VIDEO: Watch Bruce Springsteen Pay Tribute to Levon Helm With “The Weight”

The reviews for Bruce Springsteen’s final “Wrecking Ball” appearance in Newark NJ all reinforced the fact that even at 62-years-old the Boss still puts on one of the best live shows ever.  But who would have predicted that one of the most touching moments of the night ended up being completely unscripted?

During his encore set, Springsteen reached into the crowd for a sign that he said a fan had been holding up throughout the entire night.  He brought the sign on stage, and revealed to the audience that it said “Play one for Levon”, referring to The Band singer Levon Helm, who died April 19 at the age of 71.

Completely on the fly, Springsteen went back and grabbed an acoustic guitar.  As he tuned the instrument, he called Helm “one of the greatest, greatest voices in country, rockabilly and rock ‘n’ roll … staggering … while playing the drums. Both his voice and his drumming were so incredibly versatile. He had a feel on the drums that comes out of certain place in the past and you can’t replicate it.”

And then, the magic happened.  The Boss launched into The Band’s 1968 hit, “The Weight,” and within a few minutes, the entire E-Street band was playing along.

Check out the beautiful video below, and I dare you not to feel the chills.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qPsmjlS_o5s&feature=player_embedded