Written by: Paul Gleason

Bruce Springsteen makes a surprise cameo appearance in Brian Wilson’s new memoir, I Am Brian Wilson (Da Capo), just as he did when the two songwriting legends teamed up to perform a couple of Wilson hits at a charity concert in 2009.

As Wilson remembers, “I was playing a benefit show at the Count Basie Theatre in Red Bank, New Jersey. The whole time we were playing our show, there was a guy sitting in a folding chair on the side of the stage.”

It turns out this “guy,” who was “so quiet there on the side of the stage. . . . [i]t was almost like he was taking notes,” was Springsteen himself.

To Wilson’s surprise and joy, Springsteen jumped on stage with the head Beach Boy and his band to play guitar on “Barbara Ann” and sing harmonies on “Love and Mercy.”

When the two legends “hung out for a little while” after the concert, Springsteen told Wilson that his songs “were American masterworks.”

The ever humble Wilson writes, “It was nice of him to say. He has written some himself.”

Here are two clips from the Red Bank show. We apologize for the poor video quality.