1970‐08‐14: Parking Deck on 7th and Marshall Street, Richmond, VA, USA (1970-08-14) (Steel Mill)

One show, triple bill, with blues band Marlo Mays & the Stingers opening, Mercy Flight performing second and Steel Mill headlining and closing. Held under the stars on the upper deck of the parking complex. The general concept for this show was modeled after The Beatles memorable rooftop performance in the film Let It Be (which was in theatres at the time). This is one the most famous of all Steel Mill’s gigs and it’s now firmly a part of Richmond folklore. Promoter Russell Clem provides the immortal MC introduction. This was Steel Mill’s first gig in about a month and their performance actually starts off somewhat ragged as a result, something both Bruce and Vini Lopez apologize for this during the show. A day or so after this show Springsteen met privately with Mercy Flight’s lead singer Robbin Thompson and offered him a position in Steel Mill. After a few days of deliberation, Thompson accepted the offer, resigning from Mercy Flight on August 23 and relocating to New Jersey to join Steel Mill the following week. There is a two‐ to four‐song segment of the show that has never circulated from any source. One of the songs definitely performed during this “missing” segment was The Wind and the Rain. Both I Am the Doctor and Sweet Melinda have cropped up in attendee recollections and may have also filled this gap in this show. From a historical standpoint, the two most important tracks are We’ll All Man the Guns (Bruce introduces it as just written) and Bruce’s 1969 song Good Lovin’ Woman (Bruce introduces it as an old song). Neither of these two songs is available elsewhere.