Last month, Bruce Springsteen guested on a new Bleachers song called “chinatown”. Now, The Boss and the Jack Antonoff-led band have performed their collaborative single live for the very first time from a New York City rooftop.
Consequence of Sound writer Wren Graves previously described “chinatown” as existing “at the center of the Antonoff-Springsteen Venn diagram,” noting its laid-back acoustic guitars and the appeal of its universal lyricism. That Venn diagram came to life on Monday, with Antonoff and Springsteen belting out the anthemic number from the top of the Electric Lady Studios building, surrounded by lush plants and a wall of lights.
While the performance didn’t take place exactly in the “chinatown” neighborhood (just a few blocks southeast), the famed downtown Manhattan recording studio has served as a home to both Springsteen and Antonoff at one time or another. The two artists are also doubly connected, of course, by their native state of New Jersey.
Elsewhere during the rooftop session, Bleachers performed their other fresh single “45” (a reference to 45-RPM vinyl discs, not the disgraced president). Watch the videos down below.
Outside of his Bleachers project, our 2017 Producer of the Year Antonoff has produced a number of high-profile 2020 releases, including The Chicks’ comeback album Gaslighter and Taylor Swift’s folklore.
Springsteen, meanwhile, just dropped Letter to You, which we recently named one of our favorite albums of 2020. With its release, the iconic rocker became the first artist with a Billboard Top 5 album in each of the last six decades. Springsteen and the E Street Band are scheduled to perform on Saturday Night Live on December 12th.
first ever performances of chinatown and 45 coming monday. youtube premier at 12est 🍅 pic.twitter.com/vwwL3QCjRL
— jackantonoff (@jackantonoff) December 6, 2020
monday at 12est. chinatown and 45 first ever live performances from the roof of @electriclady 🍅 pic.twitter.com/s4QAD9onIr
— bleachers (@bleachersmusic) December 6, 2020