Kid skipped school and made national headlines when Bruce Springsteen invited him on stage

In 2013, Australian teenager Nathan Testa missed school and drew national attention after Bruce Springsteen invited him onstage at a concert in Brisbane. Springsteen often brings young audience members into his performances, particularly during “Waiting On A Sunny Day,” but Nathan had already encountered the singer before the show began.

Nathan’s father recalled advising his son to wear shorts because of the heat. Nathan ignored that suggestion, choosing jeans and a white T-shirt instead, with a red cap fastened near his waist. Outside the stadium, he met Springsteen by chance. The singer later noticed him among the concert crowd and brought him onto the stage.

Online viewers responded warmly to Nathan’s appearance. TomHunterChicago called the experience an extraordinary thrill for the teenager. Uliniebergall said the performance ranked among the most beautiful musical moments they had seen and heard if it was genuinely spontaneous. The commenter added that even prior preparation would not have changed that assessment.

The question of whether Springsteen’s audience selections are arranged also surfaced after his next Australian date. The Sydney Morning Herald reported that, during a Saturday-night show in the Hunter Valley, Springsteen selected a fan called Bill to play “No Surrender.” Bill told the audience that he had travelled from New Jersey.

Watch the full performance on page two