Updated June 6, 2026, 2:19 a.m. ET
They gave American music a good name.
Bruce Springsteen, Jon Bon Jovi, Public Enemy, Little Steven Van Zandt, Sheryl Crow, Jackson Browne, David Sancious, and more performed classic American songs at night two on Friday June 5 of the Music America: The Songs that Shaped Us concerts at the OceanFirst Bank Center on the campus of Monmouth University.
Thursday’s show covered American music up to World War II. Friday started off with a bolt of lightning. Springsteen, wearing all denim with what looked like an extra dab of Brylcreem in his hair , performed Elvis Presley’s “Jailhouse Rock.”
Unlike the movie of the same name, the Disciples of Soul backing band weren’t playing cardboard saxophones. Eddie Manion and crew had the real thing and the moment was way better than a party at the county jail.
The Boss then sang Elvis’ “Burning Love .”
Like Thursday, the show was a curated concert, said Robert Santelli, executive director the Bruce Springsteen Center for American Music, and attendees came away with more than a little knowledge in addition to the performances.
Chuck Berry is considered the real King of Rock ‘n’ Roll by many but “he could never get to the same point where Elvis was for the simple reason he was Black,” Santelli said.
Bon Jovi then came out to sing the Berry classic “Johnny B. Goode.” The performance was significant as it was the first time Bon Jovi has sung in public in New Jersey since 2018 due to vocal cords issues. He sounded ready and rocking on stage here.
The band Bon Jovi will play Madison Square Garden for nine shows next month.
A different dimension on Friday was that some of the artists were singing their own songs as the periods covered in the curation was more recent.
Browne, covering the singer-songwriter period of the ‘70s, performed his “For America” and Dion covered the doo-woo era of the ‘50s with “The Wanderer” and the socially conscious rock era of the ‘60s with a stirring “Abraham, Martin and John.”
Dion, 86, is a treasure but he ain’t museum relic yet.
So is Mavis Staples a treasure. She came out to sing the Band’s “The Load” to represent the activist sounds of the ‘60s, of which the Band and the Staple Singers were a part of.
Hip-hop legends Public Enemy performed toward the end of the show to represent the genre with their classic “Fight the Power.” The performance was so spirited that frontman Chuck D seemingly lost track of who he was with and referred to the Disciples of Soul as the E Street Band.
“The E Street Band is fired,” said a smiling Springsteen a few moments later, adding “you can’t go on after Public Enemy, forget it. If Jesus is coming back, he ain’t coming back after Public Enemy.”
Most of the nights musicians, including Gary Clark Jr., Nils Lofgren, and Jimmie Vaughan, then came out for group renditions of “Further On Down the Road,” “Raise Your Hand,” and “I Don’t Want to Go Home.”
Springsteen, before a solo “Land of Hope and Dreams” to close the night, remarked that he first played at Monmouth University, then called Monmouth College, in 1969.
“If you had told me in 1969 that anything like his would happen I’d say you’re out of you (blanking) mind,” Springsteen said.
“I hope you had a good time because I know I did. God bless each and everyone one of you.”
Springsteen was joined by Kenny Chesney, Rosanne Cash, Dropkick Murphys, Keb’ Mo’, Brian Fallon, Tony Trischka and Sister Sadie, Shemekia Copeland, Trombone Shorty and the New Breed Brass Band, Valerie June and more at the first Music America concert on Thursday, June 4.
Springsteen performed “Deportee (Plane Wreck at Los Gatos)” with Rosanne Cash; “This Land Is Your Land” with Kenny Chesney; and “I’m Shipping up to Boston” and “American Land” with the Dropkick Murphys.
Then the Boss participated a second line match with most of the evening’s participants on “When the Saints Go Marching In” led by Trombone Shorty.
The backing band for both nights was an augmented Disciples of Soul led by music director Marc Ribler on guitar. Other members were Manion, horn director and baritone sax; Rich Mercurio, drums; Andy Burton, keyboards; Anthony Almonte, percussion; Ron Tooley, trumpet; Ravi Best, trumpet; Jessie Wagner, vocals; Sara Divine, vocals; Lynn Lockamy, vocals; David Mansfield, pedal steel, violin, mandolin, guitar; John Conte, bass; Michael Mancini, piano; John Martin, tenor and alto Sax, English horn, flute; Neal Pawley, trombone.
The concerts are serving as the cornerstone events of the opening of the new Springsteen Center at Monmouth University on June 13.
Other opening events included the America 250: A Jersey Shore Celebration of the Nation’s Music Heritage on May 29 at the Pollak Theatre with E Street Band founding drummer Vini Lopez, Williams Honor, Pat Roddy, Jackson Pines, Pat Guadagno, Richie Blackwell, Jake Thistle and more. Also, the Native American Music Experience concert, presented by the Springsteen Center with the Seminole Tribe of Florida and Hard Rock International, took place at a full Pollak Theatre on Wednesday, June 3.
The center’s new home, on the corner of Cedar and Norwood avenues, has multiple exhibit spaces, state-of-the-art archives, a 250-seat Dolby soundstage and more. Exhibits chronicle Springsteen’s career and explore his creative process. Genre and thematic displays of American music, along with more than a dozen interactive experiences, showcase the history and artistry of America’s musical legacy.
Visit www.springsteencenter.com for more information.
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Chris Jordan, a Jersey Shore native, covers entertainment and features for the USA Today Network New Jersey. Contact him at cjordan@app.com
