Bruce Springsteen made a surprise appearance in Jersey on Saturday at E Street Band guitarist “Little” Steven Van Zandt‘s inaugural gala honoring teachers.
The gathering got an impressive influx of stars, including The Boss, Jon Bon Jovi, Pete Davidson, Rage Against the Machine guitarist Tom Morello and Kool & the Gang.
At Van Zandt’s first TeachRock Teachers Hall of Fame Gala, Morello’s mom Mary was honored, and the awesome axeman received the Lifetime Achievement Award. Mary Morello died at age 102 this year, and was an educator and activist who founded the anti-censorship group Parents for Rock and Rap in 1987.
Former “SNL” star Davidson emceed the show in front of 1,500 guests, and Bon Jovi inducted Van Zandt into the venue’s Count Basie Center Walk of Fame.
We previously reported how “The Sopranos” star Van Zandt was overheard saying at another Garden State event — at the Bruce Springsteen Center For American Music in Long Branch — that he’s working on screenplays set in Jersey.