Attendees at the Light of Day benefit concert in Asbury Park, NJ didn't mind forking over up to $250-it was for charity after all-but that didn't mean they didn't have something unannounced to hope for on the lineup. Bruce Springsteen had made appearances at nine of the Light of Day shows, an annual event held to raise money for Parkinson's research, and they sure hoped he'd be at the 2014 version as well.
Rolling Stone indicated that there were hints The Boss was in attendance prior to his first appearance onstage. Hardcore Springsteen fans were able to recognize his guitar technician Kevin Buell tuning his signature yellow telecaster at the side of the stage. More telling was the last-minute change in the lineup, which shifted the Goo Goo Dolls' Johnny Rzeznik up from the headliner to opening for Joe Grueshecky and the Houserockers (Springsteen is a pal with Grueshecky, and tends to perform with him at the Light of Day show).
The Boss made an additional surprise performance, coming out prior to his "expected" gig with Grueshecky in order to perform with musician Jesse Malin, joining him for a cover of The Ramones' "Do You Remember Rock 'n' Roll Radio?" The pair also performed "Broken Radio," a track they had recorded together during 2007.
Grueshecky opened his set with a few of the band's own tracks, but Springsteen came out and shifted the whole dynamic. The Houserockers essentially became a miniature E Street Band, backing The Boss for a number of tracks off of his classic album Darkness on The Edge of Town. The show continued until the early morning, when Springsteen and Grueshecky closed with an acoustic version of the former's "Thunder Road."
