On This Day, May 23, 1978: Bruce Springsteen and The E Street Band kick off their Darkness Tour

On This Day, May 23, 1978 …

Bruce Springsteen and The E Street Band kicked off their Darkness tour at Shea’s in Buffalo, New York.

The tour, in support of Springsteen’s fourth studio album, Darkness on the Edge of Town, included a three-night stand at the Palladium in New York City. It wrapped on New Year’s Day 1979 in Cleveland, Ohio. 

The opening night set list included the live debuts of future Springsteen classics like “Badlands,” “Prove It All Night,” “Racing in the Street,” “The Promised Land,” “Candy’s Room” and “Darkness on the Edge of Town.”

The set also included favorites like “Thunder Road,” “Rosalita,” “Born To Run” and “Tenth Avenue Freeze Out.”