Bruce Springsteen Joins Jon Bon Jovi, Public Enemy at 2nd Music America Night
Updated
Updated · Rolling Stone · Jun 6
Bruce Springsteen Joins Jon Bon Jovi, Public Enemy at 2nd Music America Night
3 articles · Updated · Rolling Stone · Jun 6
Summary
Bruce Springsteen capped the second and final night of New Jersey’s “Music America” concert with a string of duets and a solo “Land of Hope and Dreams,” the only original song he played across both evenings.
The show marked the opening of the Bruce Springsteen Center for American Music and celebrated 250 years of American music, shifting from early pioneers on night one to Elvis Presley, Chuck Berry, Dion and Public Enemy on Friday.
Springsteen took the stage for Elvis covers “Jailhouse Rock” and “Burnin’ Love,” then teamed with Sheryl Crow on Bob Dylan’s “I Shall Be Released” and Gary Clark Jr. on Bobby “Blue” Bland’s “Further Up the Road.”
Jon Bon Jovi, Jackson Browne, Public Enemy and others returned for a closing jam on Eddie Floyd’s “Raise Your Hand,” followed by Southside Johnny’s “I Don’t Want to Go Home” with Springsteen, Bon Jovi and Steve Van Zandt sharing vocals.
Back at the Monmouth campus where he recalled playing in 1969, Springsteen called the event unimaginable at age 19, underscoring the concert’s role as both hometown tribute and institutional launch.