Bruce Springsteen made his first concert appearance of 2026 on Saturday night (Jan. 17) and had some stern words during his time on stage regarding recent events in America.

His surprise performance at the annual Light of Day benefit in Red Bank, N.J. continued a tradition that’s been happening now for decades. If he’s not on tour, the Boss often turns up for unannounced yet heavily rumored guest appearances to show his support for the foundation.

What is the Light of Day Benefit Concert For?

Light of Day’s mission is a cause that’s close to his heart — his longtime associate Bob Benjamin was diagnosed with Parkinson’s in the late ’90s. A surprise 40th birthday party for the manager turned into an idea for an annual benefit that would borrow its title from Springsteen’s song of the same name.

To date, the artist has performed at 14 out of the 26 events and the foundation has now raised more than seven million dollars to support the ongoing quest to end Parkinson’s disease and related neuro-degenerative diseases, including ALS (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis).

Vinyl Records

Bruce Springsteen – Lost And Found: Selections From The Lost Albums

What Did Bruce Springsteen Play at This Year’s Concert?

Springsteen has largely been away from the stage since his European tour with the E Street Band ended last summer. That drought came to a close on Saturday evening during a tight 75-minute set with his longtime friends Joe Grushecky and the Houserockers serving their usual role as his backing band.

Highlights included a full band version of “Johnny 99” (a nice nod to the recent “Electric” Nebraska release), the title track from 1978’s Darkness on the Edge of Town, “Savin’ Up,” a song by his departed E Street bandmate Clarence Clemons, who had recorded it with his solo band, the Red Bank Rockers plus fan favorites like “Atlantic City.” You can see a complete set list and more videos below.

‘ICE Should Get the F— Out of Minneapolis.’

Springsteen closed his initial nine-song set with “The Promised Land.” Though the mood of the evening had been light, he used the moment to share a pointed message regarding the recent events and ongoing tension in Minnesota following the death of Renee Good, who died earlier this month after being shot by ICE in Minneapolis.

As NJ.com’s Bobby Olivier reported, the songwriter began his remarks, telling the audience of 1,500 at the Hackensack Meridian Health Theatre, “I wrote this song as an ode to American possibility, it was [about] both the beautiful but flawed country that we are, and to the country that we could be,” he said.

“If you believe in democracy, in liberty, if you believe that truth still matters, that it’s worth speaking out, that it is worth fighting for, if you believe in the power of the law and no one stands above it, if you stand against heavily armed masked federal troops invading American cities and using Gestapo tactics against our fellow citizens, if you believe you don’t deserve to be murdered for exercising your American right to protest, then send a message to this president, and as the mayor of that city has said, ‘ICE should get the f— out of Minneapolis,’” he added, as fans responded with loud cheers.

He dedicated that night’s performance of “The Promised Land” to Good, calling her a “mother of three and American citizen.”

Watch Bruce Springsteen’s Speech Regarding Renee Good

Bruce Springsteen, Jan. 17, 2026 at Hackensack Meridian Health Theatre, Red Bank, N.J. Set List

1. “One Guitar” (with Willie Nile)
2. “Jole Blon” (with Gary U.S. Bonds and Joe Grushecky)
3. “This Little Girl” (with Gary U.S. Bonds and Joe Grushecky)

4. “Darkness on the Edge of Town
5. “Savin’ Up”
6. “I’m Not Sleeping”
7. “Pumping Iron”
8. “Lucky Town”
9. “Atlantic City”
10. “Never Be Enough Time”
11. “Johnny 99”
12. “The Promised Land”
(all above songs with Joe Grushecky and the Houserockers)

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Encore With All Performers

13. “Light of Day”
14. “Happy Birthday to You” (dedicated to Bob Benjamin)
15. “Thunder Road (acoustic)

Watch Bruce Springsteen Perform ‘The Promised Land’ in Red Bank

Watch Bruce Springsteen Perform ‘Johnny 99’ in Red Bank

Bruce Springsteen – Live | Johnny 99 – Light of Day 2026 @ Count Basie , Red Bank NJ 1/17/26

Watch Bruce Springsteen and Friends Perform ‘Light of Day’ in Red Bank

LOD Finale with Bruce Springsteen – Live | Light of Day 26 – @ Count Basie , Red Bank NJ 1/17/26

Watch Willie Nile and Bruce Springsteen Perform ‘One Guitar’ in Red Bank

Willie Nile with Bruce Springsteen – Live | One Guitar – LOD 2026 @ Count Basie, Red Bank NJ 1/17/26

Bruce Springsteen Live Albums Ranked

Longtime fans will tell you his studio records are only half the story – concert performances are the other, and maybe more essential, part.

Gallery Credit: Michael Gallucci

8. Road Diary (2024)

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8. ‘Road Diary’ (2024)

A companion piece to Disney’s documentary about Springsteen and the E Street Band’s return to the road in 2023 collects two dozen performances from the world tour that year. A handful of songs from Springsteen’s two ’20s albums, Letter to You and Only the Strong Survive, are newcomers to the set, which includes standbys – “The Promised Land,” “Glory Days,” “The Rising” – from across the decades. Comparably reserved.

7. In Concert/MTV Plugged (1993)

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7. ‘In Concert/MTV Plugged’ (1993)

For his outing on the popular MTV show Unplugged, Springsteen cheated, bringing his new touring group (the E Street Band was broken up at the time) for a 14-song electric set mostly taken from the simultaneously released 1992 albums Human Touch and Lucky Town. A few old favorites are here, along with the previously unreleased “Red Headed Woman,” but the results are mainly static and undriven.

6. Live in New York City (2001)

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6. ‘Live in New York City’ (2001)

Springsteen’s reunion with the E Street Band after 11 years took a victory lap during the last two weeks of the tour when they played 10 sold-out shows at Madison Square Garden. The final two nights are captured in this two-CD overview, expanding a 90-minute cable TV special. New songs “American Skin (41 Shots)” and “Land of Hope and Dreams” are highlights; “Born to Run” and “Born in the U.S.A.” are here, too.

5. Live in Dublin (2007)

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5. ‘Live in Dublin’ (2007)

This document of Springsteen’s tour with the Seeger Sessions Band is heavy on cuts from the 2006 album We Shall Overcome: The Seeger Sessions, in which traditional folk songs, most made famous by Pete Seeger, were covered by an expanded group of musicians (only wife Patti Scialfa is carried over from E Street). A few old Boss favorites – “Atlantic City,” “Growin’ Up” – are also reinterpreted on this brief, pleasing detour.

4. Springsteen on Broadway (2018)

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4. ‘Springsteen on Broadway’ (2018)

Springsteen’s historic one-man show at New York’s Walter Kerr Theatre was part performance piece, part spoken-word reminiscence. While songs such as “Growin’ Up” through “Land of Hope and Dreams” are given acoustic onstage readings, Springsteen’s often candid stories about them and his life stand out here. It’s a riveting two-and-a-half-hour show that offers more insight into the artist than 45 years of his great music.

3. The Legendary 1979 No Nukes Concerts (2021)

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3. ‘The Legendary 1979 No Nukes Concerts’ (2021)

Springsteen and the E Street Band’s 1979 Musicians United for Safe Energy benefit concerts at Madison Square Garden are the stuff of legend, taking place between his myth-making 1978 tour and first No. 1 album, 1980’s The River. Slotted for a 90-minute set among other artists, Springsteen and band zero in on their strengths, delivering muscular versions of “Prove It All Night” and the “Detroit Medley” covers showcase.

2. Hammersmith Odeon London 75 (2006)

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2. ‘Hammersmith Odeon London ’75’ (2006)

With his third album, Born to Run, released to star-making headlines just a few months earlier, Springsteen and the E Street Band headed overseas for their first European tour near the end of 1975. This two-hour show from London appeared as a video on the 30th-anniversary edition of Born to Run, but the audio version is just as thrilling, capturing an early, rough-around-the-edges portrait of the band on the cusp of greatness.

1. Live/1975–85 (1986)

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1. ‘Live/1975–85’ (1986)

Springsteen’s first live album is still his best, a three-CD set culled from a decade’s worth of shows leading to his superstar status in the mid-’80s. The early material – including a generous selection of songs from the legendary July 7, 1978, concert at Hollywood’s Roxy Theatre – targets just what made Springsteen and the E Street Band the most exciting live group of the period. But don’t discard later tracks from the 1980 and 1985 tours where they deliver songs with the precision of a road-strengthened bar band. Live/1975–85 lacks the cohesiveness of later live sets but in sampling highlights from 10 years in Springsteen’s still-rising career, it charts the evolution of one of rock’s all-time greats and his growth from year to year.

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