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moment in time
May 9, 1974
In spring, 1974, after witnessing a particularly seismic performance from a relatively unknown troubadour opening for established act Bonnie Raitt in Cambridge, Mass., music writer Jon Landau crowed excitably in the Boston alternative weekly The Real Paper. “I saw rock and roll’s future,” wrote Landau, “and its name is Bruce Springsteen.” When the Columbia label used the quote in an ensuing ad campaign, sales of Springsteen’s second album spurted noticeably. Landau, having already invested his reputation, strapped his hands across Springsteen’s engines by becoming his manager and co-producing his breakthrough 1975 album Born to Run. The disc went gold, Time and Newsweek ran concurrent cover stories on the angst-ridden, anthemic artist, and the prophecy was fulfilled.

Photographer Barry Schneier captured Bruce Springsteen on that historic evening in May at Harvard Square Theatre. In his blog, Schneier says he was sitting in the wings, during the second set, when Springsteen sat at the piano to sing "For You." It was then that he shot one of his most memorable photos. www.barryschneierphotography.com