The Boss and his E Street Band kick off their three-day spate of sold-out RDS shows tonight but some lucky punters in a small Kildare pub were lucky enough to catch an exclusive performance from Bruce Springsteen on Thursday night.
The New Jersey rocker made a surprise visit to the county the day before his concerts kick off to pay homage to his ancestral home, just as US President Joe Biden did in Mayo when he visited Ireland recently.
As with many other celebrities who lay claim to Irish roots, Bruce has a close connection to the Emerald Isle. The 73-year-old’s great-great-grandmother Anne Garrity left Rathangan during the Famine, settling in New Jersey where Springsteen was born.
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During his short visit to the small town of Rathangan in the west of Kildare, which was kept as low-key as possible to stop The Boss from being swarmed by fans, he headed to Newbridge Library where he was shown research material about his lineage.
The Glory Days songwriter also wowed fans by secretly showing up at the Burrow pub where he broke into an acapella version of My Hometown, off his renowned Born In The USA album.
Needless to say following the disappointment some fans must have experienced on Wednesday evening when a rumour that the Boss had headed to a Dublin pub for a drink turned out to be false, Bruce lovers were in awe by the special performance.
The special moment was posted on Twitter by the Bruce Springsteen fan page, Bruce Springsteen: Blog It All Night, alongside the caption: "Bruce Springsteen just casually singing ‘My Hometown’ in a local Ireland bar…nothing to see here."
Fans flocked to the comments to share what they thought of the beautiful rendition, with one posting: "Boy what I would give to be sitting on that stool next to him."
Another added: "That's amazing ..and a life experience for all in the pub."
Even the TG4 Twitter account, known for its witty and humorous posts, chimed in, commenting: "STOP."
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