Sleep Token covers Dancing in the Dark in Philadelphia on Sept 24

Sleep Token delivered a surprise when frontman Vessel performed a stripped-down cover of Bruce Springsteen's 1984 hit Dancing in the Dark during the band's September 24 concert at Xfinity Mobile Arena in Philadelphia. The solo keyboard rendition, captured in fan-shot video and reported by attendees, was followed seamlessly by Sleep Token's own song Rain and came midway through the U.K. quartet's sold-out North American arena tour supporting their fourth album, Even in Arcadia.

Video of the moment shows Vessel alone at the keys, singing a tender, slowed interpretation of the Springsteen classic. Several accounts called it the first time Sleep Token had played Dancing in the Dark in front of a live crowd, while some early reports characterized the appearance as the band's first live cover. Those descriptions are not entirely consistent with the group's recent history: Sleep Token have released and performed other covers in more intimate settings and recordings, including versions of OutKast's Hey Ya!, Leonard Cohen's Hallelujah, Whitney Houston's I Wanna Dance With Somebody, and Billie Eilish's When the Party's Over, according to reports and available recordings.