For Bruce Springsteen, inviting young fans on stage to sing or play along with the E Street Band is a staple of his live shows. It’s a great bit of audience participation, and a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for a fan to perform with one of the greatest singers of all time. Or in the case of Brisbane, Australia’s Nathan Testa, twice-in-a-lifetime.
Four years ago, then-11-year-old Testa joined Springsteen on stage at the Brisbane Entertainment Centre to sing “Waitin’ on a Sunny Day”. The Boss even taught him how to do his patented stage slide! Fast forward to Thursday night, and Springsteen was again at the BEC, and who else is there right in the front with another sign but Testa.
This time, Testa’s sign read, “Missed school. In the shit now. Can I play ‘Growin’ Up’ with you?” The sign caught Springsteen’s eye and he asked, “You know the song? You know it on guitar?” Seconds later, there was Testa back on stage with The Boss, an acoustic guitar strapped around his neck, playing lead guitar and sharing a microphone with the rock legend. He even got to learn some more moves, as Springsteen showed him how to bring the band down and strike some rockstar poses. Check out video of the whole thing above (via K-Earth 101).
Some people out there would undoubtedly pay large sums of money for the chance to share the spotlight with Bruce Springsteen at one of his concerts. Young Nathan Testa, the lucky bastard that he is, got to do it twice. Of course, if you believe in fate, this was all predestined. When Testa was with Springsteen back in 2013, he thanked The Boss for bringing him on stage and gifting him a harmonica. Springsteen’s response? “That’s okay, I’ll see you again.”
Because we know you want to see it, watch a younger Testa sliding with The Boss below.
