During Zach Bryan’s second of two Philly shows on Wednesday, the country star was joined by Bruce Springsteen to deliver a surprise duet of “Atlantic City” and their collaboration track, “Sandpaper.”
“Atlantic City” was written by Springsteen and first appeared on his 1982 solo album, Nebraska. More than 10 year laters, The Band covered the song in 1993 for their LP, Jericho. When taking the stage on Wednesday, Bryan and Springsteen sang the iconic chorus: “Everything dies, baby that’s a fact/But maybe everything that dies some day comes back/Put your makeup on, fix your hair up pretty/And meet me tonight in Atlantic City.”
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The pair were later joined by the Lumineers for a rousing performance of “Revival,” which Bryan usually plays to close out shows on his Quittin’ Time tour.
In March, during a Brooklyn stop, Springsteen made a surprise appearance to perform the then-unreleased song “Sandpaper” with Bryan during the encore. Springsteen and the track feature on Bryan’s new album, The Great American Bar Scene, which released in July.
The single opened at Number 26 on Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart, landing Springsteen his first-ever country hit. The song also debuted at 71 on the Hot 100 chart, marking the Boss’ first appearance on the chart since “Working On a Dream” in 2009.
Apart from Springsteen, other high-profile guests on The Great American Bar Scene include John Mayer, roots duo Watchhouse, Canadian country singer Noeline Hoffman, and Oklahoma singer-songwriter John Moreland.
Mayer, who contributed guitar to “Better Days,” shared his appreciation for Bryan following 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 deep an album it would be part of. I’m stunned.”












Albini and Whinna in an undated Polaroid snapshotCourtesy of Heather Whinna
2nd grade Courtesy of the Albini Family
7th grade Courtesy of the Albini Family
11th grade Courtesy of the Albini Family
Big Black in 1986Gail Butensky
Albini built Electrical Audio to embody his recording philosophy in a physical space.© Monfourny Renaud/DAPR/ZUMA
Albini got seriously into poker in his later years, as seen in this photo from the 2008 All Tomorrow’s Parties festival.Roger Kisby/Getty Images
Albini and Whinna founded the Letters to Santa charity in 1996.Courtesy of Heather Whinna
Whinna (center), Kim Deal (right), and Electrical Audio staff unveil the Steve Albini Way street sign in November 2024.Althea Legaspi
Althea Legaspi
Althea Legaspi
