Bruce Springsteen’s collaboration with Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young dubbed ‘awesome’ by gig-goers

An unlikely collaboration between supergroup Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young and Bruce Springsteen is still delighting fans today.

The Boss has collaborated with some of the all-time greatest artists on stage, including Patti Smith and Bob Dylan, but his performance alongside the CSNY group has been hailed as one of his best. Joining David Crosby, Stephen Stills, Graham Nash, and Neil Young on stage for an impromptu performance of Hungry Heart, Springsteen, fresh off his Born in the U.S.A tour, looked comfortable in the company of fellow legends. Comments left on a YouTube upload of the performance saw plenty of praise heaped on the supergroup and their guest, with some who claim to have attended the show saying it was one of the very best concerts to date.

One commenter shared: “I was at this show, too. Bruce was fresh off the Born in the U.S.A tour, and was king of the world. The place went nuts for him, and he met the moment. What a night. Also on the bill: Robin Williams, Tom Petty, Don Henley, of course, Neil and CSN. Incredible.”

Another shared: “Bruce and Neil look so happy here, awesome!” The performance at the inaugural Bridge School Benefit Concert saw Springsteen also perform a handful of his songs without Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young.

Joined by longtime touring member Nils Lofgren and Danny Federici after the first two songs of the set, Springsteen performed a stripped-back version of Born in the U.S.A. along with fan favourites like Fire and Darlington County. He was joined at the end of the performance by the supergroup.

The appearance of the band on stage with Springsteen was preceded by The Boss paying tribute to Neil Young with a cover of Elvis Presley’s Follow That Dream. It was Springsteen’s first acoustic set since 1972, and a full setlist for the show can be found below.

• You Can Look (But You Better Not Touch)
• Born in the U.S.A.
• Seeds
• Darlington County
• Mansion on the Hill
• Fire
• Dancing in the Dark
• Glory Days
• Follow That Dream (Elvis Presley cover, dedicated to Neil and Pegi Young)
• Hungry Heart (with Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young)
• Teach Your Children (with Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young)

Springsteen ends the performance of Hungry Heart by saying: “Those guys sing pretty good.” The group then launched into Teach Your Children, with the rest of the performer’s from that evening’s benefit joining Springsteen, Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young on stage.

Though Springsteen would not return for the 1988 benefit, Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young would perform once again alongside Nils Lofgren, Bob Dylan, and Billy Idol. Jerry Garcia and Bob Weir, as well as Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers were also featured.

The most recent Bridge School Benefit, performed in 2016, saw Neil Young, Metallica, Roger Waters, Cage the Elephant, and Willie Nelson perform. You can view the legendary performance of Hungry Heart below.