Sometimes the best moments at a Springsteen show happen long before the lights go down.<\/p>\n
Case in point: Bruce’s second holiday show in Asbury Park, on December 18, 2000.<\/p>\n
With house band The Max Weinberg 7 still on the ferry, Bruce turned a late soundcheck into a full-on pre-show for early-arriving fans.<\/p>\n
Summoning Nils, Garry, Southside Johnny, Soozie, Patti, and Lisa Lowell all to the stage, the ad hoc “Asbury Opry” led off with a cover of Hank Williams’ “Jambalaya (On the Bayou).”<\/p>\n
Willams’ 1952 original was a massive hit, topping the country charts for fourteen weeks. An ode to Cajun food, drink, and revelry, the song quickly became a genre standard covered by every one from Elvis to Garth Brooks.<\/p>\n