NEW YORK (AP) — They threw a party at the New York Public Library and a concert took place.

Bruce Springsteen was one of six honorees Monday night at the library’s annual “Library Lions” gala, which honors “outstanding achievements” in arts, culture, literature, and academia. Other recipients included producer and screenwriter Shonda Rhimes , authors James Patterson , Daniel Kehlmann, and Louise Erdrich , and author and musician James McBride. Springsteen gave them hugs and greetings just before guests settled into the dinner table.

Held in the main research lab of the Fifth Avenue branch in Manhattan, the ceremony was brief and featured no acceptance speech. However, NYPL President Anthony Marx promised a “special gift” to come, and a few minutes later, Springsteen reappeared, jacket off and guitar in hand.

“I’ve played at fire fairs. I’ve played at bowling alleys. I’ve played at pizza parlors,” Springsteen told the hundreds of attendees in his husky voice. “I’ve played at hockey rinks. I’ve played at weddings. I’ve played at bar mitzvahs. I’ve played at mental hospitals. I’ve played at football stadiums.”

“But I never played the library (damn it).”

After laughter and applause, Springsteen launched into a slow, soulful rendition of “Thunder Road,” gliding through the finale once played by Clarence Clemons’ saxophone. To thunderous applause and the familiar “Bruuuuce” greeting, he wished everyone goodnight and added a timely admonition: “Read a book!”

Springsteen is known for his surprise performances. At the New York Film Festival in late September, he appeared after a screening of the biopic “Deliver Me from Nowhere,” starring Jeremy Allen White as Springsteen, and sang “Land of Hopes and Dreams.”