Gaslight Anthem Rock with Bruce Springsteen in Asbury Park, N.J.

Cory Schwartz, Getty Images

The "Bruuuce" birds flocked to the boardwalk in Asbury Park, N.J., on Friday night (Dec. 9), calling for the Boss, Bruce Springsteen, to rear his head after each of the first 18 songs the Gaslight Anthem played at Convention Hall in support of the Wounded Warrior Project.

And as the roadie appeared from the shadowy wings of the stage, microphone stand in hand, a sudden hush fell over the sold-out congregation. The moment they'd been calling for since the punk collective opened with 'Great Expectations' more than 60-minutes prior was unfolding before them -- the silence before the storm.

"We didn't forget where we came from," said Gaslight Anthem frontman Brian Fallon, addressing the assemblage in a fashion reminiscent of Springsteen's holiday-themed playfulness in the E Street Band's famed live rendition of 'Santa Clause Is Coming Town.' "Want me to me see if he's back there? Alright, I'll check it out."

Clad in brown leather bomber jacket, Springsteen emerged from the backstage area and, like a rock 'n' roll Saint Nicholas with a six-string strapped to his back in place of a toy sack, he shouted two words: "Merry Christmas!"