Bleachers Provides The Thrills, The Boss Provides The Chills
Under a hazy, orange full moon on Friday evening, singer/songwriter/pop music producer-impresario Jack Antonoff, and his band Bleachers, gave its fans a night at Stone Pony Summer Stage they will remember for a long, long time.
Because it’s not everyday that you’re going to see The Boss himself, Bruce Springsteen, casually walked on stage, strumming his replica blonde Born To Run Fender Telecaster guitar (the real one is in a case at the nearby Bruce Springsteen Center for American Music - which Bruce popped into earlier in the day) to assist on singing Jersey Girl, a song Bruce arguably made more famous than its songwriter, Tom Waits, and one that is always high up on the “Gotta Hear” list for many who go to Springsteen shows.
So to hear him sing that familiar Sha-La-La-La-La-La chorus into the Asbury Park night alongside another Jersey Guy made an already great night that much better, more magical…perhaps even more mystical given the full moon that even Antonoff gave a shout out about.
Bruce, dressed in a blue-and-red checked flannel shirt, a buttoned-up faded blue jean jacket, dark blue jeans the same denim-on-denim outfit he wore to his BSCAM outing, and boots, would then stay on stage to play a rousing rendition of Chinatown, a Bleachers track he was featured back in 2022.
Then, after hugs with Antonoff and the band, and raising his guitar in salute to the crowd, Freehold’s favorite son disappeared, like a spirit in the night.
But the night certainly wasn’t over. Bleachers were only a half-hour into their set and Antonoff and his six-piece band - two saxophones, two pianos, one guitarist, one bassist - and there was still much to say, and sing.
Even before Springsteen stepped onstage, though, the crowd at the Eighth Annual Shadow of the City Festival already had been having a great Friday night. Bike Routes, Grace Ives, The Toadies and Real Estate also were on the festival bill, and had already warmed the crowd up. Still, the crowd was ready for Bleachers, and had been for a few months.
To backtrack a bit, the Shadow of the City Festival was supposed to happen back in May, also on the Stone Pony Summer Stage. But rain and high winds forced the cancellation of the event. As a bit of consolation, Bleachers then played a free show inside the Pony that night.
Since then, Bleachers released a new record, everyone for ten minutes, a bold and expansive addition to the band’s catalog. The album finds Antonoff and company continuing to push their sound forward while holding onto the emotional immediacy and big-hearted songwriting that have become Bleachers’ trademark.
Antonoff, clad in a blue NJ Transit cap - NJT renamed the North Jersey Coast Line the Bleachers Coast Line for a limited time - and a dark blue windbreaker to open the show, took all that, and released it Friday night.
Normally expressive on stage, he was especially so Friday night. The stage isn’t just something under him giving him support, it’s an integral part of the show, his therapy couch. He uses every inch of it to deliver his emotional, cathartic musical poetry/prose, whether stomping, kicking, sliding, lying prostate on it, melting down to it, and dripping sweat on it.
Remember those old Springsteen concert videos from around ‘78 where, as the showman he is, uses every inch of his work space? Um, yeah. You can see where Jack gets it from. He learned it by watching you, Boss.
This was Bleachers’ first live performance since the release of everyone for ten minutes and it felt like the band needed this night. From the soulful sax wailings of saxophonists Evan Smith and Zem Audu (who do double duty on keyboards), to the multi-instrumentalist Mikey Freedom Hart, drummers Sean Hutchinson and Mike Riddleberger - even Jack’s dad, Rick, for a few songs - this was a band that needed to no longer dwell on things, but to get out and play.
And they did, for nearly two hours.
A riveting, romping, cathartic, sweaty set that left Antonoff’s ratty white Panama Jack t-shirt ripped even more by the time the last notes of Stop Making This Hurt fell off into the Asbury Park night air.
Strumming his Specimen Royale Premiere guitar, just before starting Jersey Girl, Antonoff said ““There’s nothin’ like playing at home. … There’s nothin’ like bein’ 16 years old and having to sell a certain amount of tickets so you can play inside the Pony, and it’s just your cousins at the show. All those cousins are still here!”
And, to the fans, there’s nothing like being at The Stone Pony on a soft, late-summer night, dancing and cheering and swaying, all happy there was no rain on this festival…and happy that, yes, the Bruce did show up.
Bleachers set list - August 28, 2026, The Stone Pony Summer Stage
My Way (Frank Sinatra/Paul Anka cover)
Sideways
The Van
Modern Girl
Jesus Is Dead
How Dare You Want More
Everybody Lost Somebody
Goodmorning
Dirty Wedding Dress
Jersey Girl (Tom Waits cover, with Bruce Springsteen)
Chinatown (with Bruce Springsteen)
Don't Go Dark
Dream of Mickey Mantle
You and Forever
Margaret
Blood Brothers
Isimo
Merry Christmas, Please Don't Call
The Whole of the Moon
Juno Interlude
Rollercoaster
Tiny Moves (With Chris Conly of Saves The Day)
I Wanna Get Better
Don't Take the Money
Stop Making This Hurt
