Unknown setlist If you know or remember something about this show, please write me at contrib@brucespringsteen.it . Your help is important!!
Notes: ONE show 9:30PM to 1AM, with the SUNDANCE BLUES BAND the sole act on the bill. This gig included the original line-up of the group with Southside Johnny (harp), Van Zandt (lead guitar and vocals), Lopez (drums and vocals), Tallent (bass) and Joe Hagstrom (rhythm guitar). Springsteen makes a brief guest appearance during the encores.
07-May-1971 Asbury Park,NJ Student Prince,USA
Unknown setlist If you know or remember something about this show, please write me at contrib@brucespringsteen.it . Your help is important!!
Notes: ONE show 9:30PM to 1AM, with the SUNDANCE BLUES BAND the sole act on the bill. This gig included the original line-up of the group with Southside Johnny (harp), Van Zandt (lead guitar and vocals), Lopez (drums and vocals), Tallent (bass) and Joe Hagstrom (rhythm guitar). A possible Springsteen appearance during this show, but not certain.
08-May-1971 Asbury Park,NJ Student Prince,USA
Unknown setlist If you know or remember something about this show, please write me at contrib@brucespringsteen.it . Your help is important!!
Notes: ONE show 9:30PM to 1AM, with the SUNDANCE BLUES BAND the sole act on the bill. This gig included the original line-up of the group with Southside Johnny (harp), Van Zandt (lead guitar and vocals), Lopez (drums and vocals), Tallent (bass) and Joe Hagstrom (rhythm guitar). A possible Springsteen appearance during this show, but not certain. Guitarist Joe Hagstrom left the band after this gig and Springsteen took his place starting the following week.
Notes: ONE show, triple bill. This is the first of what evidence suggests were only 2-ever performances of DR ZOOM & THE SONIC BOOM (the other show was the following day). Undercard acts for this debut show were SUNNY JIM and GODZILLA (who were a late substitution for CONERSTONE). Springsteen put together DR ZOOM & THE SONIC BOOM in the aftermath of his two late March 1971 “Friendly Enemies” shows at Sunshine In and his eight April 1971 “Jam Concerts” at The Upstage. Indeed, much of the long-standing confusion surrounding how many Dr Zoom shows were performed relate to the fact that some people count some of those March-April gigs as “Zoom shows”, others don’t count them. Technically speaking they weren’t Dr Zoom shows - but they did contain most of the musicians and some of the zaniness.
The six core members of the DR ZOOM & THE SONIC BOOM are Springsteen, Van Zandt, Sancious, Tallent, Lopez and Southside Johnny. There is also a 6-member female backing female vocal troupe nicknamed “The Zoomettes”, led by folk singer JEANNIE CLARK. Other shore-area personalities such as Danny Gallagher, Bobby Williams, Kevin Connair, Al Tellone and Kevin Kavanaugh were given small cameo roles, either playing an instrument and/or acting in stage roles for vaudeville skits performed during the show – the most famous of these being a game of Monopoly played during Zoom’s performance.
The 10-song setlist mentioned above has been culled from a document (in Bruce’s handwriting – see below) that is probably the song schedule for this debut Dr Zoom gig. The material is clearly identifiable by Bruce’s header of “Sonic Tunes”. Whether or not Bruce made any late changes to this schedule for the actual performance is not known. “Fast Blues Shuffle” may be Bruce’s name for “Last Night In Tulsa” (as also performed at the following day’s Zoom gig). THERE IS NO AUDIO OF THIS DEBUT DR ZOOM SHOW IN CIRCULATION. Collectors should note that the widely circulating boot CD “The Bruce Springsteen Story, Volume 5” (E St) mistakenly lists its contents as being from this Sunshine In gig. However the audio is actually from the following day’s outdoor Dr Zoom performance at Newark State College (see 15/05/71 listing for details).
Notes: From Brucebase: The 2nd (and final) performance of the Dr. Zoom & the Sonic Boom from the 1st (and last?) "Ernie The Chicken Festival"
Fortunately a very good quality soundboard tape of all (or nearly all) of the Springsteen - led segments of this Dr Zoom show has been in circulation since the mid 1990's and can be found on the CD boot "The Bruce Springsteen Story, Vol 5 - Dr Zoom & The Sonic Boom" (E.ST). As is the case with all the volumes in the Bruce Springsteen Story CD boot series, the music is wonderful and significant - but the CD liner note information is poorly researched and full of errors. In the case of this Zoom material, they've taken an obvious outdoor venue tape (with 0% voice and instrument echo) and linked it to the Sunshine In - an indoor concert hall. The other notable error on the boot (not as serious but telling nevertheless) is the misidentification of the Dylan classic "It's Takes A Lot To Laugh..." as a song called "Group Therapy". This appears to have been done merely on the strength of an offhand comment Bruce makes at the end of the song.
Both David Sancious and Danny Gallagher are on record as saying there were three Dr Zoom revue shows, including the Allman Brothers gig. Others have stated "two or three". Nobody has ever stated more than three. So it is difficult to be optimistic about other Zoom shows turning up. As Southside Johnny said in his 1985 interview with Charles Cross - "we only ever did three Dr Zoom shows and each one was a farewell". Note: Newark State College is now known as Kean University.
Unknown setlist If you know or remember something about this show, please write me at contrib@brucespringsteen.it . Your help is important!!
Notes: ONE show 9:30PM to 1AM, with the SUNDANCE BLUES BAND the sole act on the bill. This was the official debut of Line-up #2 of the group (Southside Johnny, Van Zandt, Lopez, Tallent and Springsteen (installed as a fully-fledged band member). Springsteen replaced guitarist Joe Hagstrom. Bruce would end up staying in the band until mid July, when he departed to devote his energies to the newly formed Bruce Springsteen Band.
21-May-1971 Asbury Park,NJ Student Prince,USA
Unknown setlist If you know or remember something about this show, please write me at contrib@brucespringsteen.it . Your help is important!!
Notes: ONE afternoon show, 4PM, with the SUNDANCE BLUES BAND the sole act on the bill. This was Line-up #2 (Southside, Van Zandt, Tallent, Lopez, Springsteen). Following this gig Bruce and most of the guys in the band head over to The Upstage for another two evening shows under a different name.
21-May-1971 Asbury Park,NJ The Upstage,USA
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Notes: Early show, 9PM with BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN AND THE HOT MAMMAS (fantasy name for a quite BSB formation) the sole act on the bill. Bruce’s backing band is likely to have been Sancious, Van Zandt, Lopez and Tallent. The Hot Mammas are believed to have been some of the girls in the “The Zoomettes”, not the soon-to-be-hired BSB vocal duo of Barbara Dinkins & Delores Holmes. A key transitional performance in the rapid-fire evolution between “DR ZOOM” and the “BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN BAND”.
21-May-1971 Asbury Park,NJ The Upstage,USA
Unknown setlist If you know or remember something about this show, please write me at contrib@brucespringsteen.it . Your help is important!!
Notes: Late show, 1AM with BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN AND THE HOT MAMMAS (fantasy name for a quite BSB formation) the sole act on the bill. Bruce’s backing band is likely to have been Sancious, Van Zandt, Lopez and Tallent. The Hot Mammas are believed to have been some of the girls in the “The Zoomettes”, not the soon-to-be-hired BSB vocal duo of Barbara Dinkins & Delores Holmes. A key transitional performance in the rapid-fire evolution between “DR ZOOM” and the “BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN BAND”.
22-May-1971 Asbury Park,NJ Student Prince,USA
Unknown setlist If you know or remember something about this show, please write me at contrib@brucespringsteen.it . Your help is important!!
Notes: ONE afternoon show, 4PM, with the SUNDANCE BLUES BAND the sole act on the bill. This was Line-up #2 (Southside, Van Zandt, Tallent, Lopez, Springsteen). Following this gig Bruce and most of the guys in the band head over to The Upstage for another two evening shows under a different name.
22-May-1971 Asbury Park,NJ The Upstage,USA
Unknown setlist If you know or remember something about this show, please write me at contrib@brucespringsteen.it . Your help is important!!
Notes: Early show, 9PM, with BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN AND THE HOT MAMMAS the sole act on the bill. Bruce’s backing band is likely to have been Sancious, Van Zandt, Lopez and Tallent. The Hot Mammas are believed to have been some of the girls in the “The Zoomettes”, not the soon-to-be-hired BSB vocal duo of Barbara Dinkins & Delores Holmes. A key transitional performance in the rapid-fire evolution between “DR ZOOM” and the “BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN BAND”.
22-May-1971 Asbury Park,NJ The Upstage,USA
Unknown setlist If you know or remember something about this show, please write me at contrib@brucespringsteen.it . Your help is important!!
Notes: Late show, 1AM, with BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN AND THE HOT MAMMAS the sole act on the bill. Bruce’s backing band is likely to have been Sancious, Van Zandt, Lopez and Tallent. The Hot Mammas are believed to have been some of the girls in the “The Zoomettes”, not the soon-to-be-hired BSB vocal duo of Barbara Dinkins & Delores Holmes. A key transitional performance in the rapid-fire evolution between “DR ZOOM” and the “BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN BAND”.
28-May-1971 Asbury Park,NJ Student Prince,USA
Unknown setlist If you know or remember something about this show, please write me at contrib@brucespringsteen.it . Your help is important!!
Notes: ONE show 9:30PM to 1AM, with the SUNDANCE BLUES BAND the sole act on the bill. This was Line-up #2 of the group (Southside Johnny, Van Zandt, Lopez, Tallent and Springsteen (as a fully-fledged band member). A typical gig at this club consisted of four 40-minute sets separated by healthy intermissions (2½ hrs total playing time).
29-May-1971 Asbury Park,NJ Student Prince,USA
Unknown setlist If you know or remember something about this show, please write me at contrib@brucespringsteen.it . Your help is important!!
Notes: ONE show 9:30PM to 1AM, with the SUNDANCE BLUES BAND the sole act on the bill. This was Line-up #2 of the group (Southside Johnny, Van Zandt, Lopez, Tallent and Springsteen (as a fully-fledged band member). A typical gig at this club consisted of four 40-minute sets separated by healthy intermissions (2½ hrs total playing time).
