The experience of visiting an alternate universe to attend an alternate-universe Springsteen concert

I've linked to a version of "Wings for Wheels," the proto-"Thunder Road," before, but I think this one from Brynn Mawr on 2/5/1975 is even more striking. (UPDATE: I've just found out that this is actually the first time the song was ever performed.) It's not only a truly great performance in its own right, but its marriage of familiarity and difference is also as close as anyone who loves Bruce is ever likely to come to the experience of visiting an alternate universe to attend an alternate-universe Springsteen concert.



Thanks for Justin for giving me the whole bootleg on CD—there's also a really nice version of "Incident on 57th Street" with a serendipitous police siren passing by the venue at exactly the right moment, right at the end of the song. Don't take my word for it—you can find it for yourself out there in the series of tubes.