Bruce Springsteen and Bon Jovi perform at Music America Concert

Bruce Springsteen, Jon Bon Jovi, Public Enemy, Little Stephen Van Zandt, Sheryl Crow, Jackson Browne, David Sancious and more performed over two nights of the Music America: The Songs That Shaped Us concert at Monmouth University this week, with a particularly notable repeat performance on the second night on Friday (June 5). Bon Jovi performed in New Jersey for the first time since 2018.

This two-night concert series will be the cornerstone event for the opening of the new Bruce Springsteen American Music Center at Monmouth University in West Long Branch, New Jersey, which will officially open to the public on June 13th.

Springsteen opened Friday’s show with a roaring rendition of Elvis Presley’s “Jailhouse Rock,” followed by a rendition of Presley’s “Burning Love,” backed by the Disciples of Soul, led by musical director Mark Ribbler. Bon Jovi then took to the stage to perform Chuck Berry’s “Johnny B. Goode.” It was her first public vocal performance in her home state since 2018, when she took a break from touring due to vocal cord issues.

The performance comes as Bon Jovi’s full band prepares for a nine-show residency at Madison Square Garden next month. Santelli framed Berry’s selection with sharp historical notes from the stage, noting that while Berry is considered by many to be the true King of Rock ‘n’ Roll, he “never could reach the same heights as Elvis simply because he was black.”

The night continued into the era of American music. Jackson Browne represented the 1970s singer-songwriter era with his “For America,” and Dion, 86, performed “The Wanderer” alongside the moving “Abraham, Martin, John.” Mavis Staples performed The Band’s “The Weight,” which epitomized the activist sound of the 1960s, and Public Enemy closed with “Fight the Power.”

The night ended with group performances of “Father on Down the Road,” “Raise Your Hand,” and “I Don’t Want to Go Home,” and ended with Springsteen performing a solo rendition of “Land of Hope and Dreams.”

Thursday’s opening night, which traces American music up to World War II, featured performances by Springsteen, Kenny Chesney, Rosanne Cash, Dropkick Murphys, Keb Mo, Brian Fallon, Tony Trishka, Sister Sadie, Shemekia Copeland, Trombone Shorty and the New Breed Brass Band, Valerie June and more.

The 30,000-square-foot Springsteen Center for American Music at Monmouth University opens June 13 and features multiple exhibition spaces, state-of-the-art archives, a 250-seat Dolby soundstage, and more than a dozen interactive experiences spotlighting both Springsteen’s career and the broader history of American music. For more information, visit springteencenter.com.