David Letterman exited NBC 32 years in the past with assist from Bruce Springsteen and an prolonged model of ‘Glory Days’

There was no higher method for David Letterman to inform the NBC execs they weren't the boss of him: by deploying the actual Boss!

On June 25, 1993, Letterman left NBC with a spring in his step, shifting from 30 Rockefeller Heart to the Ed Sullivan Theater and a brand new gig at CBS. He additionally made positive his final present on the previous store was an absolute barn burner — that includes some best hits clips (together with the time he tried, and failed, to deliver a fruit basket to his new company chieftains), a very hilarious go to from Tom Hanks, and Bruce Springsteen tearing it up with certainly one of his finest TV appearances and a fiery model of his hit "Glory Days."

Letterman's departure from Late Evening With David Letterman, with Jay Leno taking up the Tonight Present gig from Johnny Carson that the Indiana-bred funnyman thought was rightfully his, was a serious showbiz story, resulting in a well-publicized bidding conflict for Letterman's abilities and attorneys declaring that a few of his gags have been the "mental property" of NBC. (Certainly, the authorized time period "mental property" was not a part of the favored vernacular the best way it’s now, and we’ve got the Letterman-NBC feud guilty.) This complete song-and-dance was even made into an HBO movie referred to as The Late Shift directed by Betty Thomas.

In introducing Springsteen, Letterman mentioned that within the 11 and a half years the present had been on, the New Jersey rocker was the one visitor he needed to have on however by no means did. With a "higher late than by no means," he welcomed the Boss.

Carrying a flannel shirt and denims, he joined the World's Most Harmful Band, Paul Shaffer's group that will quickly change its title to the CBS Orchestra. Becoming a member of Springsteen have been, on drums, Anton Fig; on guitar, Sig McGinnis; on keys, Shaffer; sitting in on sax and tambourine for the evening, David Sanborn; and for causes that stay elusive to our cursory web analysis, Francisco Centeno on bass, and not Will Lee. (Weirdly sufficient, aside from Shaffer, Lee was the musician with the longest tenure within the band — however he wasn't there that evening!)

They performed the suitable tune for a ship off — "Glory Days" — and for those who've by no means seen the clip, fortunately it lives ceaselessly on YouTube due to some individuals who have uploaded it, in mushy violation of NBC's mental property rights.

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"Glory Days," a monitor on Springsteen's 1984 album Born in the usA., was already a well-loved basic in 1993. When launched as a single in 1985, it reached No. 5 on Billboard's Sizzling 100 chart, thanks in no small half to the energetic video, which was directed by the acclaimed filmmaker John Sayles.

The bar sequences within the video have been shot on the Hoboken, N.J., membership Maxwell's, a legendary institution that opened in 1978 and lasted till 2018. (It was the house base for 2 essential indie rock teams, The Feelies and Yo La Tengo.)

However as cool as that video was, it wasn't as cool as Springsteen leaping up on prime of Shaffer's keyboard rig — main Letterman to later joke, "If I had recognized that, I'd've gotten on the piano years in the past!"

"Glory Days" is a 4-minute and 14-second music on the album, however the Late Evening efficiency was about six minutes. This reporter remembers the episode going a little bit over its time, a closing "so lengthy!" from the present to NBC.

The Boss would make three extra appearances on a Letterman stage. In April 1995, he and the E Road Band stopped by the Late Present With David Letterman and performed "Homicide, Included" and "Secret Backyard," after which once more in December of that yr, he got here with simply his acoustic guitar to sing "Youngstown."

In 2002, Springsteen and the E Road Band carried out "The Rising" and "Lonesome Day" — and for the primary time he sat on Letterman's sofa to commerce some zings. Click on under to listen to a high-quality retort when Letterman asks Springsteen if he ever sings alongside to his personal songs within the automotive.

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