Bruce Joins Fellow NJ Artist Jack Antonoff at Bleachers Concert

It was a big night on Tuesday for concertgoers ready to see Bleachers at Radio City Music Hall in New York.

Not only did they get to watch Bleachers (including New Jersey’s own Jack Antonoff) perform, they got a surprise appearance from the Boss.

Fans had been hoping and speculating that Springsteen would make an appearance since he and the band had worked together on the song “Chinatown” in 2020. The song was released on Bleachers’ album “Take the Sadness Out of Saturday Night.”

When it came time to play “Chinatown” Antonoff casually strummed a few chords while explaining that he wrote the song about Jersey (he was raised in Bergen County), then welcomed Bruce to the stage, causing an eruption of cheers.

“We’ve only ever done it acoustic before, so let’s tear the f***in’ roof off this place,” Antonoff declared as the song started.

The only way this story could be more New Jersey is if Bruce came out eating pork roll, egg, and cheese on a bagel while chanting “Twenty! Regular! Cash!”

According to some in attendance, the surprise appearance felt “insane” and “unreal.”

The excitement was not only felt by the crowd, but also by a visibly giddy Antonoff who shared a hug with his fellow Jersey boy at the end of the performance.

On working with Bruce, Antonoff has said

“it’s the honor of a lifetime to be joined by him. He is the artist who showed me that the sound of the place I am from has value and that there is a spirit here that needs to be taken all over the world.”

There’s some Jersey pride for you!

You can watch the entire performance here:

9 Springsteen lyrics that won him the Woody Guthrie Prize

The award is given to artists from any medium who carry on the legacy of its namesake by speaking “for the voiceless with an understanding of how a platform can be used to shine a light on our world, showing us what needs to be fixed and how to fix it.”