Bruce Springsteen Leads All-Star Celebration of American Music, Honoring Woody Guthrie's Enduring Legacy
A constellation of music legends, led by Bruce Springsteen, converged at the Oceanfirst Bank Center in Monmouth, New Jersey, for 'Music America: The Songs That Shaped Us.' This star-studded concert, a prelude to the **Bruce Springsteen Ce...
The Oceanfirst Bank Center in Monmouth, New Jersey, recently hosted a monumental night of music, 'Music America: The Songs That Shaped Us.' This extraordinary concert served as a vibrant celebration of the American semiquincentennial and a prelude to the highly anticipated Bruce Springsteen Center for American Music.
Curated to honor 250 years of American musical heritage, the event featured an impressive lineup. Bruce Springsteen himself shared the stage with a diverse array of talent, including Rosanne Cash, Kenny Chesney, Shemekia Copeland, the Dropkick Murphys, Valerie June, Keb’ Mo’, and Trombone Shorty. Guiding the evening's journey was Bob Santelli, Director of the forthcoming Bruce Springsteen Center for American Music, with Little Steven’s Disciples of Soul serving as the dynamic house band.
Springsteen, fresh off his politically charged Land of Hope and Dreams tour, initially took in the spectacle from the audience. His eventual arrival on stage near the night's close was met with fervent anticipation, signaling a shift to the evening's most poignant moments.
He opened his set with a powerful duet alongside Rosanne Cash on Woody Guthrie's timeless 'Deportee (Plane Wreck at Los Gatos).' This marked his first public performance of the song since 1996, a powerful return that resonated deeply with the current climate.
Addressing the crowd, Springsteen underscored the song's enduring relevance. 'This is a song of Woody’s that could have been written yesterday, it’s so current, whether it’s Minnesota or Delaney Hall [ICE detention center] in Newark. This is happening now,' he stated, drawing a stark connection between past and present struggles.
The Woody Guthrie tribute continued as Springsteen invited Kenny Chesney — who had earlier performed Hank Williams' 'Mind Your Own Business' — back to the stage. Together, they delivered a rousing rendition of 'This Land Is Your Land.'
Springsteen introduced the iconic anthem with reverence: 'This song has been certainly the greatest folk song ever written about our beautiful country. Let’s just do it.' As the audience joined in, he invoked the spirit of another folk legend.
'I knew Pete Seeger pretty good,' Springsteen shared, recalling their performance at President Obama’s first inauguration. 'Pete’s ghost is in this room tonight. And Woody’s ghost is in this room tonight. Now Pete said, ‘A song ain’t worth nothing unless it’s useful, unless you can do something with it, and unless the people can sing.’ I’m going count you in. Pete’s listening, Woody’s listening, I’m fuckin’ listening!'
The evening's Guthrie thread tightened further with the arrival of the Dropkick Murphys. They joined Springsteen for their 2006 classic 'I’m Shipping Up to Boston,' a song famously built upon a lyric fragment discovered in the Guthrie archives.
Frontman Ken Casey quipped about the unusual setting – 'This is the first time the Dropkick Murphys have ever played on a stage with a carpet' – before dedicating the song to the Guthrie family. The energy continued as they backed Springsteen on his own 'American Land,' a track penned in the distinct spirit of the Dropkick Murphys.
The grand finale saw Trombone Shorty and many of the night's earlier performers rejoin Springsteen for an epic, crowd-pleasing rendition of 'When the Saints Go Marching In.' A staple of his 2006 Sessions Band tour, this performance brought the celebratory evening to a thunderous close.
The 'Music America: The Songs That Shaped Us' event is set to continue with a second, equally star-studded show at the Oceanfirst Bank Center. The upcoming bill promises performances from Jon Bon Jovi, Jackson Browne, Gary Clark Jr., Dion, Sheryl Crow, Nils Lofgren, Darlene Love, Public Enemy, David Sancious, Mavis Staples, Steven Van Zandt, and Jimmie Vaughan. With The Disciples of Soul once again as the house band, Springsteen is sure to make more memorable appearances.
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