Bruce Springsteen’s 1982 solo acoustic Nebraska album is getting an all-star tribute on PBS later this month.
Bruce Springsteen’s Nebraska: A Celebration in Words and Music includes performances by Noah Kahan, Lucinda Williams and others. The special is hosted by Warren Zanes, who published Deliver Me From Nowhere: The Making of Bruce Springsteen’s Nebraska in 2023, and features interviews with artists who discuss the impact Nebraska has had on them.
The program begins airing on local PBS stations on Aug. 31 and continues throughout September. A complete list of schedules can be found on the PBS website.
READ MORE: When Springsteen Stripped Down and Got Dark on ‘Nebraska’
“I wrote a book about Nebraska because the recording stayed with me over decades,” Zanes notes in a press release announcing the special. “Every time there was trouble in my life I reached for Nebraska. When I started doing events around the book’s publication, I quickly realized the best of them had music. When I went to Nashville, I had a remarkable cast of musicians to help me tell this story.”
Nebraska, which was released on Sept. 30, 1982, arrived two years after Springsteen had his first No. 1 album with The River. As he began work on his next album with the E Street Band, the dark and stripped-down music he was recording on a four-track tape machine in a New Jersey bedroom seemed to work best in this stark setting.
Its dozen songs are some of the most desolate of Springsteen’s long career, recounting tales of murder, crime sprees and, in some cases, eventual redemption. The album has long been a favorite of other artists and has become one of Springsteen’s most acclaimed records. (Upon its release, Nebraska reached No. 3 on the chart.)
Who Is on PBS’ Bruce Springsteen ‘Nebraska’ Special?
In September 2023, Zanes hosted an event centered on the album in Nashville as part of the annual Americanafest conference. As Zanes detailed the making of the album, performers played its songs in front of the audience. That program was recorded for the upcoming PBS special.
Among the performers are Emmylou Harris (who covers “The Price You Pay” and “Nebraska”), Noah Kahan (“Atlantic City”), Lyle Lovett (“Used Cars,” and “My Father’s House”), the Lumineers (“Mansion on the Hill,” and “State Trooper”), Lucinda Williams (“Born in the U.S.A.,” recorded for Nebraska but left off the album and used on the same-named follow-up LP) and Eric Church, who performs the Born in the U.S.A. song “Dancing in the Dark.”
You can watch a trailer for the show below.
Bruce Springsteen Albums Ranked
From scrappy Dylan disciple to one of the leading singer-songwriters of his generation, the Boss’ catalog includes both big and small statements of purpose.
Gallery Credit: Michael Gallucci