Bruce Springsteen Gives Surprise Performance at 2023 Stand Up for Heroes Benefit in NYC

Bruce Springsteen made a surprise appearance at the 2023 edition of the annual Stand Up for Heroes benefit, held Monday, November 6, in New York City at Lincoln Center’s David Geffen Hall, the Asbury Park Press reports.

According to the newspaper, Springsteen played five songs acoustically, while telling several jokes during his set at the music-and-comedy event.

[RELATED: Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band Announce 2024 European Tour]

Springsteen has been a regular performer at Stand Up for Heroes, an annual fundraiser for the Bob Woodruff Foundation, but this year, the Boss wasn’t listed as part of the lineup since he’d been scheduled to be on tour with the E Street Band when details of the charity event were first announced.

However, Springsteen’s schedule opened up after the tour was postponed until 2024 because the rock legend needed treatment for peptic ulcer disease.

According to the newspaper, John Mellencamp, one of the evening’s scheduled musical performers, welcomed Springsteen to the stage after the heartland rocker sang a couple of his own songs, “Small Town” and “Jack & Diane.”

“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,” Mellencamp told the audience. “Ladies and gentlemen, Bruce Springsteen.”

Mellencamp and Springsteen, who are longtime friends, then performed “Wasted Days,” their Mellencamp-penned duet that appeared on John’s 2022 studio album Strictly a One-Eyed Jack.

Springsteen then took over, delivering acoustic renditions of four more tunes—“Addicted to Romance,” his new song from the 2023 romantic comedy She Came to Me; “Power of Prayer,” from his 2020 album Letter to You; and two tunes from his classic 1984 record Born in the U.S.A., “Working on the Highway” and the smash “Dancing in the Dark.”

This marked the first time that Springsteen had ever performed “Addicted to Love” live.

A fan-shot video of Springsteen’s performance has been posted on YouTube.

Stand Up for Heroes, now in its 17th year, raises money for the Bob Woodruff Foundation, which helps various groups supporting wounded military members, veterans, and their families. The organization was founded by ABC correspondent Bob Woodruff, who was wounded by an explosion while covering the war in Iraq in 2006.

The event, which was hosted by Jon Stewart, features music and comedy performances and is held in conjunction with the annual New York Comedy Festival. This year’s lineup also featured music from Josh Groban, Rita Wilson, and The War & Treaty, as well as stand-up comedy from Tracy Morgan, Jimmy Carr, Stewart, and others. In addition, video messages from First Lady Jill Biden and Prince Harry were played.

Photo by Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images for Bob Woodruff Foundation