ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 9 ก.พ. 2025
- Recorded in December 1978, the show features the iconoclastic singer/songwriter supporting his classic LP Blue Valentine and deep in the transitional phase of his career, evolving out of the jazzy beat poetry of his early work (“I Wish I Was in New Orleans”) and into the bluesier, more dissonant sounds (“Sweet Little Bullet From a Pretty Blue Gun”) for which he became known in the 80s and beyond. He acknowledged the season with the streetwise but lovely “Christmas Card From a Hooker in Minneapolis,” which incorporates a few bars of a better-known Xmas hymn. And he debuted “On the Nickel,” one of his greatest ballads, and which wouldn’t be released on record until Heartattack and Vine in 1980.
Setlist:
Summertime/Burma Shave
Annie’s Back in Town/I Wish I Was in New Orleans
A Sweet Little Bullet From a Pretty Blue Gun
On the Nickel
Romeo is Bleeding
Silent Night/Christmas Card From a Hooker in Minneapolis
Small Change
Summertime/Burma Shave : 00:01 - 11:14
Annie's Back in Town : 11:15 - 13:34
I Wish I Was in New Orleans : 13:35 - 18:44
A Sweet Little Bullet From a Pretty Blue Gun: 18:45 - 26:23
On The Nickel: 26:24 - 32:33
Romeo is Bleeding: 32:34 - 37:25
Silent Night/Christmas Card From a Hooker in Minneapolis: 37:26 - 43:08
Small Change: 43:09 - 53:03
One hell of a poet..paints a picture with every word..jazzy stuff..
Super cool music and a killer performance by all involved.
I'm 70yrs old now but ?.in 1979..in Sprinfield..at the yellow dog..I was hired to strip to Tom's show...a night hawks..thing...a true gentleman..loved..us..gurls
What a fabulous story!
Tom's the man. What a brilliantly unique artist.
I was a freshman in college in 1977. Went to see Leon Redbone opening for Tom Waits at Alex Cooley’s Electric Ballroom, Atlanta GA. From beginning to end 2 of the most enjoyable performances I’ve ever seen. Sitting about 30 feet from the stage this is exactly what I saw and heard Tom do. It was electrifying.
I wish I could have been there Gminor . Thanks for the story. In 1977 I was in high school. This 1978 A.C.L. was the first time I heard him . Thanks Gminor.
I was at the same show. Great show. Don't even remember Redbone. I was pretty far in back, but hell of a show. Went with the only 3 other people I knew that had ever heard of Waits.
@@darrylbrooks3361 That’s cool. I went with a friend who was a Waits fan, I was the Redbone fan. I, too, had never heard of Waits but definitely became a fan that night.
Wow you one lucky guy 😎❤️💯🤩👍
Jealousy abounds. Lucky you. Cherish the memories (at our age 😊).
the more I get older the more I get Tom Waits
I feel your pleasure and pain , life teaches us .
I could live to be 110 and I’d still never get thru On the Nickel without crying.
Genuinely one of the best songs ever written, by Tom or anyone else.
Try Kentucky avenue and see if you can make it !
I’m right there with you.
I’m done after Ruby’s Arms. 😢
I worked on the stage crew for this show when he played in Albuquerque.
Wasn't ever a fan. I never really heard enough of him. I am a fan now.
I was inevitable... you just weren't ready yet.
I was at the Austin City Limits tapings of both Tom Waits and Leon Redbone in 1978 or 1979. I remember standing there at the edge of the bleachers they had next to the stage. I guess I was watching Leon Redbone and this alcoholic bum looking dude in a wrinkled oversized suit and pointed scuffed black shoes walks up and stands behind me. As the performance ends the guy walks past me, sits at the piano and totally blew me away. Unforgettable. A master poet and pianist. As well as a phenemenol storyteller and writer.
I'm used to listen this bootleg for so long time and now I can see what I only imagined :)
The car noises in Burma Shave made me rewind
Timeless classic. Tom is an American treasure. Thanks for sharing.
Not just an American treasure, tho, indeed quintessentially that, Tom Waits belongs to the whole world! Genius!
Poetry, music, theatre. Tom is Good.
Mr. Waits’ performance in ‘Burma Shave’ in this video is nothing short of absolute genius. I can’t think of any music video or musical performance that comes close. Bravo, Tom! And thanks for posting this gem.
..,saw this show/tour at the Tampa Theater that Leon Redbone opened, & for the encore Waits rolled out a TV from back stage and turned on Johnny Carson and said, “that’s it folks!!!”
I got turned on to tom by a friend of mine who had nighthawks at the diner. That album is a master piece. This is amazing. I'm just in awe of his story telling. A true American poet
It's 2004 and I appreciate the 70's throwback.
"You go upstairs with your sweet little wishes and your pretty blue dreams".
I was talking to my boss the other day about traveling when she was a child. She said “ The Burma Shave signs were great fun!” I am about 20 years younger than her, but because most of the early interstate infrastructure were toll roads, we took 66 and other state roads. Therefore, I caught the end of these old signs. I felt like a dinosaur thinking about witty Burma Shave signs and Green Stamps.
this is by far the best set ever to appear on austin city limits
I like how the whole thing is a performance. Tom is always in character.
Some artists don't even seem human. I think the reason being is they are the most human of all humans, and that's precisely why they seem so not.
Dis genius waz rescued by da angel..Kathleen Brennan? Saved Tom's life...thankyou Kathleen..
Only Tom Waits can smoke at the gas station and make it look cool
I remember the first time I heard this a few years back and I had saved it on my DVR when I had dish it was one of my favorite things to listen to. Especially after a hard day in the winter time and you’re soaking in a hot tub trying to keep your sanity. I graduated high school in 79 and when I saw the date I clicked on it because I wanted to see what I had missed when I was in high school. There was no Internet back then we just had the radio. After my first watch of this I realized I had missed quite a bit and was quite naïve when I was in high school because I had no idea who this person was. Thank God I saw this recording been to a lot of concerts back in the day down in Hollywood Sportorium I grew up down in North Miami Beach. Quite honestly I don’t think any of us would’ve been ready for this in high school this is a masterpiece
on the nickel is the most great song of world class
I'm new to Tom but everytime i hear something new it's timeless. I'm shocked nobody turned me on sooner. He understands
not a lot of people talk about his piano skills ... i always loved his playing .. a great pianist.
christ listening to all i can. im floored, ,i cant pin this guy down, truly. like is he a theatre kid? true alkie? actual bluesman from 1926?...comedian? Truly adapting who he personifies to the piano.
Agree! The Piano Has Been Drinking is one great example of it. You know how hard it is to get that as perfect as he got it?
That's the best intro or even performance i have ever seen in my life.
12/2023..Phenomenal!....a musical journey, a fantastic noir look at the shady side of the street. Recalling life in the cities, from the 1940s & the 1950s, when life was in black & white.
Tom, ein wahrer Kūnstler und die Musik, seine Texte, heute im 20. Jahrhundert, genauso authentisch. Er war seiner Zeit nicht nur weit vorraus. Weitblick und das Leben auch heute immer wieder aufs Neue besteht aus Liebe, Lust, Leidenschaft. Eben.....wie im wirklichen Leben. EINZIGARTIG
YEAH TOM YOU ARE A GOOD STORYTELLER AND GREAT MUSICIAN I WISH YOU MANY MORE CREATIVE YEARS YOU ARE A LEGEND JUST HOLD ON
Nice. Reminded we keeping it real. In our Soul. In our thoughts in poetry speak..
Very full of personality and artistic expression.
I love all of Tom Waits discography, but this is the era I would love to have jammed with, damn.
I agree. I've been listening and saw Tom in the eighties. Love this earlier performance. So much talent. Hits me on so many levels .
Talented man amazing singer/songwriter and comdien haha
Great man vorever❤❤❤❤❤
RARE FOOTAGE ... INCREDIBLE MUSICIAN
I swear to God. I don’t smoke and I can smell his cigarette while I’m watching this. NO LIE!
I first heard Tom Waits, on his earliest album, when I was in college in 1972, when I was 19 years old. I actually didn't like his music, at first. Conventional rock music dominated the radio air waves, and his music was SO different. But as I matured, and my musical tastes matured, I came around. Then I grew into an avid fan of his music,..maybe it took a few years, by 1980, I was buying his music on cassettes. He's been extremely prolific, and not every album, are my favorites. But more of them have become so.
Fantastic!!
Damn, where the hell was I….in 78. Never heard this before. And that was my heyday 😂
Great artist, bringing the best of the best 👏❤
Saw Tom waits when I was a kid somewhere around 1970 "Drivin in rain man, drivin in the rain" I was hooked, been hooked since.
I remember the first time I saw this was Christmas night 20+ years ago. I knew a little about Tom. Was truly struck by how fiercely original it was. Still holds up.
Someone below asks about someone being bored at 26:30
Actually, this is _me_ (the guy in the red shirt- with my wife sitting beside me).
To be clear, this shot was taken while they were rearranging the stage (hence the shot of the audience).
[A little background: I was in grad school at UT at the time. The ATC shows were free (i.e. to ensure a full-house). And as poor, impoverished grad students, we went to several of these shows. I would typically show up mid-afternoon, to sit and study, in order to get front row seats.
Now, this show was originally scheduled (and filmed) as a double-show with Waits and León Redbone.
However, the last show for the season -their big finale- was to be with Levon Helm. BUT HELM SIMPLY DIDN’T SHOW UP. (Fans of David Letterman may recall the weasel did the same thing to him: no announcement, no warning, just a no-show.). The show’s producers -who were clearly, and understandably, pretty ticked off- just came out and sent the packed-to-the-rafters crowd home.
Anyway, they expanded Waits to the full-hour show shown here, and then split a second show between Redbone and some pieces Helm’s backup band had played while waiting for him to (not) show up.]
maybe Robbie Robertson was to blame
@@gibbano101both (non-)appearances were much later than the Band
That's a killer story and I saw you and your wife. Good memory.
“The ATC shows…” in my original comment should, of course, read “The ACL shows…”
Saw Tom at the Exit Inn mid 70s. Greatest live show ever! He still does it today.
Magic❤
This is a real treat.
Brilliant!
"Tom Waits originally released On the Nickel written by Tom Waits and Tom Waits released it on the album Heartattack and Vine in 1980." --
Saw him in 78 in a small bar - great show!
It's show business baby!
Wow that was beautiful
I love this. Thank you for sharing, Nope.
Thank you, thank you, thank you. I have been looking fot this performance for years. It is brilliant. My favorite Austin City Limits show of all time.
It's back! Thank christ. I was devastated when this was taken off the first time. Incredible show
Genius
Been searching for this, thank you. Absolute Masterpiece. Heroin, coke, booze, art and talent in it's purest form.
Just found this again myself, Amen brother....
Heroin? I never heard of Tom doing that.
Thank you, I was surfing TH-cam needed this tonight
I first saw him on Fernwood tonight singing "The Piano Has Been Drinking." with the late beloved Martin Mull. It's on TH-cam.
This is so good
He is a true bohemian
thks for uploading - brilliant performance. Its actuall interisting when you compare it with Sydney 1979 a year later to hear how he transitioned/improved/evolved his act - especially with burma shave. Beat poetry indeed :)
Hover at 4:20 and you see the best song title Waits never wrote; 'On My Way To Buy My Shave'.
Thanks for upload, man 👍
GR8!
Annies, anneez, ah knees? Ahknees 7th avenues makes my life turn blue, til it was true til it was you, til it was when, i thought i might never see us again
Thanks for this!
GREAT !
G E N I O ! ! !
I remember watching this on TV one night (1am-ish) when my older, stronger drunken brother came home & demanded I shut this no talent bum off. I put up a valiant fight but in the end the channel got changed☹️ & I got stitches🥴🤕. Anyway, thanx 4 sharing 👍
Nothing from Closing Time, right? These are not my favorite Tom Waits songs (those would come later, especially Rain Dogs), but, for me, the fact that he could be so great doing some of his less than great stuff proves how special he was (is).
26:30 Who is bored at a Tom Waits concert?! 😅
Ummm…. Well, actually this is _me_ (the guy in the red shirt- with my wife sitting beside me.
To be clear, this shot was taken while they were rearranging the stage (hence the shot of the audience).
[More elsewhere in the comments.]
I remember route 66 in the sixties.
My introduction to Waits, and I've been a fan for over 40 years. Thanks to ACL for all the good music over the years.
❤❤❤👍♥️🤗
Howlin' Wolf / Wolfman Jack / Tom Waits.......
Und das Elend, die Ungerechtigkeit, Gier und alles was das Leben dir bietet. Heute genauso, wie frūher
Ralph Waite Movie The Nickel didn't come out until 1980. Not sure how Tom referenced it in 1978.
'romeo said "hey man gimme a cigarette"
they all reach for their pack
frankie lights it for him
and pats him on the back
throws a bottle at a milk truck
and it breaks
he grabs his nuts
they all know they'd be like romeo
if only they had the guts'
so damn good
Smoking by the gas pumps, in a way only Tom Waits can...
Some sailors are good for business that's beneath them....Annie Aint gonna wash mah neck, aint go out like the saints go marching in, buuurgand3ee, whoop, metreerain, wash neck, pleeee3ee3e33asea mia!?
Imagine Tom were your piano teacher instead of an old crumpy lady who kills you with playing neverending scales........
More fun, but I guarantee you he also had an old crumpy lady making him do scales. You've got to have the fundamentals down before you improvise, or it will just be cats on a piano. Google "Picasso earliest paintings". He must have had a crumpy old lady teaching him about color mixing, compositions, perspective, etc.
who was playing the horn on Summertime? freaking amazing
Herb Hardesty
Herbs set to hard mode
😊.
I wish sometimes that the audience wouldn't laugh so much. I don't blame them though.
Same!
"HEY! .....you're not supposed to be laughing at this, this is serious! This is special to me. Don't be laughing...."
They were too young. Once you've skinned your knees a few hundred times, his lyrics start making sense
They are doing a nervous laugh when they are unsure if Tom is a persona. Testament to his performance strength.
I can smell the Burma Shave and cheap gin
and the guy wasn't even 30 at this point
29 going on 79. What's also shocking is he STILL isn't 79.
I'm a dead head. Phish fan. What is this?
I'm more of a JGB, guy. My first Phish show was in 93. Tom Waits is fantastic 🔥. Dude, just start listening
will do. always looking for more music@@timharper4246
Why is the audience laughing like its a comedy show
They didn't know how to take him really. No one at that time (or this time) had his talent.
Sorry that you missed the jokes, but the audience did not.
Easy, edgy listening. Joe Cocker in slow motion?
...
Mark Twain of our generation...yup
Thomas Alan was headed to be rained on by his own 38..til...an angel tore his night into shreds...Kathleen Brennan..Tom's Guardian angel...and he stopped smokin..an drinking...a true miracle...right?
A CATHOLIC WOMAN!
Been waiting a long time to see this again! Well worth it