According to the newspaper, Bill was seen the following morning at the Crowne Plaza in the Hunter Valley. Springsteen and his touring party were staying at the same hotel. That coincidence raised questions, but it did not show that Bill had been planted in the crowd or that his appearance had been rehearsed.
Several explanations remained possible. Bill could have been invited to the hotel after meeting members of the band backstage. It appeared unlikely that Springsteen’s production would bring a supposed audience plant all the way from the United States. Bill may instead have already been in Australia before someone associated with the tour contacted him. The available information did not settle the matter.
Major concert productions operate as businesses, so some screening of potential participants may happen. Even so, spending considerable effort preparing audience plants would seem impractical. Inviting children onto a concert stage necessarily requires stagecraft, but that does not establish that the entire exchange is choreographed. Nathan received his opportunity, made the most of it and rocked.
