Bruce Springsteen Shakes Up New Orleans with a Cheeky Grin, a Rowdy Guitar, and a Crowd That Just Couldn’t Stop Dancing

When Bruce Springsteen played this traditional work song live in New Orleans, fans around the world just had to grin from ear to ear and groove around the room. The Boss treated the crowd at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival to a rollicking rendition of “Pay Me My Money Down,” which proved to be a huge hit online. Springsteen knew he was on to a good thing and performed the old tune with a cheeky grin on his face, and jigged around the stage as he played acoustic guitar.

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Springsteen delivered a joyful and husky vocal on the song, and the simple lyrics quickly had the crowd singing along. Aside from The Boss’s singing, the star of the show was the huge troupe of top folk musicians who provided a catchy accompaniment. With instruments such as fiddles, an accordion, and a brass section, the band took numerous rip-roaring solos as Springsteen hyped up the crowd. We are confident in saying this is one of the greatest Springsteen live performances!

Springsteen uploaded the 2006 performance on his YouTube channel on May 4, 2019. The feel-good vibe of the show quickly made it a hit on the platform, and fans tuned in 29.5 million times. Viewers left appreciative comments such as “Makes this 92 year old dance around the room. Let’s have more joy like this!” and “If this doesn’t make you happy and put a smile on your face, nothing will!”

The Boss used the festival appearance to debut a new lineup of his group, The Sessions Band, which had been inactive since the late ‘90s. His set produced several popular videos, including the set opener “O Mary Don’t You Weep.” It’s really quite remarkable how incredible Springsteen’s renditions of traditional tunes like this are, given that he makes his bread and butter with contemporary music.

“Pay Me My Money Down” originated as a work song sung by black dockworkers in the Georgia Sea Islands. The melody of the tune goes back even further and has been used in numerous traditional songs. Readers might be interested to hear that American folk music group The Weavers helped popularise “Pay Me My Money Down” by performing it during their Carnegie Hall concerts in 1955. Springsteen’s version of the tune is among the most well-known, as he dropped it as the lead single from his 2006 album We Shall Overcome: The Seeger Sessions. The song was well-received on the accompanying tour, and The Boss typically closed the main set with it, using it as a chance to have the band play numerous solos as he entertained the crowd.