The band closing out the Palmerton Festival Sunday evening will give a show more like a Broadway feel than a typical concert, said Matt Ryan, lead vocalist for Bruce in the USA.

The band members, called the “cast,” recreate the classic experience of a Springsteen & the E Street Band show, impersonating the original band members.

Ryan plays Bruce Springsteen, the “Big Boss,” a famous rock and folk artist. Springsteen’s best-selling songs include “Born to Run” and “Born in the U.S.A.”

The seven cast members are a full-time touring act that travels all over the United States. After playing together for more than 15 years, they feel like family, Ryan said.

What keeps them going is the joyful atmosphere of this show, he said. They never need security because they put on shows for the happiest people.

Springsteen fans tend to be middle-aged, to drink and to “cut loose” a bit, Ryan explained.

“It’s like the gospel to them,” he said. “We feel like we’re hosting the happiest party in the country.”

Fans respond to the lyrics, which are especially important in Springsteen’s music.

“They’re very serious about their Springsteen,” Ryan said.

Festivalgoers who aren’t familiar with Springsteen will find that they still recognize many of the songs, he said.

Ryan hadn’t listened to Springsteen before, then he got the opportunity to play his character at a “Legends in Concert” Las Vegas show in 2000. He was blown away when he started looking through the catalog of Springsteen’s songs and realized how many there were.

“I realized that, like most people, I knew most of his songs and had heard them most of my life,” he said.

This will be the band’s first time to perform in Palmerton. The show will be from 7:30 to 9 p.m. at the festival.