Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band: Live in New York City

Backed by the original crew--including Clarence Clemons on sax, Steve Van Zandt on guitar and Danny Federici on keyboards--the Boss stepped over the Jersey state line in June 2000 to play to a packed Madison Square Garden crowd in this Emmy Award-winning HBO-aired concert. Combining his trademark voice of the working man themes with blistering rock, Springsteen electrified the audience with a string of hits, including "Prove It All Night," "Two Hearts," "Atlantic City," "The River," "Badlands" and the classic rock anthem "Born to Run." Whether injecting a little "take me to the river, wash me in the water" gospel to the near-20 minute rendition of "Tenth Avenue Freeze Out" or playing to the audience behind the stage (with a nice kiss for a middle-aged matron) on "Out in the Street," Springsteen the performer keeps pace with Springsteen the musician. And--talk about your unbelievable bargains--a second disc containing 80 minutes of concert footage not seen on the original two-hour broadcast serves up not-to-be-missed versions of "Backstreets," "Jungleland" (with Clemons' soulful sax never sounding better) and "Thunder Road." Rounding out the set with the 15-minute featurette "New York City Serenade," this landmark three-hours plus musical extravaganza, expertly filmed and recorded, is sure to be popular. Highly recommended. Editor's Choice. Aud: P. (R. Pitman)