Bruce Springsteen surprises audience at Stand Up for Heroes, plays five songs (2024)

The Boss is back.

Bruce Springsteen surprised the audience Nov. 6 at the Stand Up for Heroes fundraiser for the Bob Woodruff Foundation at Lincoln Center's David Geffen Hall in New York.

Springsteen joined John Mellencamp for the song “Wasted Days” from Mellencamp's 2022 album, “Strictly a One-Eyed Jack,” then stuck around to perform four solo acoustic songs. He also told ribald double-entendre jokes, as he's done in previous appearances for the event, which raises funds for veterans causes.

Springsteen was not billed as a performer this year as he was scheduled to be on road with the E Street Band. Since the Stand Up lineup was announced, Springsteen postponed the E Street Band shows for the rest of the year due to his bout peptic ulcer disease.

Bruce Springsteen surprises audience at Stand Up for Heroes, plays five songs (1)

More:Max Weinberg's Jukebox to headline Light of Day Winterfest 2024 in January

Dressed in black, the Boss was in fine form and superior voice, showing no ill effects of the ulcers. Springsteen performed “Addicted to Love,” a gentle ballad from the recent romantic-comedy “She Came to Me.” It was the song's live debut.

Springsteen exhibited a sweet vibrato on “Power of Prayer” from the 2020 E Street Band album “Letter to You,” and he rocked his Takamine acoustic guitar for “Working on the Highway.” The Takamine must have some pretty thickly-gauged strings judging by the workout Springsteen was giving it.

“If at first you don't succeed, don't try to sky dive,” quipped Springsteen, 74, after “Working on the Highway,” the only joke we can safely publish here. (Stand Up For Heroes is part of the New York Comedy Festival.)

Then came “Dancing in the Dark,” where Springsteen sang part of the song off mic, his voice filling the theater without vocal amplification. The Boss responded with a smile when he was "Bruuuuced” during the song.

Steven Van Zandt:'We had no idea how much pain (Bruce) was in'

Bruce Springsteen surprises audience at Stand Up for Heroes, plays five songs (2)

Springsteen, who sang backup for the house band on a song at the Oct. 29 New Jersey Hall of Fame ceremony in Newark, was introduced by Mellencamp after the Stand Up for Heroes show was stopped due to a medical emergency in the audience. Once the issue was addressed, comic Jon Stewart reintroduced Mellencamp, who then introduced Springsteen to the surprise of the audience.

“I hope everybody's all right. I didn't want to make any people sick,” Mellencamp said. “I'm going to bring out one of the best songwriters of our generation, and he's my big brother and I've looked up to him my whole life. Ladies and gentlemen, Bruce Springsteen.”

Mellencamp had performed a solo acoustic “Jack and Diane” and “Small Town,” accompanied by an electric guitarist, violinist and accordion player before the show was temporarily paused.

More:Patti Scialfa talks NJ Hall of Fame induction, performing with Springsteen, E Street Band

Earlier in the show, married duo Michael Trotter Jr. and Tanya Trotter, aka the War and Treaty, delivered a moving and artistically heightened set of three songs, which included a sublimely soulful version of “God Bless America.”

Michael is a veteran who fought in Iraq, and he told how he learned to play piano there on an instrument once owned by Saddam Hussein. He also told of how a pre-teen translator he befriended in Iraq was killed by an explosion before he turned 13.

The experience caused Michael to consider suicide after he returned home until Tanya asked him for “Five More Minutes.”

More:Bruce Springsteen, Tony Orlando and more team up for big 2023 NJ Hall of Fame finale

Josh Groban and Rita Wilson also performed sets of music, and comedians Tracy Morgan, Jimmy Carr, Ronny Chieng, Shane Gillis and Stewart performed stand-ups. First Lady Jill Biden and Prince Harry appeared in taped addresses.

On stage, Craigslist founder Craig Newmark donated $10 million to support the Woodruff Foundation’s initiative to improve mental health. The Woodruff Foundation forges partnerships and unites leaders in government, the military, business and philanthropy in support of veterans.

Bob Woodruff is the ABC correspondent who was wounded in Iraq in 2006. At 8 p.m. Friday, Nov. 10, he's featured in a new ABC special, “After the Blast: The Will to Survive,” which shows Woodruff and his team's journey back to Iraq.

Light of Day

In related news, Max Weinberg's Jukebox will headline the upcoming Light of Day Bob's Birthday Bash on Saturday, Jan. 20, 2024, at the Count Basie Center for the Arts in Red Bank.

Weinberg is a member of Springsteen's E Street Band. Tickets go on sale 10 a.m. Friday, Nov. 10, via thebasie.org, the Basie Center box office at 99 Monmouth St. in Red Bank, and through Ticketmaster.com.

Visit lightofday.org for more info.

Subscribe to app.com for the latest on the New Jersey music scene.

Chris Jordan, a Jersey Shore native, covers entertainment and features for the USA Today Network New Jersey. Contact him at @chrisfhjordan; cjordan@app.com

Bruce Springsteen surprises audience at Stand Up for Heroes, plays five songs (2024)

FAQs

Does Bruce Springsteen support veterans? ›

Springsteen is not a vet, but he's been supporting veterans' causes for decades. His donation of the proceeds of a 1981 concert at the Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena to the Vietnam Veterans of America was a pivotal moment in the way vets were viewed by American society.

Did Bruce Springsteen serve in Vietnam? ›

Springsteen himself was drafted in 1967 when he turned 18, but later told Rolling Stone that he played up his bike accident injuries to make sure he wouldn't go to war, being given a 4-F classification.

Why is Bruce Springsteen called the boss? ›

He attributed the nickname's origin to not only boardgame reasons but also practical reasons: he handled payments after shows. When decisions needed to be made, someone would say, "Ask the Boss". The title stuck, and Springsteen found himself synonymous with leadership.

Who sang with Bruce Springsteen at rock and Roll Hall of Fame? ›

Bob Dylan and Bruce Springsteen performed "Forever Young" at the Concert for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Dylan was a surprise guest, who did a five-song set that included “All Along The Watchtower," "Just Like a Woman," and “Highway 61 Revisited.”

Is Bruce Springsteen a billionaire? ›

After more than half a century in the music industry, Bruce Springsteen has reportedly entered his billionaire era. The 74-year-old New Jersey native, responsible for numerous hits including “Dancing in the Dark”, “Born in the USA”, and “I'm on Fire” now has an estimated net worth of $1.1bn, according to Forbes.

Are Tom Hanks and Bruce Springsteen friends? ›

Bruce Springsteen sat down for a wide-ranging interview with his longtime friend Tom Hanks at the Beacon Theater for Tribeca Film Festival's Tribeca Talks: Storytellers series on April 28. Their intimate, career-spanning conversation spotlighted Springsteen's unique place in American musical history.

Is Bruce Springsteen religious? ›

In 2012, Springsteen said that it was his Catholic upbringing rather than his political ideology that most influenced his music. He said his faith gave him a "very active spiritual life" but joked that this "made it very difficult sexually" and added "once a Catholic, always a Catholic".

Did Sylvester Stallone serve in the Vietnam War? ›

According to Essentially Sports, despite his talents, Sylvester Stallone has never served in the military. However, in 1969, when he was a student, he was eligible for the draft. Unfortunately, due to partial paralysis in his face, officials had to remove him from the draft.

Did Kris Kristofferson serve in Vietnam? ›

He graduated Airborne School, Ranger School, and flight school, served in Germany, and volunteered for Vietnam as a helicopter pilot, but instead was offered a professor of English Literature position at USMA West Point. Disappointed that he was not allowed to fight in Vietnam, he resigned his position in 1965.

Why did Steven Van Zandt leave Bruce Springsteen? ›

Yet, after an argument over creative input, Van Zandt left the band in 1984 and was conspicuously absent on tour for Springsteen's most commercially successful album. He had married actress Maureen Santoro and started writing songs for his own band, Little Steven and the Disciples of Soul.

What are fans of Bruce Springsteen called? ›

List
ObjectFanbase nicknameType
BrosBrosettesMusic group
Bruce SpringsteenBruce TrampsMusician
BtoBMelodyMusic group
BTSA.R.M.YMusic group
143 more rows

Who is the richest rock star in the world? ›

Paul McCartney claims the title of the richest rock star in the world with a worth of $1.2 Billion. We wouldn't expect any wild destruction stories from a legend like McCartney, but he did get busted with a bit of Mary Jane back in the 80s.

What nationality is Bruce Springsteen? ›

He may have been born in the USA but it seems Bruce Springsteen also has a hungry heart for exploring his Irish lineage. The 73-year-old singer-songwriter's great-great-great-grandparents left Rathangan in County Kildare for New Jersey in 1853.

Who is the only artist to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame three times? ›

Eric Clapton is a consistent hitmaker and one of the greatest guitarists of all time—perhaps that's why he is the only person to be inducted into the Rock Hall three times. His diverse influences ranged from reggae to the blues and established him as a versatile and resilient artist whose relevance never fades.

Who was Bruce Springsteen's backing band? ›

Known for backing Bruce Springsteen in his storied performances, the E Street Band is a gang of musicians bursting with skill, soul and endurance.

Why didn't Bruce Springsteen serve in the military? ›

He briefly attended Ocean County College, but dropped out. At age 19, Springsteen was drafted, but failed his physical examination because of a concussion he suffered in a motorcycle accident two years earlier combined with his behavior at induction, both of which reportedly made him unacceptable for military service.

Is the Wall by Bruce Springsteen anti-war? ›

The wall by Bruce Springsteen is anti war song because the song gives tribute to the soldiers which fought against enemies in the Vietnam war and criticize the personals who started the war. Both Walter Cichon and Bart Haynes were the closest friends of the Bruce Springsteen who were killed in the Vietnam war.

Who is the actor that supports veterans? ›

Join Gary in honoring those in your life who have served our country with dignity and those who continue to protect our freedom and safety by preserving their names on the Gary Sinise Foundation Honor Roll.

References

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