Coldplay were joined by yet another special guest during Sunday night’s (June 5) show at the Meadowlands. And, because it was New Jersey and because singer Chris Martin happens to have a very special tribute to the state’s musical patron saint tattooed on his arm, of course the crowd went bananas when Bruce Springsteen strolled out to play a mini 2-song set on the satellite “C” stage on the stadium floor.
Sunday night was the second of a two-night stint at MetLife Stadium and as Springsteen was slipping on an acoustic guitar amid the traditional lusty “BRUUUUUUCE!” chants, The Boss noted that he was surrounded by superfans on, and off, the stage. “Hello, New Jersey!” Springsteen said, “Well, like Chris said, he had this song tattooed on his arm for a while, so I guess I’ve gotta sing it.”
The song in question is the title track from Springsteen’s 2009 Working on a Dream album — Martin has the title on his left bicep — and on Sunday night the two harmonized on the chorus during the unplugged performance, with Martin taking the second verse, including the lines: “Rain pourin’ down, I swing my hammer/ My hands are rough from working on a dream/ I’m working on a dream.”
The surprise pop-in from Bruce was in keeping with the recent spate of guest stars showing up on the green energy-fueled small stage, which has included cameos from Kylie Minogue at the first MetLife show on Saturday for her “Can’t Get You Out of My Head” and Lupe Fiasco in Chicago last week for his hit “Superstar” and a bit of Coldplay’s “God Put a Smile Upon Your Face.”
Springsteen stuck around for one more, with Martin backing him up on a stripped-down take on “Dancing in the Dark.” Coldplay will wind down the current North American leg of their Music of the Spheres stadium tour with shows in Philadelphia (June 8), Atlanta (June 11) and Tampa (June 14) before heading overseas to Europe and South America for the summer.
Check out fan footage of the Springsteen cameo below.
