Editing Openai/67bf2631-0338-800a-827e-4ba18dbb4e0c


{{DISPLAYTITLE:Bruce Springsteen WGOE VCU}}

''This conversation was exported from ChatGPT''<ref>{{cite web|title=Bruce Springsteen WGOE VCU|url=https://chatgpt.com/share/67bf2631-0338-800a-827e-4ba18dbb4e0c|publisher=ChatGPT|access-date=2025-11-17}}</ref>

== research ==
=== User: what was bruce Springsteen's connection with WGOE and VCU in the 1960s and 70s ===
what was bruce Springsteen's connection with WGOE and VCU in the 1960s and 70s

=== Assistant: Are you looking for information specifically on Bruce Springsteen’s personal interactions with WGOE the Richmond, Virgi… ===
Are you looking for information specifically on Bruce Springsteen’s personal interactions with WGOE (the Richmond, Virginia radio station) and Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU), or more generally about how his music was played or promoted through these channels in the 1960s and 70s? Let me know how specific you’d like the research to be!

=== User: I think he and his friend Robbin Thompson were connected to the VCU communication arts department and bruce did some re… ===
I think he and his friend Robbin Thompson were connected to the VCU communication arts department and bruce did some recordings at WGOE--look deep

=== Assistant: I'll conduct deep research into Bruce Springsteen's connection to WGOE and Virginia Commonwealth University VCU during … ===
I'll conduct deep research into Bruce Springsteen's connection to WGOE and Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) during the 1960s and 70s, focusing on any involvement he had with the VCU Communication Arts department and potential recordings or broadcasts at WGOE. I'll also investigate his connection with Robbin Thompson and their activities in the Richmond area.

I'll update you as soon as I find relevant details.

== gpt-? ==
=== Assistant: Bruce Springsteen’s Richmond Connections in the 1960s and ’70s ===
=== Bruce Springsteen’s Richmond Connections in the 1960s and ’70s ===

==== VCU Campus Concerts and Communication Arts Involvement ====

Early Shows at VCU: Springsteen’s first Richmond appearances were closely tied to the Virginia Commonwealth University community. In mid-1969, his then-band Child traveled from New Jersey to play a free outdoor concert in Monroe Park (adjacent to VCU). This show – part of an RPI/VCU arts festival called Bang – made a big impression on local students and musicianshandfulofbrains.blogspot.com<ref>{{cite web|title=handfulofbrains.blogspot.com|url=https://handfulofbrains.blogspot.com/2008/08/springsteen-richmond-complete-history.html#:~:text=01%2F06%2F69%20,Davy%20Hazlett%20is%20in%20the|publisher=handfulofbrains.blogspot.com|access-date=2025-11-17}}</ref>magazine.vcu.edu<ref>{{cite web|title=magazine.vcu.edu|url=https://magazine.vcu.edu/2022-fall/the-franklin-street-gem/#:~:text=Then%20there%20was%20Springsteen,kept%20playing%20until%20he%20was|publisher=magazine.vcu.edu|access-date=2025-11-17}}</ref>. By that fall, Child was performing on campus: they headlined a show at the old VCU Gym (Franklin Street Gym) on Nov. 1, 1969, advertised as “a night of explosive sound” for $2.50richmondmagazine.com<ref>{{cite web|title=richmondmagazine.com|url=https://richmondmagazine.com/arts-entertainment/the-boss-is-back-in-town/#:~:text=Nov,50|publisher=richmondmagazine.com|access-date=2025-11-17}}</ref>. These campus gigs were often organized or promoted by VCU’s student-run concert committee, illustrating Springsteen’s early involvement with VCU’s arts and music scene (even if not formally a professor or student there).

Legendary 1970 Gym Concert: On May 23, 1970, Springsteen (now with his band renamed Steel Mill) played an infamous show at VCU’s Franklin Street Gym – an event that has become campus folklore. The band whipped the crowd into a frenzy with songs like “Going Back to Georgia” and “Sweet Melinda.” When police and VCU officials tried to enforce an 11 p.m. curfew, they literally pulled the plug on the amplifiers. Drummer Vini “Mad Dog” Lopez refused to stop, pounding out a defiant drum solo in the dark until security tackled and arrested him on stagerichmondmagazine.com<ref>{{cite web|title=richmondmagazine.com|url=https://richmondmagazine.com/arts-entertainment/the-boss-is-back-in-town/#:~:text=Take%20one%20particularly%20noteworthy%20show,whipped%20the%20crowd%20to%20life|publisher=richmondmagazine.com|access-date=2025-11-17}}</ref>magazine.vcu.edu<ref>{{cite web|title=magazine.vcu.edu|url=https://magazine.vcu.edu/2022-fall/the-franklin-street-gem/#:~:text=three%20of%20those%20shows%20were,to%20the%20ground%20and%20arrested|publisher=magazine.vcu.edu|access-date=2025-11-17}}</ref>. Springsteen later reminisced about “that free show at the VCU gym” – it was a wild night he “talked about… for quite a while,” as locals like Tom “Cool” Yolton recallrichmondmagazine.com<ref>{{cite web|title=richmondmagazine.com|url=https://richmondmagazine.com/arts-entertainment/the-boss-is-back-in-town/#:~:text=%E2%80%9CPolice%20had%20to%20shut%20it,%E2%80%9D|publisher=richmondmagazine.com|access-date=2025-11-17}}</ref>. This concert (with Steel Mill headlining and VCU-based band Mercy Flight opening) solidified Springsteen’s reputation in Richmond’s youth culturehandfulofbrains.blogspot.com<ref>{{cite web|title=handfulofbrains.blogspot.com|url=https://handfulofbrains.blogspot.com/2008/08/springsteen-richmond-complete-history.html#:~:text=ONE%20show%2C%20double%20bill%2C%20held,There%20are%20continuity%20cuts|publisher=handfulofbrains.blogspot.com|access-date=2025-11-17}}</ref>handfulofbrains.blogspot.com<ref>{{cite web|title=handfulofbrains.blogspot.com|url=https://handfulofbrains.blogspot.com/2008/08/springsteen-richmond-complete-history.html#:~:text=match%20at%20L262%20point%20that,referred%20to%20in%20several%20interviews|publisher=handfulofbrains.blogspot.com|access-date=2025-11-17}}</ref>. It also highlights how VCU’s Communication Arts milieu fostered these happenings – art students even designed psychedelic concert posters, which band members saved as much for the “neat artwork” as the memoriesnewjerseystage.com<ref>{{cite web|title=newjerseystage.com|url=https://www.newjerseystage.com/articles/getarticle.php?titlelink=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.newjerseystage.com%2Farchives%2Fgetarticle.php%3Ftitlelink%3Da-look-at-mercy-flight#:~:text=Well%2C%20I%20saved%20them%20because,else%2C%20they%20were%20neat%20artwork|publisher=newjerseystage.com|access-date=2025-11-17}}</ref>newjerseystage.com<ref>{{cite web|title=newjerseystage.com|url=https://www.newjerseystage.com/articles/getarticle.php?titlelink=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.newjerseystage.com%2Farchives%2Fgetarticle.php%3Ftitlelink%3Da-look-at-mercy-flight#:~:text=So%2C%20I%20was%20keeping%20them,I%20might%20have%20something%20here|publisher=newjerseystage.com|access-date=2025-11-17}}</ref>.

Campus Ties: Although Springsteen had no official academic post at VCU, his ties to the university ran deep. He played at least three shows in VCU’s Franklin Street Gym between 1969 and 1973magazine.vcu.edu<ref>{{cite web|title=magazine.vcu.edu|url=https://magazine.vcu.edu/2022-fall/the-franklin-street-gem/#:~:text=Then%20there%20was%20Springsteen,kept%20playing%20until%20he%20was|publisher=magazine.vcu.edu|access-date=2025-11-17}}</ref>. In fact, local lore suggests Springsteen felt so at home in Richmond that he even mulled moving to the city during those yearsrichmondmagazine.com<ref>{{cite web|title=richmondmagazine.com|url=https://richmondmagazine.com/arts-entertainment/the-boss-is-back-in-town/#:~:text=through%20the%20years|publisher=richmondmagazine.com|access-date=2025-11-17}}</ref>. Decades later, he fondly recalled that Richmond in the early ’70s was “one other place [besides New Jersey] we would come down… make a few dollars to keep us going,” thanks to devoted college-aged fanstheshockoeexaminer.blogspot.com<ref>{{cite web|title=theshockoeexaminer.blogspot.com|url=https://theshockoeexaminer.blogspot.com/2024/12/when-bruce-springsteens-band-steel-mill.html#:~:text=,the%20audience%20in%20these%20parts|publisher=theshockoeexaminer.blogspot.com|access-date=2025-11-17}}</ref>. (In 2014, Springsteen returned for his godson’s graduation at VCU and took a nostalgic drive past the old Mosque theater, recalling the Richmond gigs of his youththeshockoeexaminer.blogspot.com<ref>{{cite web|title=theshockoeexaminer.blogspot.com|url=https://theshockoeexaminer.blogspot.com/2024/12/when-bruce-springsteens-band-steel-mill.html#:~:text=,the%20audience%20in%20these%20parts|publisher=theshockoeexaminer.blogspot.com|access-date=2025-11-17}}</ref>.) In short, VCU – through its concert committees, student community, and even its art department resources – provided Springsteen a supportive launching pad in the late ’60s/early ’70s.

==== Collaboration with Robbin Thompson (VCU Student Musician) ====

A key figure linking Springsteen to VCU was Robbin Thompson, a Richmond singer who was literally part of the VCU community. Thompson moved to Richmond to attend VCU (he earned his B.S. in Mass Communications in 1971)archive.vcu.edu<ref>{{cite web|title=archive.vcu.edu|url=https://archive.vcu.edu/175/#:~:text=175th%20Anniversary%20,based%20company%20that|publisher=archive.vcu.edu|access-date=2025-11-17}}</ref> and formed a local band called Mercy Flight while a studenten.wikipedia.org<ref>{{cite web|title=en.wikipedia.org|url=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robbin_Thompson#:~:text=band%20even%20released%20a%20couple,8|publisher=en.wikipedia.org|access-date=2025-11-17}}</ref>. Mercy Flight frequently gigged around campus and opened for Springsteen’s band on numerous occasions. In fact, on Nov. 11, 1969, Mercy Flight opened for Steel Mill at a VCU concert – which is how Springsteen first encountered Thompson’s talentsen.wikipedia.org<ref>{{cite web|title=en.wikipedia.org|url=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robbin_Thompson#:~:text=|publisher=en.wikipedia.org|access-date=2025-11-17}}</ref>. Impressed by Thompson’s vocals, Springsteen decided in 1970 to expand Steel Mill by adding a second singer. He recruited Robbin Thompson to join the band, effectively forging a collaboration between the New Jersey rockers and the Richmond music sceneen.wikipedia.org<ref>{{cite web|title=en.wikipedia.org|url=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robbin_Thompson#:~:text=On%20November%2011%2C%201969%2C%20Mercy,Music%20Festival%2C%20sponsored%20by%20WMAC|publisher=en.wikipedia.org|access-date=2025-11-17}}</ref>.

Steel Mill Era (1970): Once Thompson came on board (his debut with Steel Mill was Aug. 29, 1970)en.wikipedia.org<ref>{{cite web|title=en.wikipedia.org|url=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robbin_Thompson#:~:text=concert%20at%20VCU.,Festival%2C%20sponsored%20by%20%2070|publisher=en.wikipedia.org|access-date=2025-11-17}}</ref>, Springsteen’s Richmond connection grew even stronger. The revamped lineup – now featuring a VCU student on co-lead vocals – performed both in Richmond and beyond. They opened for major acts like Ike & Tina Turner in Richmond on October 11, 1970theshockoeexaminer.blogspot.com<ref>{{cite web|title=theshockoeexaminer.blogspot.com|url=https://theshockoeexaminer.blogspot.com/2024/12/when-bruce-springsteens-band-steel-mill.html#:~:text=town%20of%20Woodland%20Falls%20that,and%C2%A0Robbin%20Thompson%C2%A0alternating%20the%20lead%20vocal|publisher=theshockoeexaminer.blogspot.com|access-date=2025-11-17}}</ref>. (At that Mosque concert, Springsteen and Thompson alternated lead vocals on songs like “Goin’ Back to Georgia,” giving Richmond fans a dynamic Jersey-meets-Richmond stage showtheshockoeexaminer.blogspot.com<ref>{{cite web|title=theshockoeexaminer.blogspot.com|url=https://theshockoeexaminer.blogspot.com/2024/12/when-bruce-springsteens-band-steel-mill.html#:~:text=is%20polite%20but%20indifferent%2C%20an,and%C2%A0Robbin%20Thompson%C2%A0alternating%20the%20lead%20vocal|publisher=theshockoeexaminer.blogspot.com|access-date=2025-11-17}}</ref>.) They also shared songwriting duties in small ways; for example, Steel Mill’s setlist included “Train Ride,” a song Thompson co-wrote and originally sang in Mercy Flight. Springsteen’s band put their own spin on it, and as Yolton jokes, “I can always say that Bruce Springsteen actually covered one of my songs”newjerseystage.com<ref>{{cite web|title=newjerseystage.com|url=https://www.newjerseystage.com/articles/getarticle.php?titlelink=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.newjerseystage.com%2Farchives%2Fgetarticle.php%3Ftitlelink%3Da-look-at-mercy-flight#:~:text=everybody%20just%20went%2C%20%E2%80%9CWoh%2C%20wait,Who%E2%80%99s%20this%20guy%3F%E2%80%9D|publisher=newjerseystage.com|access-date=2025-11-17}}</ref>.

Lasting Friendship: Thompson performed with Steel Mill through the end of 1970 (the band’s final shows as Springsteen prepared to form a new group). While Springsteen headed back north to eventually launch the E Street Band, Robbin Thompson stayed in Richmond and went on to a successful career of his own. The two remained linked by this early chapter: they had literally shared the stage at VCU and around Richmond, and Thompson’s Richmond roots had helped Springsteen gain a foothold with local audiences. Years later, their paths would cross on stage again – for instance, Thompson joined Springsteen as a guest at a 2003 concert – reflecting the camaraderie formed in those college-days collaborationsen.wikipedia.org<ref>{{cite web|title=en.wikipedia.org|url=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robbin_Thompson#:~:text=recorded%20several%20albums%20which%20included,3|publisher=en.wikipedia.org|access-date=2025-11-17}}</ref>en.wikipedia.org<ref>{{cite web|title=en.wikipedia.org|url=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robbin_Thompson#:~:text=Ellen%20McIlwaine%20%2C%20among%20others,Festival%20and%20in%201980%20had|publisher=en.wikipedia.org|access-date=2025-11-17}}</ref>. (Notably, Thompson’s Richmond legacy endured – he co-wrote “Sweet Virginia Breeze,” now an official state song of Virginiaen.wikipedia.org<ref>{{cite web|title=en.wikipedia.org|url=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robbin_Thompson#:~:text=a%20minor%20national%20hit%20with,5|publisher=en.wikipedia.org|access-date=2025-11-17}}</ref>.) In summary, Springsteen’s relationship with Robbin Thompson – forged through VCU connections and shared gigs – was a crucial bridge that brought Springsteen’s music to Richmond and integrated him into the VCU arts community.

==== WGOE Radio Sessions and Recordings ====

WGOE (1590 AM) was Richmond’s groundbreaking free-form rock station in the early 1970s – and it played a pivotal role in Springsteen’s Richmond story. In the days before FM rock dominated, WGOE’s AM airwaves championed underground artists; a local blogger reminisced that “what a gem WGOE was – a free-form AM radio station”, the last great Richmond rock outlet of that eraslantblog.blogspot.com<ref>{{cite web|title=slantblog.blogspot.com|url=https://slantblog.blogspot.com/2011/01/springsteen-on-wgoe-1973.html#:~:text=Thanks%20Terry,now|publisher=slantblog.blogspot.com|access-date=2025-11-17}}</ref>. Springsteen benefited directly from WGOE’s support. Most famously, on May 31, 1973, Bruce Springsteen and his then-new E Street Band recorded an in-studio session at Richmond’s Alpha Audio (also referred to as Alfa Studios) specifically for broadcast on WGOEslantblog.blogspot.com<ref>{{cite web|title=slantblog.blogspot.com|url=https://slantblog.blogspot.com/2011/01/springsteen-on-wgoe-1973.html#:~:text=Springsteen%20on%20WGOE%20|publisher=slantblog.blogspot.com|access-date=2025-11-17}}</ref>richmondmagazine.com<ref>{{cite web|title=richmondmagazine.com|url=https://richmondmagazine.com/arts-entertainment/the-boss-is-back-in-town/#:~:text=May%2031%2C%201973%2C%20the%20Richmond,defunct%20Richmond%20rock%20station%20WGOE|publisher=richmondmagazine.com|access-date=2025-11-17}}</ref>.

1973 Alpha Audio Session: This WGOE session featured Springsteen performing a six-song acoustic set – including tracks like “Wild Billy’s Circus Story” from his upcoming album The Wild, The Innocent & The E Street Shuffle – along with interview segmentsrichmondmagazine.com<ref>{{cite web|title=richmondmagazine.com|url=https://richmondmagazine.com/arts-entertainment/the-boss-is-back-in-town/#:~:text=May%2031%2C%201973%2C%20the%20Richmond,defunct%20Richmond%20rock%20station%20WGOE|publisher=richmondmagazine.com|access-date=2025-11-17}}</ref>. It was aired live as a preview for his concert later that day at the Richmond Coliseum (where Springsteen was booked to open for the band Chicago)richmondmagazine.com<ref>{{cite web|title=richmondmagazine.com|url=https://richmondmagazine.com/arts-entertainment/the-boss-is-back-in-town/#:~:text=May%2031%2C%201973%2C%20the%20Richmond,defunct%20Richmond%20rock%20station%20WGOE|publisher=richmondmagazine.com|access-date=2025-11-17}}</ref>. The recording captures Springsteen in a unique setting: after his Steel Mill days but before national fame, joking with the DJ and playing solo with just an acoustic guitar. Tapes of this WGOE broadcast have survived among collectors, and it’s now a minor piece of Springsteen lore (officially unreleased, but well-known via bootlegs)archive.org<ref>{{cite web|title=archive.org|url=https://archive.org/details/bruce-springsteen-alpha-studios-va-1973-wgoe#:~:text=Bruce%20Springsteen%20Alpha%20Audio%20VA,VA%20on%20May%2031%2C%201973|publisher=archive.org|access-date=2025-11-17}}</ref>youtube.com<ref>{{cite web|title=youtube.com|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=naRG3zudU-k#:~:text=...%20%28WGOE,The|publisher=youtube.com|access-date=2025-11-17}}</ref>. The WGOE appearance underscores how Richmond’s media embraced Springsteen early on – giving him a platform to reach Virginia listeners even as his first albums were just coming out.

Other WGOE Connections: While the May ’73 session is the most documented, WGOE had likely been spinning Springsteen’s records and promoting his shows around that time. The station’s staff and fans followed Springsteen’s Richmond performances closely. In fact, Springsteen’s Feb. 14, 1973 concert at VCU (with Dan Hicks) was advertised on local radio, and by March 1973 the Commonwealth Times noted that “Bruce Springsteen… plans to tour with Richie Havens later this year,” reflecting the kind of music news WGOE would sharescholarscompass.vcu.edu<ref>{{cite web|title=scholarscompass.vcu.edu|url=https://scholarscompass.vcu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1177&context=com%2F#:~:text=,Richie%20Havens%20later%20this%20year|publisher=scholarscompass.vcu.edu|access-date=2025-11-17}}</ref>. WGOE’s enthusiastic coverage helped build a Richmond-area following. Longtime Richmond DJ Terry “TL” Rea recalled how extraordinary it was to hear Springsteen on an AM station like WGOE, which was “all the way to the right” on the dial in more ways than oneslantblog.blogspot.com<ref>{{cite web|title=slantblog.blogspot.com|url=https://slantblog.blogspot.com/2011/01/springsteen-on-wgoe-1973.html#:~:text=recording%20www,before%20the%20E%20Street%20Band|publisher=slantblog.blogspot.com|access-date=2025-11-17}}</ref>slantblog.blogspot.com<ref>{{cite web|title=slantblog.blogspot.com|url=https://slantblog.blogspot.com/2011/01/springsteen-on-wgoe-1973.html#:~:text=Thanks%20Terry,now|publisher=slantblog.blogspot.com|access-date=2025-11-17}}</ref>. In sum, WGOE featured Springsteen both in studio and on air, becoming an important cheerleader for the Boss during his climb in the early ’70s.

==== Notable Richmond Performances and Moments (Late ’60s–’70s) ====

Springsteen’s time in Richmond produced a string of legendary performances and local stories. Some of the most notable include:
* Free University & The String Factory (1969): In September 1969, Springsteen’s band Child played multiple shows at Richmond’s “Free University” – an alternative education center near VCU that doubled as a music venue called The Center (later known as the String Factory). These gigs, held on Sept. 19-20, 1969, were among the earliest taped performances of Springsteen in Richmond and solidified his fan base therehandfulofbrains.blogspot.com<ref>{{cite web|title=handfulofbrains.blogspot.com|url=https://handfulofbrains.blogspot.com/2008/08/springsteen-richmond-complete-history.html#:~:text=19%2F09%2F69%20,String%20Factory%E2%80%9D%20in%20May%201970|publisher=handfulofbrains.blogspot.com|access-date=2025-11-17}}</ref>. Local musicians and students packed the place; one of Springsteen’s extended blues jams from these shows survives in bootleg formhandfulofbrains.blogspot.com<ref>{{cite web|title=handfulofbrains.blogspot.com|url=https://handfulofbrains.blogspot.com/2008/08/springsteen-richmond-complete-history.html#:~:text=20%2F09%2F69%20,In|publisher=handfulofbrains.blogspot.com|access-date=2025-11-17}}</ref>. The Free University scene was intertwined with VCU’s counterculture – even providing draft deferment to some students – and Springsteen became a part of that scene by playing its hallnewjerseystage.com<ref>{{cite web|title=newjerseystage.com|url=https://www.newjerseystage.com/articles/getarticle.php?titlelink=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.newjerseystage.com%2Farchives%2Fgetarticle.php%3Ftitlelink%3Da-look-at-mercy-flight#:~:text=Not%20very%20long,and%20we%20did%20pretty%20good|publisher=newjerseystage.com|access-date=2025-11-17}}</ref>newjerseystage.com<ref>{{cite web|title=newjerseystage.com|url=https://www.newjerseystage.com/articles/getarticle.php?titlelink=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.newjerseystage.com%2Farchives%2Fgetarticle.php%3Ftitlelink%3Da-look-at-mercy-flight#:~:text=There%20happened%20to%20be%20an,been%20their%20second%20time%20back|publisher=newjerseystage.com|access-date=2025-11-17}}</ref>.
* Parking Deck Concert (Aug 1970): On August 14, 1970, Steel Mill headlined a raucous open-air show atop a downtown Richmond parking garage (at 7th & Marshall Streets). Nearly 1,000 people climbed to the roof to hear them for $2.50 a ticketrichmondmagazine.com<ref>{{cite web|title=richmondmagazine.com|url=https://richmondmagazine.com/arts-entertainment/the-boss-is-back-in-town/#:~:text=assembled%20atop%20the%20parking%20deck,along%20by%20the%20summer%20breeze|publisher=richmondmagazine.com|access-date=2025-11-17}}</ref>. By then, Springsteen was a charismatic 20-year-old with long hair, cutoff jeans, and a reputation for high-energy performancesrichmondmagazine.com<ref>{{cite web|title=richmondmagazine.com|url=https://richmondmagazine.com/arts-entertainment/the-boss-is-back-in-town/#:~:text=Virginia%E2%80%99s%20Marlo%20Mays%20and%20the,along%20by%20the%20summer%20breeze|publisher=richmondmagazine.com|access-date=2025-11-17}}</ref>. The parking-deck show – with local band Mercy Flight also on the bill – is remembered as one of Springsteen’s best early Richmond showstheshockoeexaminer.blogspot.com<ref>{{cite web|title=theshockoeexaminer.blogspot.com|url=https://theshockoeexaminer.blogspot.com/2024/12/when-bruce-springsteens-band-steel-mill.html#:~:text=Item%20about%20the%20upcoming%20show,the%20many%20fans%20who%20attended|publisher=theshockoeexaminer.blogspot.com|access-date=2025-11-17}}</ref>. It exemplified the DIY concert culture of the era, turning an urban concrete slab into a rock venue for a night.
* Opening for Ike & Tina Turner (Oct 1970): Perhaps the most surreal booking of Springsteen’s Richmond years was when Steel Mill opened for the Ike & Tina Turner Revue at the Richmond Mosque on October 11, 1970. It was an odd pairing: a gritty soul revue and a progressive rock band. Not surprisingly, fewer than half the tickets sold, leaving the 3,000-seat theater half emptytheshockoeexaminer.blogspot.com<ref>{{cite web|title=theshockoeexaminer.blogspot.com|url=https://theshockoeexaminer.blogspot.com/2024/12/when-bruce-springsteens-band-steel-mill.html#:~:text=,17%20Why%27d|publisher=theshockoeexaminer.blogspot.com|access-date=2025-11-17}}</ref>. Those who did come saw Springsteen, Robbin Thompson, Steven Van Zandt, Vini Lopez, and Danny Federici deliver a solid 60-minute settheshockoeexaminer.blogspot.com<ref>{{cite web|title=theshockoeexaminer.blogspot.com|url=https://theshockoeexaminer.blogspot.com/2024/12/when-bruce-springsteens-band-steel-mill.html#:~:text=and%20a%20progressive%20rock%20group,used%20only%20when%20playing%20in|publisher=theshockoeexaminer.blogspot.com|access-date=2025-11-17}}</ref>theshockoeexaminer.blogspot.com<ref>{{cite web|title=theshockoeexaminer.blogspot.com|url=https://theshockoeexaminer.blogspot.com/2024/12/when-bruce-springsteens-band-steel-mill.html#:~:text=,Thompson%2C%20and%20Steven%20Van%20Zandt|publisher=theshockoeexaminer.blogspot.com|access-date=2025-11-17}}</ref>. They even tailored one song’s lyrics to mention a local town, showing their effort to connect with the Virginia crowdtheshockoeexaminer.blogspot.com<ref>{{cite web|title=theshockoeexaminer.blogspot.com|url=https://theshockoeexaminer.blogspot.com/2024/12/when-bruce-springsteens-band-steel-mill.html#:~:text=undercard%20Steel%20Mill%20would%20have,and%C2%A0Robbin%20Thompson%C2%A0alternating%20the%20lead%20vocal|publisher=theshockoeexaminer.blogspot.com|access-date=2025-11-17}}</ref>. Reviews note the audience response was polite but lukewarm – clearly there for Ike & Tina – yet this gig has taken on mythic status as “Bruce Springsteen opened for Tina Turner in Richmond”. Springsteen himself still remembers it; in a 2014 speech he said “I opened for Ike and Tina Turner at the Mosque… many years ago” when recalling his rootstheshockoeexaminer.blogspot.com<ref>{{cite web|title=theshockoeexaminer.blogspot.com|url=https://theshockoeexaminer.blogspot.com/2024/12/when-bruce-springsteens-band-steel-mill.html#:~:text=,the%20audience%20in%20these%20parts|publisher=theshockoeexaminer.blogspot.com|access-date=2025-11-17}}</ref>.
'' VCU ''Franklin Street Gym* Shows (1971 & 1973): In addition to the 1969 and 1970 concerts already mentioned, Springsteen returned to VCU’s gym for other significant shows. On Oct. 30, 1971, The Bruce Springsteen Band (his short-lived 10-piece horn-band project) played the new Franklin St. Gym as part of a triple bill, supporting the hard-rock band Cactushandfulofbrains.blogspot.com<ref>{{cite web|title=handfulofbrains.blogspot.com|url=https://handfulofbrains.blogspot.com/2008/08/springsteen-richmond-complete-history.html#:~:text=30%2F10%2F71%20,minute|publisher=handfulofbrains.blogspot.com|access-date=2025-11-17}}</ref>handfulofbrains.blogspot.com<ref>{{cite web|title=handfulofbrains.blogspot.com|url=https://handfulofbrains.blogspot.com/2008/08/springsteen-richmond-complete-history.html#:~:text=ONE%20show%2C%20triple%20bill%2C%20with,audience%20recording%20of%20only%20fair|publisher=handfulofbrains.blogspot.com|access-date=2025-11-17}}</ref>. By this time Springsteen had added soulful backup singers to his lineup, and recordings from that night capture him transitioning toward the sound that would lead to the E Street Bandhandfulofbrains.blogspot.com<ref>{{cite web|title=handfulofbrains.blogspot.com|url=https://handfulofbrains.blogspot.com/2008/08/springsteen-richmond-complete-history.html#:~:text=Knopp%29,now%20circulates%20via|publisher=handfulofbrains.blogspot.com|access-date=2025-11-17}}</ref>. Then, on Feb. 14, 1973 (Valentine’s Day), Springsteen — now officially with the E Street Band — opened a show at the Franklin St. Gym for California folk-jazz act Dan Hicks and His Hot Licks. Many in the student audience had come for the headliner, not knowing who Springsteen was. By the end of the night, he had won them over. “They were the best band I had ever heard,” recalled Susan Walthall (VCU class of ’77) of Springsteen’s set that eveningmagazine.vcu.edu<ref>{{cite web|title=magazine.vcu.edu|url=https://magazine.vcu.edu/2022-fall/the-franklin-street-gem/#:~:text=Three%20years%20later%2C%20Springsteen%20was,Band%2C%20that%20Walthall%20remembers%20most|publisher=magazine.vcu.edu|access-date=2025-11-17}}</ref>magazine.vcu.edu<ref>{{cite web|title=magazine.vcu.edu|url=https://magazine.vcu.edu/2022-fall/the-franklin-street-gem/#:~:text=Walthall%20%28B,Band%2C%20that%20Walthall%20remembers%20most|publisher=magazine.vcu.edu|access-date=2025-11-17}}</ref>. This free VCU concert was a turning point where Richmond fans realized the “unknown” opener was something special — indeed, Springsteen’s debut album was just then being released, and his newly formed E Street Band left a lasting impressionmagazine.vcu.edu<ref>{{cite web|title=magazine.vcu.edu|url=https://magazine.vcu.edu/2022-fall/the-franklin-street-gem/#:~:text=Three%20years%20later%2C%20Springsteen%20was,Band%2C%20that%20Walthall%20remembers%20most|publisher=magazine.vcu.edu|access-date=2025-11-17}}</ref>.
* Coliseum and Mosque Shows (1973–75): As Springsteen’s star began to rise, he still made a couple more Richmond stops in the mid-’70s. The May 31, 1973 concert at the Richmond Coliseum saw Springsteen and band play a 45-minute opening set for the group Chicago – notably, earlier that day was the WGOE radio session discussed aboverichmondmagazine.com<ref>{{cite web|title=richmondmagazine.com|url=https://richmondmagazine.com/arts-entertainment/the-boss-is-back-in-town/#:~:text=May%2031%2C%201973%2C%20the%20Richmond,defunct%20Richmond%20rock%20station%20WGOE|publisher=richmondmagazine.com|access-date=2025-11-17}}</ref>. Just two years later, on August 1, 1975, Springsteen returned to headline at the Mosque. That 1975 show was advertised with the tagline “Brucie’s back in town,” and shortly after, Springsteen would land simultaneously on the covers of Time and Newsweek as a national phenomenonrichmondmagazine.com<ref>{{cite web|title=richmondmagazine.com|url=https://richmondmagazine.com/arts-entertainment/the-boss-is-back-in-town/#:~:text=Studios%20by%20now,station%20WGOE|publisher=richmondmagazine.com|access-date=2025-11-17}}</ref>. The August ’75 Mosque concert effectively closed the chapter on Springsteen’s small-venue Richmond era – it was his last Richmond gig for many yearsrichmondmagazine.com<ref>{{cite web|title=richmondmagazine.com|url=https://richmondmagazine.com/arts-entertainment/the-boss-is-back-in-town/#:~:text=May%2031%2C%201973%2C%20the%20Richmond,defunct%20Richmond%20rock%20station%20WGOE|publisher=richmondmagazine.com|access-date=2025-11-17}}</ref>richmondmagazine.com<ref>{{cite web|title=richmondmagazine.com|url=https://richmondmagazine.com/arts-entertainment/the-boss-is-back-in-town/#:~:text=Aug,Time%20in%20the%20same%20week|publisher=richmondmagazine.com|access-date=2025-11-17}}</ref>.

Interviews and Press: During the late ’60s/’70s Richmond years, Springsteen did not do a lot of formal interviews with local press (he was still a developing act). However, a few notable press mentions occurred. The VCU Commonwealth Times student newspaper ran ads and blurbs about his shows – for example, a 1970 issue hyped an upcoming free concert by Dan Hicks at the Mosque with “Bruce Springsteen, appearing with the Hot Licks” and noted Springsteen’s future plans to tour with Richie Havensscholarscompass.vcu.edu<ref>{{cite web|title=scholarscompass.vcu.edu|url=https://scholarscompass.vcu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1177&context=com%2F#:~:text=,Richie%20Havens%20later%20this%20year|publisher=scholarscompass.vcu.edu|access-date=2025-11-17}}</ref>. Local writers like Tom “T.C.” Yolton (a VCU student and musician) and others spread the word about Springsteen. And of course, the WGOE radio interview in 1973 functioned as an on-air press piece, introducing Springsteen to Richmond listeners in a more personal wayslantblog.blogspot.com<ref>{{cite web|title=slantblog.blogspot.com|url=https://slantblog.blogspot.com/2011/01/springsteen-on-wgoe-1973.html#:~:text=Springsteen%20on%20WGOE%20|publisher=slantblog.blogspot.com|access-date=2025-11-17}}</ref>. Years later, Richmond publications would look back and document these times in detail, but at the moment itself Springsteen was a word-of-mouth sensation on campus more than a media star.

Legacy in Richmond: Bruce Springsteen’s Richmond adventures in the ’60s and ’70s left a lasting legacy. He performed roughly 20+ shows in the Richmond area between 1969 and 1973, many of them centered around VCUtheshockoeexaminer.blogspot.com<ref>{{cite web|title=theshockoeexaminer.blogspot.com|url=https://theshockoeexaminer.blogspot.com/2024/12/when-bruce-springsteens-band-steel-mill.html#:~:text=parts|publisher=theshockoeexaminer.blogspot.com|access-date=2025-11-17}}</ref>. These included college gymnasiums, city parks, nightclubs on Grace Street, and theater stages – a wide range of venues for a hungry young performer. The Richmond fans were among the first outside New Jersey to champion Springsteen. As Springsteen acknowledged on stage in 2014, “We had many, many shows of our own [in Richmond] that were supported very deeply by the audience in these parts.”theshockoeexaminer.blogspot.com<ref>{{cite web|title=theshockoeexaminer.blogspot.com|url=https://theshockoeexaminer.blogspot.com/2024/12/when-bruce-springsteens-band-steel-mill.html#:~:text=,the%20audience%20in%20these%20parts|publisher=theshockoeexaminer.blogspot.com|access-date=2025-11-17}}</ref> It’s no exaggeration to say that VCU and even WGOE helped Springsteen build confidence and a following during his formative years. From jamming at the Free University to getting airplay on WGOE, from collaborating with a VCU classmate to nearly inciting a riot at the campus gym, Springsteen’s Richmond chapter is a colorful piece of rock history backed up by alumni memories, posters, and recordings. Richmond was the “one other place,” besides home, where the young Boss could count on a crowd – and that 50-year-old bond is still fondly remembered by those who were theretheshockoeexaminer.blogspot.com<ref>{{cite web|title=theshockoeexaminer.blogspot.com|url=https://theshockoeexaminer.blogspot.com/2024/12/when-bruce-springsteens-band-steel-mill.html#:~:text=,the%20audience%20in%20these%20parts|publisher=theshockoeexaminer.blogspot.com|access-date=2025-11-17}}</ref>slantblog.blogspot.com<ref>{{cite web|title=slantblog.blogspot.com|url=https://slantblog.blogspot.com/2011/01/springsteen-on-wgoe-1973.html#:~:text=Bruce%2C%20my%20remembrances%20of%20Springsteen,Hicks%20and%20the%20Hot%20Licks|publisher=slantblog.blogspot.com|access-date=2025-11-17}}</ref>.

Sources:
* Tom Netherland, Richmond Magazine – “The Boss Is Back In Town” (Aug. 2015)richmondmagazine.com<ref>{{cite web|title=richmondmagazine.com|url=https://richmondmagazine.com/arts-entertainment/the-boss-is-back-in-town/#:~:text=May%2031%2C%201973%2C%20the%20Richmond,defunct%20Richmond%20rock%20station%20WGOE|publisher=richmondmagazine.com|access-date=2025-11-17}}</ref>richmondmagazine.com<ref>{{cite web|title=richmondmagazine.com|url=https://richmondmagazine.com/arts-entertainment/the-boss-is-back-in-town/#:~:text=Studios%20by%20now,station%20WGOE|publisher=richmondmagazine.com|access-date=2025-11-17}}</ref>
* VCU Magazine – “The Franklin Street Gem” (Fall 2022)magazine.vcu.edu<ref>{{cite web|title=magazine.vcu.edu|url=https://magazine.vcu.edu/2022-fall/the-franklin-street-gem/#:~:text=three%20of%20those%20shows%20were,to%20the%20ground%20and%20arrested|publisher=magazine.vcu.edu|access-date=2025-11-17}}</ref>magazine.vcu.edu<ref>{{cite web|title=magazine.vcu.edu|url=https://magazine.vcu.edu/2022-fall/the-franklin-street-gem/#:~:text=Three%20years%20later%2C%20Springsteen%20was,Band%2C%20that%20Walthall%20remembers%20most|publisher=magazine.vcu.edu|access-date=2025-11-17}}</ref>
* Robbin Thompson – Wikipedia (early career/VCU info)en.wikipedia.org<ref>{{cite web|title=en.wikipedia.org|url=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robbin_Thompson#:~:text=band%20even%20released%20a%20couple,8|publisher=en.wikipedia.org|access-date=2025-11-17}}</ref>en.wikipedia.org<ref>{{cite web|title=en.wikipedia.org|url=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robbin_Thompson#:~:text=On%20November%2011%2C%201969%2C%20Mercy,Music%20Festival%2C%20sponsored%20by%20WMAC|publisher=en.wikipedia.org|access-date=2025-11-17}}</ref>
* Gary Wien, New Jersey Stage – “A Look at Mercy Flight” (Jan. 2012), interviews with Robbin Thompson & Tom Yoltonnewjerseystage.com<ref>{{cite web|title=newjerseystage.com|url=https://www.newjerseystage.com/articles/getarticle.php?titlelink=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.newjerseystage.com%2Farchives%2Fgetarticle.php%3Ftitlelink%3Da-look-at-mercy-flight#:~:text=everybody%20just%20went%2C%20%E2%80%9CWoh%2C%20wait,Who%E2%80%99s%20this%20guy%3F%E2%80%9D|publisher=newjerseystage.com|access-date=2025-11-17}}</ref>newjerseystage.com<ref>{{cite web|title=newjerseystage.com|url=https://www.newjerseystage.com/articles/getarticle.php?titlelink=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.newjerseystage.com%2Farchives%2Fgetarticle.php%3Ftitlelink%3Da-look-at-mercy-flight#:~:text=Not%20very%20long,and%20we%20did%20pretty%20good|publisher=newjerseystage.com|access-date=2025-11-17}}</ref>
* F.T. Rea, SLANTblog – “Springsteen on WGOE (1973)” (Jan. 2011)slantblog.blogspot.com<ref>{{cite web|title=slantblog.blogspot.com|url=https://slantblog.blogspot.com/2011/01/springsteen-on-wgoe-1973.html#:~:text=Springsteen%20on%20WGOE%20|publisher=slantblog.blogspot.com|access-date=2025-11-17}}</ref>slantblog.blogspot.com<ref>{{cite web|title=slantblog.blogspot.com|url=https://slantblog.blogspot.com/2011/01/springsteen-on-wgoe-1973.html#:~:text=Thanks%20Terry,now|publisher=slantblog.blogspot.com|access-date=2025-11-17}}</ref>
* Ray Bonis, Shockoe Examiner – various Richmond concert history poststheshockoeexaminer.blogspot.com<ref>{{cite web|title=theshockoeexaminer.blogspot.com|url=https://theshockoeexaminer.blogspot.com/2024/12/when-bruce-springsteens-band-steel-mill.html#:~:text=town%20of%20Woodland%20Falls%20that,and%C2%A0Robbin%20Thompson%C2%A0alternating%20the%20lead%20vocal|publisher=theshockoeexaminer.blogspot.com|access-date=2025-11-17}}</ref>theshockoeexaminer.blogspot.com<ref>{{cite web|title=theshockoeexaminer.blogspot.com|url=https://theshockoeexaminer.blogspot.com/2024/12/when-bruce-springsteens-band-steel-mill.html#:~:text=,the%20audience%20in%20these%20parts|publisher=theshockoeexaminer.blogspot.com|access-date=2025-11-17}}</ref> (incl. Springsteen’s 1970 Mosque show and recollections).

== References ==
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