Bruce Springsteen has an annual tradition. Every fall, he plays acoustic at Stand Up For Heroes, a benefit show for wounded veterans. There are always comedians on the bill, and one of those comedians is always Jon Stewart. In between songs, Springsteen tries his hand at comedy, telling forehead-slap dirty jokes. This year, Springsteen was supposed to be on tour with the E Street Band, so he wasn’t scheduled to perform. In September, though, Springsteen cancelled his remaining 2023 dates to recover from a peptic ulcer. (The dates have since been rescheduled.) And last night, Springsteen was at Stand Up For Heroes, playing a surprise set that can’t have been all that surprising.

The Asbury Park Press reports that John Mellencamp, the evening’s billed headliner, was the one who introduced Springsteen. Mellencamp told the crowd, “I’m going to bring out one of the best songwriters of our generation, and he’s my big brother, and I’ve looked up to him my whole life. Ladies and gentlemen, Bruce Springsteen.” The two then performed their 2021 duet “Wasted Days” together.

Springsteen went on to play a four song solo-acoustic set that was full of the terrible jokes that he loves to play. (A sample: “Life is like a penis. Women make it hard for no reason.”) Springsteen recently released “Addicted To Romance,” a soundtrack song that he recorded with the National’s Bryce Dessner, and he performed it for the first time last night. He also played “The Power Of Prayer,” from 2020’s Letter To You, and the Born In The USA classics “Working On The Highway” and “Dancing In The Dark.” He looked healthy and sounded strong. Watch some fan videos below.