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Springsteen Light of Day 2025

Bruce Springsteen performs at Light of Day festival's "Bob's Birthday Bash" concert at the Basie Center for the Arts in Red Bank, NJ, Jan. 18, 2025. (Al Mannarino | For NJ Advance Media)Al Mannarino | For NJ Advance Media



Somewhere between slugging back a shot of tequila and smearing cake icing on his nose, Bruce Springsteen shared a secret with his crowd Saturday night.

“I wrote this song kind of as a joke,” Springsteen deadpanned, to laughs around the Red Bank theater. “That’s why I don’t play it. But we’re gonna play it tonight.”

The song in question was “Pink Cadillac,” a loose and goofy B-side from 1984, and a fine match for Springsteen’s free-wheeling hour on the Count Basie stage — an unbuttoned surprise set that hurtled deep into the Jersey night.

And the “we” who would play “Cadillac” was not the E Street Band, but Joe Grushecky and the House Rockers, mainstays of the annual “Bob’s Birthday Bash” rock bonanza at the Count Basie Center for the Arts — the pinnacle event of the Light of Day Foundation’s WinterFest, where dozens of concerts around New Jersey raise money to fight against Parkinson’s Disease and similar ailments.

Springsteen and Grushecky, the enduring heartland rocker from Pittsburgh, have been friends for half a century, so when The Boss decides to show up and commandeer the party — as he’s now done 13 times in the bash’s 25 years — Grushecky’s six-piece outfit acts as backing band.

Ever the stage general, Bruce told his interim band how it was going to be.

READ MORE: All 337 Springsteen songs, ranked. The ultimate list.

Springsteen Light of Day 2025

Bruce Springsteen performs at Light of Day festival's "Bob's Birthday Bash" concert at the Basie Center for the Arts in Red Bank, NJ, Jan. 18, 2025. (Al Mannarino | For NJ Advance Media)

“I’m gonna play a verse, then the band comes in on the chorus. DO NOT disappoint me!” he barked, mostly in good fun, but also likely meaning it.

Though it was Bruce himself who would flub the tune, stumbling over the wordy bridge, giggling to himself as he tried to power through it, finally succeeding on his third pass.

Such was the playful tenor of Springsteen’s first Light of Day appearance since 2020, and his first public performance since his arena tour wrapped in November. The 75-year-old rocker was in excellent spirits, reveling in the relatively low stakes — no burden of expectations from a crowd of 20, 40 or 60,000 diehards, who’d paid top dollar to see him specifically. No, this Light of Day show was technically headlined by John Rzeznik of the Goo Goo Dolls (who was also excellent, more on him later) and the return of New York rocker Jesse Malin, who’s been recovering from a debilitating spinal stroke he suffered in 2023.

Springsteen Light of Day 2025

Bruce Springsteen performs at Light of Day festival's "Bob's Birthday Bash" concert at the Basie Center for the Arts in Red Bank, NJ, Jan. 18, 2025. (Al Mannarino | For NJ Advance Media)

The sold-out crowd was overjoyed to have Springsteen there at all, so any extra Boss magic was, forgive me, icing on the cake. The set was plenty sweet, as Springsteen and the House Rockers opened with Grushecky’s own bruiser “Never Be Enough Time,” where Bruce ripped a searing solo, his guitar cranked to jet engine roars.

Then it was onto some Springsteen favorites: a poignant “Darkness on the Edge of Town,” a big and bright “The Promised Land” and the deeper cut “Savin’ Up,” which Bruce prefaced with a bit of preacher-like pomp — and some media critique.

“According to Forbes magazine, I’m a billionaire,” he said. “I wish I was, but that, ladies and gentlemen, that is fake news. Because if I was a billionaire, the first thing I’d do is buy another car. The second thing I’d do, I’d buy another guitar. But really, when the Lord comes back, he’s not gonna ask you how much money you got in your bank account. He wants to know what you’ve got in your love account.”

Springsteen Light of Day 2025

Bruce Springsteen performs at Light of Day festival's "Bob's Birthday Bash" concert at the Basie Center for the Arts in Red Bank, NJ, Jan. 18, 2025. (Al Mannarino | For NJ Advance Media)

From there he launched into the soulful tune, two-stepping across the stage, as carefree as I’ve ever seen him — similar to his sweat-soaked opening of Asbury Lanes in 2018.

Next, on Grushecky’s “Pumping Iron,” Springsteen played backup dancer, flowing his arms like a member of the Supremes before engaging Danny Clinch — his personal photographer who also plays harmonica — in an energetic call and response between Bruce’s guitar and Clinch’s instrument.

A quarter past midnight, the marathon show — six hours, more than a dozen total acts — wrapped up with about 50 people on stage: other bands, fest organizers and family of Light of Day co-founder Bob Benjamin, who himself has Parkinson’s and is confined to a wheelchair. Benjamin was placed at center stage as the musicians and the crowd sang him “Happy Birthday,” and rolled out a cake Springsteen couldn’t help but touch.
Springsteen Light of Day 2025

Bruce Springsteen performs at Light of Day festival's "Bob's Birthday Bash" concert at the Basie Center for the Arts in Red Bank, NJ, Jan. 18, 2025. (Al Mannarino | For NJ Advance Media)

For a final crowd-pleaser, Bruce ended with an acoustic “Thunder Road,” with the crowd swelling once more, exiting the theater in blissful rock delirium.

It was a thrilling conclusion to an overwhelming night of rock music for a good cause, which has over the years raised more than $6.5 million for Parkinson’s research and brought benefit concerts to more than a dozen countries in North America and Europe.

More ‘Bob’s Birthday Bash’ highlights

If Springsteen didn’t steal the spotlight, much of the night’s shine would’ve gone to Rzeznik, 59, who is best known for fronting his Buffalo-born, pop-rock band the Goo Goo Dolls, and their stream of late ‘90s radio smashes.

Rzeznik moved to Westfield about 10 years ago, and now considers himself an honorary New Jerseyan.
Light of Day 2025 -

John Rzeznik of the Goo Goo Dolls performs at Light of Day festival's "Bob's Birthday Bash" concert at the Basie Center for the Arts in Red Bank, NJ, Jan. 18, 2025.Al Mannarino |For NJ Advance Media

“This is my adopted home,” he said during his 30-minute solo performance, noting how some of his neighbors were in attendance. “I lived in LA for 16 years and never met anyone.”

Rzeznik elevated the night to an intimate retrospective on his band’s biggest hits, strumming intricate guitar parts for “Slide,” “Name” and “Black Balloon,” and delivering a raspy vocal that felt ready for a re-record. The crowd was enraptured, singing along heartily to the pleading closer “Iris,” and its well-worn refrain “I just want you to know who I am.”

Sadly, there was no time for a Rzeznik/Springsteen “Better Days” meets “Better Days” mash-up.

Though the night’s greatest triumph was the simple act of standing up.
Malin, 57, was told he’d never walk again after his spinal stroke, a rare and devastating injury.
Light of Day 2025 -

Jesse Malin performs with Bruce Springsteen at Light of Day festival's "Bob's Birthday Bash" concert at the Basie Center for the Arts in Red Bank, NJ, Jan. 18, 2025.Al Mannarino |For NJ Advance Media

While the New York punk-rock stalwart sat for much of his hour-long performance, he did twice pull himself up by the microphone stand, which took considerable effort and was met with roars of encouragement from the audience.

“It feels good to be straight up,” Malin said, noting how he’d been practicing that standing move 15 times a day at home.

It was heartening to see Malin back on stage, though also jarring to watch him slowly shuffle off with a walker upon the set’s conclusion, understanding just how much the stroke took from him.
Elsewhere, Springsteen trotted out to play with another old pal, Willie Nile, and his biggest tune “One Guitar” (per Light of Day tradition).
Light of Day 2025 -

Willie Nile performs with Bruce Springsteen at Light of Day festival's "Bob's Birthday Bash" concert at the Basie Center for the Arts in Red Bank, NJ, Jan. 18, 2025.Al Mannarino |For NJ Advance Media

The Gaslight Anthem’s Brian Fallon led a local supergroup with The Bouncing Souls’ Pete Steinkopf on guitar and Bad Religion’s Brian Baker on bass. The trio and their band played three songs, two Malin covers and a fun take on Tom Petty’s “I Won’t Back Down.” Their whole performance lasted maybe 10 minutes, the crowd would have surely welcomed more.
Light of Day 2025 -

Bruce Springsteen performs at Light of Day festival's "Bob's Birthday Bash" concert at the Basie Center for the Arts in Red Bank, NJ, Jan. 18, 2025.Al Mannarino |For NJ Advance Media

Other mini-sets included Jersey’s own The Weeklings, Dramarama (who curiously didn’t play their hit “Anything, Anything,”) and country duo Williams Honor. The bombastic band leader Anthony D’Amato, better known as Remember Jones, opened the show with some horn-heavy theatrics and emceed the long night of tunes.

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The SPL Rocks!







Pulled up to my house today
Came and took my little girl away!
Giants Stadium 8/28/03



Oats

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