – AHMANSON THEATRE, LOS ANGELES, CA

SPIRIT IN THE NIGHT / CIRCUS SONG / TOKYO / THUNDERCRACK / TWIST AND SHOUT

ONE show, triple billing, held in the sold out 2,000-seat Ahmanson Theatre, with Springteen opening for DR HOOK & THE MEDICINE SHOW and headliner NEW RIDERS OF THE PURPLE SAGE. This concert is often confused with the private CBS Sales Convention show (see 27/07/73 for details). However the Ahmanson Theatre show was a normal, public admission event – but incorporating an unusual format. Organized and promoted by CBS as “A Week To Remember” – 7 consecutive nightly shows, each show featuring 3 different CBS artists. Bruce and the band flew to L.A. on April 30th, stayed at the Hilton hotel, performed on May 1st and returned east on May 3rd. The above-mentioned setlist represents Bruce’s complete 40-minute performance. The recording of “Circus Song” from this show was issued promotionally by CBS on July 7, 1973 on as part of its “Playback” EP series. The remainder of the audio from this show is uncirculating, except for the brief snippits of “Spirit” and “Thundercrack” that accompany its corresponding video snippits.

All 7 shows in the Ahmanson series were filmed in color by Arnold Levine Productions on behalf of CBS, whose intention was to have material to show its reps at the CBS Sales Convention in July. This happened, Bruce’s complete performance was shown several times at the Convention – but has never been shown anywhere since. It remains in CBS’s vault. Brief snippits of “Circus Song” and “Thundercrack” were utilized in mid-1974 as part of a promo-only video clip created by CBS to promote the Wild & Innocent LP. This clip readily circulates and, indeed, was shown in the VH1 Rocumentary. The frustratingly brief film excerpt of Springsteen performing “Spirit In The Night” on piano that was shown in the 1998 “Bruce Springsteen: A Secret History” BBC Documentary – it’s from this show. “Tokyo” was preceded by the Ducky Slattery monologue and at the conclusion of “Thundercrack” a giant Garden State Parkway sign descended from the ceiling – the only time this prop was ever utilized (see photo below). “Twist And Shout” was the encore. Three songs from this appearance (“Spirit In The Night”, “Circus Song” and “Thundercrack”) were officially released as (elaborately restored) bonus footage on the “Wings For Wheels” documentary DVD in 2005.