Bruce Springsteen surprises Stone Pony audience at Sea Hear Now afterparty in Asbury Park

Bruce showed up — and how.

Bruce Springsteen delivered a surprise performance Saturday, Sept. 14 at the Stone Pony in Asbury Park. The Pony show was a Sea Hear Now festival afterparty and Springsteen performed with the Tangiers Blues Band, featuring Danny Clinch, with Robert Randolph and Jake Clemons.

The Boss played R&B rock classics, including “Lucille,” “Down The Road Apiece,” and “Boom Boom” for about a half hour.  The Ocean Avenue Stompers were on the horns.

“I was stunned,” said Stan Goldstein, co-author of “Rock & Roll Tour of the Jersey Shore.” “He had a show in Baltimore (Friday, Sept. 13) and he's got a show here (at Sea Hear Now with the E Street Band) tomorrow and he's 74. He looked great. It looked like it was 40 years ago when he was playing the Stone Pony stage. He got that smile he used to get when he played years ago.”

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Springsteen also filmed a Stone Pony 50th anniversary salute on Saturday which was posted on the Pony’s social media channels. The Pony opened in February of 1974.

“Here I am back where it all started — how does that happen?” Springsteen said. “Happy 50th anniversary Stone Pony — you made it! It's a miracle you're still here but I'm glad you are. Love to everybody!”

Springsteen has appeared on the stage at the Pony hundreds of times, but it's been rare in recent years. His last time on stage was for a public show inside at an Alejandro Escovedo concert in 2010.

The Boss played with Garry Tallent and Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes outside on the Stage Pony Summer Stage, adjacent to the club, in 2019.

"Who would have thought 50 years later you're still getting Bruce Springsteen on stage at the Stone Pony," Goldstein said.

Springsteen and the E Street Band are scheduled to play Surf Stage on the North Beach at 7:30 p.m. Sunday. Singer-songwriter Noah Kahan headlined Saturday's Sea Hear Now show and also played the Pony afterparty.

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“I'm headlining the same festival as Bruce Springsteen — this is crazy!” said Kahan from the Sea Hear Now stage on Saturday. “I'm trying to dress like him. This is a lot of denim to take in at once. Take your time getting used to it. Your eyes will adjust eventually to this outfit.”

Kahan had denim pants and a jacket that were heavily — and brightly — patched.

The Gaslight Anthem, the Trey Anastasio Band, the Black Crowes, Norah Jones, 311, the Revivalists, Kool & The Gang, the Hives and more will play over the two days on the fest’s three stages on the North Beach and in Bradley Park.

Clinch, a native of Toms River, is a co-founder of the fest and has shot several Springsteen album covers.

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Chris Jordan, a Jersey Shore native, covers entertainment and features for the USA Today Network New Jersey. Contact him at [email protected]

This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Bruce Springsteen surprise at Stone Pony Sea Hear Now afterparty