John Lee Hooker - Boom Boom

First performance: 26/04/1974


Coverinfo

Bruce played the song 53 times and 8 times as a snippet:
 
  • Full

2024-09-14 Stone Pony (The), Asbury Park, NJ
Bruce and Jake Clemons make a surprise appearance to jam with Danny Clinch's Tangiers Blues Band at a Sea.Hear.Now afterparty show billed "The Ocean Ave Stomp." Also sitting in are pedal steel legend Robert Randolph and the three-piece horn section from the show's opening act, brass band The Ocean Avenue Stompers. Bruce sings lead on three classic covers and plays guitar on "My Babe", sung by Clinch and Rachel Ana Dobken. Grace Potter, Illiterate Light, and Saturday's festival co-headliner Noah Kahan also guest separately during the set. Bruce also records a brief video for the venue, saying: "Here I am, back where it all started: how does that happen? Happy 50th anniversary Stone Pony, you made it! It's a miracle you're still here, but I'm glad you are. Love to everybody!" 
 
 
The set includes "Boom Boom" to open. "Jolé Blon" was played by sign request. 
 
2016-09-14 Gillette Stadium, Foxborough, MA
2016-07-16 Circus Maximus, Rome, Italy
2016-04-25 Barclays Center, Brooklyn, NY
2014-04-29 BB&T Center, Sunrise, FL
2013-07-23 Millennium Stadium, Cardiff, Wales
2013-05-31 Stadio Euganeo, Padua, Italy
2012-08-14 Fenway Park, Boston, MA
2009-11-22 HSBC Arena, Buffalo, NY
2009-06-10 Koengen, Bergen, Norway
2008-08-19 Hersheypark Stadium, Hershey, PA

2002-11-02 Tradewinds, Sea Bright
During Light Of day

2001-08-18 Stone Pony (The), Asbury Park
Following his performance at the Clearwater Festival, Bruce joins Nils Lofgren and his band on stage for a few tunes. 

1995-07-09 Café Eckstein, Berlin, Germany
With Wolfgang Niedecken And His Leopardefellband. One of the numerous 'Hungry Heart' takes recorded during this performance was officially released on the Hungry Heart CD EP as 'Hungry Heart [Berlin 95]' later the same year, although this just featured Bruce’s live vocals from the Eckstein show laid over the original 1980 E Street Band instrumental tracks! First ever Springsteen performance of 'Knockin' On Heaven's Door' and first performances in Europe of 'Down The Road Apiece', 'Highway 61 Revisited', and 'Honky Tonk Women', and first ever Springsteen performance in Germany of 'Jumpin' Jack Flash'. 

1994-08-26 Classics Cafe, Westwood, NJ
With Stand and Deliver

1991-07-12 McLoone's Rum Runner, Sea Bright
With Bobby Bandiera

1989-06-02 Stone Pony (The), Asbury Park
With Max Weinberg's group Killer Joe, plus Roy Bittan, Patti Scialfa, and The Miami Horns. Killer Joe were a band formed by Max Weinberg. The band consisted of "Killer" Joe Delia, Max Weinberg, Jimmy Vivino, Haywood Gregory, David Keyes, Mark "Love Man" Pender, Jerry Vivino, Bob Smith, and Erik Lawrence. Their sole album Scene of the Crime included the Springsteen-penned "Club Soul City" and "Summer On Signal Hill". Springsteenlyrics

1988-08-03 Camp Nou, Barcelona, Spain
1988-08-02 Estadio Vicente Calderón, Madrid, Spain
1988-07-30 Weserstadion, Bremen, West Germany
1988-07-27 Valle Hovin Stadion, Oslo, Norway
1988-07-25 Københavns Idrætspark, Copenhagen, Denmark
1988-07-22 Waldbühne, West Berlin, West Germany
1988-07-19 Radrennbahn Weissensee, East Berlin, East Germany
1988-07-17 Olympia-Reitstadion Riem, Munich, West Germany
1988-07-14 St. Jakob Stadion, Basel, Switzerland
1988-07-12 Waldstadion, Frankfurt, West Germany
1988-07-10 Bramall Lane, Sheffield, England
1988-07-09 Bramall Lane, Sheffield, England
1988-07-07 RDS Arena, Dublin, Ireland
1988-07-03 Stockholms Stadion, Stockholm, Sweden
1988-07-02 Stockholms Stadion, Stockholm, Sweden
1988-06-29 Stadion Feijenoord, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
1988-06-28 Stadion Feijenoord, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
1988-06-25 Wembley Stadium, London, England
1988-06-22 Villa Park, Birmingham, England
1988-06-21 Villa Park, Birmingham, England
1988-06-19 Hippodrome De Vincennes, Paris, France
1988-06-16 Stadio Flaminio, Rome, Italy
1988-06-15 Stadio Flaminio, Rome, Italy
1988-06-11 Stadio Comunale, Turin, Italy
Official concert recording available for purchase in multiple formats, including CD and high definition audio, from Springsteen's official live download site at live.brucespringsteen.net
 
 
 
 
1988-05-22 Madison Square Garden, New York City
1988-05-19 Madison Square Garden, New York City
1988-05-18 Madison Square Garden, New York City
1988-05-16 Madison Square Garden, New York City
1988-05-13 Market Square Arena, Indianapolis, IN

1988-05-11 Maple Leaf Bar, New Orleans, LA
Bruce and Nils Lofgren sit and listen to a few songs by the New Orleans Blues Department, a loose collection of local musicians. After the first set guitarist/vocalist Michael Sklar approaches Springsteen and invites him to join the band during the second set. Bruce accepts, and Sklar drives home and returns with a spare Stratocaster and amp. Springsteen then joins the N.O.B.D on Lowell Fulson's "Reconsider Baby". After a break Nils borrows Sklar's guitar for "Boom Boom" and four other unidentified R&B classics. New Orleans Blues Department are a New Orleans based blues band. The NOBD consisted of a revolving cast of sidemen from other bands, including guitarists Red Priest and Michael Sklar, bassists Spike Perkins and Jack Carter, harmonica players Bruce "Sunpie" Barnes and Ben Maygarden, keyboardist Bob Andrews, drummers Gary Rieger, Willie Panker and Tony Seruntine, and saxophonists Tom Fitzpatrick and Jerry Jumonville.
Source: nola.com
 
 
1988-05-10 Met Center, Bloomington, MN
This show is the source of an urban legend when it was reported that the origins of the song "Boom Boom" being played was a riff played on the bass, followed by all the band spontaneously joining in and playing the song for the first time ever. Well apart from the two soundcheck versions before the show. 

1984-06-10 Stone Pony (The), Asbury Park
Bruce and Nils Lofgren join Cats On A Smooth Surface.

1984-01-14 Patrix, New Brunswick, NJ
With John Eddie

1974-04-26 Alumnae Hall, Providence, RI 
The show included an early rendition of John Lee Hooker's "Boom Boom", although the tune may have actually formed part of the "Rosalita (Come Out Tonight) - Shotgun" combination.
 
  •  Snippets
During LIGHT OF DAY
 
2000-06-23 Madison Square Garden, New York City
2000-05-08 Hartford Civic Center, Hartford, CT
1999-11-21 Pepsi Arena, Albany, NY
1999-11-14 Gund Arena, Cleveland, OH
1999-10-28 Oakland Arena, Oakland, CA
1999-09-30 United Center, Chicago, IL
1999-09-28 United Center, Chicago, IL
1999-09-27 United Center, Chicago, IL
 

Songinfo

"Boom Boom" is a song written by American blues singer/guitarist John Lee Hooker and recorded in 1961. According to Hooker, he wrote the song during an extended engagement at the Apex Bar in Detroit. I would never be on time [for the gig]; I always would be late comin' in. And she [the bartender Willa] kept saying, 'Boom boom – you late again'. Every night: 'Boom, boom – you late again'. I said 'Hmm, that's a song!' ... I got it together, the lyrics, rehearsed it, and I played it at the place, and the people went wild". 
 
 
 

Other cover versions

Bruce on the artist

Lyrics

Boom boom boom boom
I wanna shoot you right down
Take you in my arms
I'm in love with you
a love that is true
Boom boom boom boom

I need you right now
I mean right now
I don't mean tomorrow
I mean right now
come on come on
I wanna give it up babe

Shake it up babe
Come on and shake
Shake it up babe
Come on come on shake it up babe

I like the way you walk
I like the way you talk
when you walk that walk
and you talk that talk
you knock me out
right over my feet

Shake it up babe
Come on and shake
Shake it up babe
Come on come on shake it up babe

Boom boom boom boom
I wanna shoot you right down
Take you in my arms
I'm in love with you
a love that is true
Boom boom boom boom