In Concert - MTV Plugged (1993)



						
  1. Red Headed Woman				 
  2. Better Days
  3. Atlantic City
  4. Darkness on the Edge of Town
  5. Man's Job
  6. Human Touch
  7. Lucky Town
  8. I Wish I Were Blind
  9. Thunder Road
  10.Light of Day
  11.If I Should Fall Behind
  12.Living Proof
  13.My Beautiful Reward

 

When Bruce Springsteen appeared on MTV’s acclaimed Unplugged series in 1992, expectations were high. The series had already provided a platform for numerous established rock acts to showcase their musicianship through stripped-down acoustic arrangements. Springsteen’s decision to subvert this format after a solitary acoustic number was as bold as it was contentious. The performance opened with a spirited rendition of Red Headed Woman, equal parts bawdy and humorous, but then veered sharply into amplified territory—thus earning the hybrid moniker Plugged.

This concert was less a retrospective celebration and more a declaration of artistic rebirth. Springsteen was promoting a newly assembled backing band—one conspicuously absent of the legendary E Street ensemble. Only Roy Bittan, the long-serving keyboardist, remained. To many longtime devotees, this omission bordered on heresy. And yet, what followed was not a diluted echo of former glories but an energetic, defiant reaffirmation of Springsteen’s vitality as a performer.

The setlist leaned heavily on material from Human Touch and Lucky Town, albums that themselves had provoked polarized reactions. Here, however, the live renditions brim with urgency, as though Springsteen were intent on justifying his creative choices not through interviews, but through sheer stage presence. These were not songs to be apologized for; they were, in his own posture and delivery, songs to be exalted.

While purists may have balked at the absence of early-era staples or the fraternal energy of the E Street Band, what emerges in In Concert/MTV Plugged is something else entirely: a snapshot of an artist at a professional crossroads, determined to evolve. Though constrained by the intimacy of a small venue and the limitations of filming, Springsteen still commands the stage with a presence few could rival. The sweat-drenched theatrics—flinging guitars, bounding across stages—are absent. What remains is focus, stamina, and charisma honed to a sharp point.

Sonically, the recording delivers muscular, no-nonsense rock and roll. The crowd is responsive, the band precise, and Springsteen—freed from the trappings of nostalgia—is clearly energized by the challenge. Even for those unfamiliar with the source albums, the energy is palpable.

It is worth noting that the DVD version of the performance surpasses the CD release in both length and atmosphere, containing additional tracks and capturing more of the evening’s nuances, including inter-song commentary. Though visually rooted in early-1990s VHS aesthetics, its rawness complements the unvarnished tone of the performance.

In sum, In Concert/MTV Plugged may not convert the skeptical traditionalist, but for those willing to engage with it on its own terms, it offers a compelling document of reinvention and resilience.

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