Springsteen Center Sets All-Star ‘Music America’ Shows

The Bruce Springsteen Center for American Music isn’t easing into its grand opening. Instead, it’s kicking the doors in with a two-night, all-star history lesson. Dubbed Music America: The Songs That Shaped Us, the June 4–5 blowout at OceanFirst Bank Center in West Long Branch, N.J., doubles as both a semiquincentennial celebration and the centerpiece lead-in to the Center’s official ribbon-cutting on June 7.

The lineup reads like a Rock & Roll Hall of Fame seating chart, as it will feature Springsteen, Jon Bon Jovi, Jackson Browne, Public Enemy, Mavis Staples, Gary Clark Jr., Kenny Chesney, Rosanne Cash, Trombone Shorty and E Street Band guitarist Steven Van Zandt, whose Disciples of Soul will serve as the house band.

More from Spin:

• The House Still Stands, But American Football Has Moved On
• Questlove’s Earth, Wind & Fire Doc Bound For Tribeca
• Jeff Tweedy, Hayley Williams Team On ‘Colbert’

Each act will tackle landmark songs from across American music history, with narration setting the scene before each performance, tickets for which will be sold separately. Click here for seats, which go on sale April 21.

“This is a journey through American music history,” said Center executive director Robert Santelli. “The concerts reflect everything the Bruce Springsteen Center for American Music stands for: the power of music to bring people together, the rich and diverse treasury of American music as a mirror of our national culture and the inspiration to think about our shared history in these divisive times.”

The Center has been rolling out its Music America banner since 2024, including the traveling exhibition Iconic Objects from America’s Music History. And as previously reported, the Center will pay tribute to Dionne Warwick, Patti Smith, Dr. Dre, the E Street Band and the Doors at its fourth annual American Music Honors, which will take place April 18 at Pollak Theatre on the campus of Monmouth University.

To see our running list of the top 100 greatest rock stars of all time, click here.