NJ Music Festivals

The Boss showed up to Asbury on Friday night.

After Shadow of the City, a fan-favorite festival for New Jersey concertgoers, was postponed three months ago, fans knew they were going to be in for a treat at the rescheduled show on Aug. 28.

That treat was not an outdoor hometown show from Bleachers, or getting to experience the next big thing with Real Estate, or a great dad-rock set from Toadies. It was Bruce Springsteen.

Once Jack Antonoff began his cover of “Jersey Girl” by Tom Waits on a beautiful night in Asbury, it was pretty clear what was going to happen next. A minute into the song, Springsteen appeared with his guitar and blew the (imaginary) roof off of the Stone Pony Summer Stage.

The two then performed “Chinatown,” a duet released in 2020. It was the first time the two had performed the song together in four years, since Bleachers’ show at Radio City Music Hall.

The crowd inside the grounds of the Summer Stage was ecstatic, of course, but so were the ones outside the walls of the venue. Those people would be the locals who came out to listen to a Jersey band, and who adore Springsteen more than anyone else. Their reactions were priceless.

Shadow of the City is expected to return next summer, and has already cemented itself as one of New Jersey’s best music festivals and a can’t-miss show. Not only does it welcome great artists and music, but also cool experiences. Although there was no “world-famous” dunk tank this year, you were able to check out Antonoff’s childhood bedroom and experience the photo booth inside the Stone Pony.