During Zach Bryan's second of two shows in Philadelphia on Wednesday, he joined country star Bruce Springsteen for a surprise duet of “Atlantic City” and their collaborative song “Sandpaper.”
“Atlantic City” was written by Springsteen and first appeared on his 1982 solo album, NebraskaMore than 10 years later, the band covered the song in 1993 on their album, JerichoWhen they took the stage on Wednesday, Bryan and Springsteen sang the famous song: “Everything dies, baby, that's true/But maybe everything that dies one day comes back/Put on your makeup, do your hair pretty/And meet me tonight in Atlantic City.”
They were later joined by members of the Lumineers for an energetic rendition of “Revival,” which Brian typically plays at the end of his Quittin' Time tour.
In March, during a stop in Brooklyn, Springsteen made a surprise appearance to perform the unreleased song “Sandpaper” with Bryan during another encore. Springsteen and the song appear on Bryan's new album, The Great American Bar SceneWhich was released in July.
The song debuted at number 26 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart, marking Springsteen's first country hit. The song also debuted at number 71 on the Hot 100, marking Boss's first appearance on the chart since “Working On a Dream” in 2009.
Aside from Springsteen, there are other notable guests on The Great American Bar Scene Among those stars are John Mayer, roots duo Watch House, Canadian country singer Noeleen Hoffman, and Oklahoma songwriter and singer John Moreland.
Mayer, who contributed guitar to “Better Days,” expressed his appreciation for Bryan after the album’s release. “I always knew this song Zach wrote was special,” Mayer wrote on X. “I had no idea how beautiful, powerful, and profound an album it would be. I’m blown away.”
