Rhino Historic Tours: Rally for Nuclear Disarmament

33 years ago today, a group of socially conscious rock ‘n’ rollers joined forces in New York City’s Central Park to show their support for a rally for nuclear disarmament, but you could’ve enjoyed the event no matter what your politics might’ve been, because they also delivered some pretty great music while they were there.

The performance that gained the most attention that day – and that’s both then and now – came when Bruce Springsteen took the stage with his buddy Jackson Browne to belt out versions of Browne’s “The Pretender” and “Running on Empty” which were bookended by Bruce taking the lead for a version of one of his own songs, “The Promised Land.” It’s also notable that the performance of “The Pretender” featured not only Springsteen but also Gary U.S. Bonds, who’d been working with Springsteen right around that time.

Arguably the least surprising performance of the day came when Joan Baez, never one to shy away from political causes, took the stage to perform her cover of John Lennon’s “Imagine,” although it’s also not exactly a shocker that Peter, Paul & Mary were there as all. Beyond that, the day also featured sets from James Taylor and Linda Ronstadt, with their respective performances bridged by their then-new duet, “I Think It’s Gonna Work Out Fine.”

Did the rally lead to nuclear disarmament? Well, no, actually, it didn’t. But it did manage to raise the profile of the problem at hand, and you know that plenty of folks left Central Park that day with big plans to do their part, becoming more politically aware in the process. Hey, you take your wins where you can get them: from little things, big things grow.