The River Collection

It’s close to midnight, yet the show rolls on and on. The band is hot on this freezing December night on Long Island and the audience already knows they are a part of rock ‘n’ roll history. It is, after all, New Year’s Eve and Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band have been performing nearly four of the handful of hours left of 1980. As the cheering crowd joins in dancing and singing, shaking the rafters of Nassau Coliseum, there seems to be no stopping neither Bruce or the Band on this magical Holiday night.

It’s hard to believe that 35 years have passed since that night – the same night "The River," an amazing double album with songs like "Independence Day,"  "Hungry Heart,"  "Drive All Night,"  "Sherry Darling" and "Cadillac Ranch," was celebrated live, on stage, at this party of 20,000 loyal Bruce fans. 

It’s even harder to believe that after nearly four decades technology has made it possible to reach into my vast Archives to rescue never-before-seen images – some that I haven’t even seen since I looked through the lens on that historical night. 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.

 These historical Live Portraits of Bruce Springsteen & E Street Band are seeing the light of day for the very first time – just in time to celebrate the release of “The River” in 1980. Please enjoy the show!

James Shive