Bruce Springsteen made a surprise appearance with Bleachers during their Asbury Park set at Shadow of the City Festival on Friday 28 August, joining Jack Antonoff's band for renditions of "Jersey Girl" and "Chinatown". The moment continues a recurring collaboration between the two New Jersey acts, who first performed "Chinatown" together in 2020, and reflects Springsteen's ongoing habit of turning up unannounced at shows by fellow artists close to home.

Springsteen and Antonoff first recorded a stripped-back version of "Chinatown" on the roof of Electric Lady Studios in December 2020, later releasing a full electric take that appeared on Bleachers' 2021 album "Take the Sadness Out of Saturday Night". Antonoff told the hometown crowd how meaningful it was to play where he wrote the songs, before launching into a cover of Tom Waits' "Jersey Girl" — itself famously covered by Springsteen in 1985 — at which point The Boss joined him onstage. The appearance follows Springsteen's recent guest slot at a Bon Jovi Madison Square Garden show in July and news that his wife, Patti Scialfa, is now in remission from multiple myeloma; Bleachers, meanwhile, are set to tour Europe and the UK from November, concluding at London's Eventim Apollo on 3 December.