Bruce Springsteen’s 1982 solo acoustic album Nebraska is getting an all-star tribute on PBS.
Nebraska, which was released on Sept. 30, 1982, arrived two years after Springsteen’s first No. 1 album, The River. The dozen songs featured on Nebraska were recorded on a four-track tape machine in Springsteen’s New Jersey bedroom, recounting tales of murder, crime sprees and, and eventual redemption. The album became one of Springsteen’s most acclaimed records, reaching No. 3 upon its release.
The first trailer for the special features Noah Kahan singing an acoustic “Atlantic City”, as well as Emmylou Harris singing “The Price You Pay,” Lyle Lovett covering“My Father’s House,” Lucinda Williams performing the Springsteen classic “Born in the U.S.A.” and Eric Church’s take on “Dancing In the Dark.” The show will also feature Harris’ take on the album’s title track, Lovett singing “Used Cars” and the Lumineers’ covering “Mansion on the Hill” and “State Trooper.”
The special was taped during an intimate gig at Analog in Nashville’s Hutton Hotel on Sept. 19, 2023, with musician/author Warren Zanes hosting the show. Zanes is the author of a book about the album, 2023’s Deliver Me From Nowhere: The Making of Bruce Springsteen’s Nebraska. Shares Zanes in a statement: “I wrote a book about Nebraska because the recording stayed with me over decades. Every time there was trouble in my life I reached for Nebraska. When I started doing events around the book’s publication, I quickly realized the best of them had music. When I went to Nashville, I had a remarkable cast of musicians to help me tell this story.”
Bruce Springsteen’s Nebraska: A Celebration in Words and Music will air on PBS on August 31. Watch the Nebraska special trailer: here.
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