Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame Drops Previously Unseen Bruce Springsteen Performances

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame has quietly been releasing rare footage of legendary performances from their 34 years of induction ceremonies. This week’s drop is a “Bruce Springsteen Spotlight: From The Vault” treasure trove, capturing the Jersey legend’s many appearances at the lauded event, from inducting his heroes and contemporaries to backing them up.

Videos by American Songwriter

Among the highlights is Springsteen’s 1987 speech inducting Roy Orbison, a loose 1989 performance of Orbison’s classic “Crying,” 1991’s Wilson Pickett “In The Midnight Hour” tribute (featuring John Fogerty, Bonnie Raitt, Jackson Browne and Chaka Khan) and a duet with Bob Dylan on Dylan’s classic “Forever Young,” from the 1995 Concert For The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame HBO special. The videos are available on the Hall’s YouTube page. Their website also features an archival photo gallery, essays from program guides and more.

“Crying” from the 1989 Ceremony:

The “Crying” performance is taken from the 1989 induction ceremonies, held at NYC’s Waldorf Astoria for a class that included Dion, The Rolling Stones, Otis Redding, The Temptations, Stevie Wonder and more. The Roy Orbison tribute was pulled together at the last minute for the legend, who had recently passed away unexpectedly.

The setlist (which includes songs from all the inductees):

Uptight (Everything’s Alright) / (I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction / Ain’t Too Proud To Beg / Lucille / Respect / Come Softly To Me / Be My Baby / The Wanderer / My Girl / Get Ready / Honky Tonk Women / I Can’t Turn You Loose / Bony Maronie / Start Me Up / Crying / River Deep-Mountain High / Under My Thumb (Instrumental)

Bruce Springsteen inducts Roy Orbison:

Bruce Springsteen, Roger McGuinn, Chaka Khan and John Fogerty perform “Mustang Sally” at the 1991 Induction Ceremony:

The “Forever Young” duet is from the 1995 Concert For The Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame, and features beautiful pedal steel lines and soloing from Bucky Baxter, who recently passed away:

Recent video uploads over the past month have included performances and induction speeches from the Beastie Boys, Public Enemy, Run DMC, NWA, Grandmaster Flash, Heart and more.

The physical location of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, located in Cleveland, Ohio is now open as well, for those looking to get hands on with music history, with appropriate safety measures in place.

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