Watch Bruce Springsteen Make a Surprise Appearance at Steve Van Zandt’s Benefit Concert

A Night of Music and Friendship

Bruce Springsteen made a surprise appearance at Steve Van Zandt’s Party At The Pony benefit concert on October 26, joining his longtime bandmate for a spirited night of performances. The event, held in New Jersey, supported Van Zandt’s non-profit music education organization TeachRock.

The pair performed a mix of crowd favorites, including “Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out” from Born To Run, the soulful “Raise Your Hand,” and “I Don’t Want To Go Home,” the title track Van Zandt wrote for Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes’ debut album. The night doubled as a birthday celebration for Van Zandt and his wife, Maureen, making Springsteen’s appearance even more special.

A Reunion of Rock Legends

Springsteen’s unannounced set came only weeks after he surprised fans at the Born To Run 50th Anniversary Symposium at Monmouth University, also in New Jersey. That event, hosted by the Bruce Springsteen Archives & Center for American Music, reunited former and current collaborators, photographers, roadies, and Columbia Records veterans who worked with Springsteen during the making of Born To Run.

The evening closed with powerful renditions of “Thunder Road” and “Born To Run,” featuring E Street Band members past and present, including Van Zandt, Roy Bittan, Garry Tallent, Max Weinberg, David Sancious, and Ernest “Boom” Carter.

From the Stage to the Screen

Springsteen’s latest live moment follows the release of Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere, a biopic starring Jeremy Allen White that opened in theaters on October 24. The film portrays the creation of Springsteen’s 1982 album Nebraska and his struggle with depression and painful memories from his youth.

The movie earned a four-star review from NME, which wrote: “What Deliver Me From Nowhere shows well is just how commercial success was a distant second to Springsteen – a man who had no choice but to rip those ‘Nebraska’ songs from his wounded heart.”

Director Scott Cooper also revealed that Springsteen is open to more film adaptations of his life. “There’s so many chapters in Bruce’s life, in all seriousness, that are quite right for cinematic treatment,” Cooper said. “That’s something quite honestly that Bruce and I have discussed. I think he really loves this film. He’s loved the experience.”