Bruce Springsteen Invites a Talented Teenage Fan Onstage to Perform ‘Growin’ Up’ With Him

While performing in Brisbane, Australia, the legendary Bruce Springsteen noticed Nathan Testa, a teenage audience member who was holding up a sign indicating that he skipped school, but wanted play the classic teenage anthem “Growin’ Up” with the band. Springsteen read the sign aloud then invited Testa up on stage to play the requested song. Testa more than held his own with Springsteen who was obviously impressed with his talent and even asked the band to stop playing for a moment so he could hear Testa play. At the end of the song, Testa made sure to grab a selfie with The Boss.

About halfway through, Springsteen asked the teen to play softer and told him he was about the boy’s age when he got his first guitar. “I brought it home and I realised it wasn’t about how well you played it, it was about how good you looked doing it,” he said. “So I got in front of the mirror and I tried out some poses.” The pair pulled a couple of poses to a cheering crowd before carrying on with the song. The teenager is reportedly Nathan Testa, who shared the stage with Springsteen at the age of 11 when the musical legend played in Brisbane in 2013.

Lori Dorn
Lori Dorn

Lori is a Laughing Squid Contributing Editor based in New York City who has been writing blog posts for over a decade. She also enjoys making jewelry, playing guitar, taking photos and mixing craft cocktails.