Last night, Bruce Springsteen made a surprise appearance with Bleachers at Asbury Park, NJ’s Summer Stage at The Stone Pony. The New Jersey hero, who has been closely associated with The Stone Pony throughout his storied career, came on stage during Bleachers’ set to help on a cover of Tom Waits’ famed “Jersey Girl,” which he began covering 1981 and most recently played in Asbury Park in 2024 during the Sea.Hear.Now Festival. The Boss then remained on stage as Jack Antonoff and his band moved into “Chinatown,” a track of 2020’s Take the Sadness Out of Saturday Night that he contributed to. Springsteen has performed the latter song with Bleachers a few times over the years, including a 2020 set on the roof of New York’s Electric Lady Studios that was recorded during COVID and a high-profile 2022 show at New York’s Radio City Music Hall.
The cameo took place during Antonoff’s Shadow of the City Festival, which was postponed from Memorial Day to yesterday due to inclement weather. (Bleachers did, however, play a free inside The Stone Pony that night as a make good.) In addition to Bleachers, Shadow of the City’s confirmed lineup also featured fellow New Jersey indie-rock act Real Estate, as well as Toadies, Grade Ives and Bike Routes. Annie DiRusso, who played with Trey Anastasio at Antonoff’s Ally Coalition benefit in December and took part in Hank Heaven’s recent boxing-ring show that featured the Phish guitarist, was originally on the bill but unable to make the new date.
In addition, Chris Conley, the frontman of the New Jersey emo act Saves the Day, joined Bleachers during their show yesterday for “Tiny Moves,” while Antonoff’s former Steel Train bandmate Evan Winiker emerged to play guitar on “upstairs at els.” Winiker recently sat in on the song at Columbia, MD’s Merriweather Post Pavilion and New York’s Madison Square Garden as well. Bleachers will kick off a run of intimate shows at West Hollywood, CA’s Troubadour on September 10.
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