Participants in the “Music America: The Songs That Shaped Us” concerts will include, clockwise from top left, Bruce Springsteen, Jon Bon Jovi, Kenny Chesney, Mavis Staples, Darlene Love and Jackson Browne.
Bruce Springsteen, Jon Bon Jovi, Kenny Chesney, Darlene Love, Jackson Browne and Mavis Staples will be among the artists participating in “Music America: The Songs That Shaped Us,” two concerts at The OceanFirst Bank Center on the campus of Monmouth University in West Long Branch, celebrating the 250th birthday of The United States.
The concerts, organized by Monmouth University’s Bruce Springsteen Center for American Music, will take place on June 4-5, preceding the opening of the Center itself on June 7.
Present and past E Street Band members Stevie Van Zandt, Nils Lofgren and David Sancious are also on the list of performers, as are Dion, Public Enemy, Gary Clark Jr., Rosanne Cash, Dropkick Murphys, Trombone Shorty & the New Breed Brass Band, Keb’ Mo’, Jimmie Vaughan, Tony Trischka & Sister Sadie, and Valerie June. Van Zandt’s Disciples of Soul will serve as the house band.
According to a press release, “Each artist will perform landmark songs from American music history. Blues, bluegrass, rock, hip-hop, folk, jazz, country, and gospel are among the genres that will be represented. Narration will precede each performance, giving context to the artist, song, and genre celebrated. Additional artists will be announced in the coming weeks.”
“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,” said Robert Santelli, executive director of the Springsteen Center and the concerts’ executive producer, in the press release.
The concerts are part of Springsteen Center’s celebration of America’s semiquincentennial, which began in 2024 with the launch of the traveling exhibition, “Music America: Iconic Objects from America’s Music History.” The exhibition is now on display at the Folk Americana Roots Hall of Fame in Boston.
The Monmouth University website describes the OceanFirst Center as a 4,100-capacity arena.
Tickets to each concert go on sale separately, April 21 at noon, via springsteencenter.org.
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