45 Years of Darkness-The Photographs

Darkness on the Edge of Town released on June 2, 1978 changed the way we saw Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band, mostly because of the songs but also because the band was now in large arenas all of the time. Songs that would become live masterpieces even to this day. Badlands, Prove it All Night, Promised Land & Racing in The Street to name a few.

It was these new live songs that gave me the opportunity to photograph Bruce with his Fender guitar wailing into large halls with the band playing to more fans than ever before, which also brought a new set of challenges to my camera. A large stage, more space for Bruce to explore, the band spread out and not being able to capture more than one person in my frame made me concentrate on Bruce and his guitar.

That goddamn Guitar.

It’s hard to believe that so many years have passed. It’s even harder to believe that after four decades technology has made it possible to still reach into my vast Archives to rescue never-before-seen images – some that I haven’t even seen since I looked through the lens 45 years ago in 1978.

 So it is with great honor that I am able to breath new life into these unseen photographs for everyone around the world to view, share and, in some cases, bring home.

Please enjoy the show!

James Shive