Boss Is Back: Watch Bruce Springsteen Return To Stage At Stand Up For Heroes Benefit

While Bruce Springsteen typically performs at the annual Stand Up For Heroes fundraiser for the Bob Woodruff Foundation in New York City each fall, he was not slated to appear at this year’s event on Monday, November 6 since he was originally supposed to be on tour with the E Street Band at that time. However, The Boss made a surprise appearance to duet with John Mellencamp and play a four-song set of his own at the benefit as he postponed his tour due to symptoms of peptic ulcer disease.

Springsteen’s performances on Monday at Lincoln Center’s David Geffen Hall were his first time on stage since the tour was postponed outside a brief appearance on October 29 as one of the vocalists on an all-star version of “With A Little Help From My Friends” after his wife, Patti Scialfa, was honored at the 15th Annual New Jersey Hall Of Fame Induction Ceremony. Bruce initially came out at the Stand Up For Heroes 2023 event during Mellencamp’s set to offer the live debut of their “Wasted Days” collaboration.

Monday’s Stand Up For Heroes benefit in New York City also featured performances by Josh Groban, The War And Treaty and Rita Wilson in addition to standup comedy from Jon Stewart, Tracy Morgan, Ronny Chieng, Jimmy Carr and Shane Gillis. As he usually does, Bruce Springsteen worked a number of dirty jokes in his mini-set.

Bruce kicked off his solo acoustic portion of the evening with live premieres of “Addicted To Romance” and “The Power Of Prayer.” The former was written and recorded in collaboration with Bryce Dessner of The National for the She Came To Me soundtrack, while the latter is featured on his 2020 album Letter To You. Springsteen then looked to his iconic 1984 LP Born In The U.S.A. for classics “Working On The Highway” and “Dancing In The Dark.”

Check out fan-shot footage of Springsteen at Monday’s Stand Up For Heroes benefit below:

Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band relaunch their tour in Phoenix on March 19, 2024. Scroll below for a complete list of tour dates.