Living in Tom and Margaret Potter’s old apartment with two friends, Springsteen needs a new gig. He and Van Zandt cruise up and down Asbury Park looking for the club with the worst business. They find Student Prince and offer to play for free, taking only what patrons pay at the door. The owner reluctantly agrees, and the first night they play for 15 people, but attendance gradually increases until the bar is at capacity. During one of these weekend “house party” gigs, 500,000 people flock to Bethel, New York for Woodstock, an event that seems to Springsteen far too much of a hassle.

Big Man Walking

Still eager to add a horn player, Springsteen hears about “magic” saxophonist Clarence Clemons, and one night, Clemons sits in with the band. The chemistry is immediate, but the deal is far from sealed. A weekend gig at the Student Prince isn’t much to offer, so Springsteen bides his time. The band earns a steady $90/week from the Student Prince gig, but Clemons has a steady gig of his own. In the meantime, Springsteen falls in love with an “alive, funny, and broken” surfer girl who eventually breaks his heart, though he has a brief relationship with her friend, a single mother for whose kids Springsteen “plays father” for a while.