Emotional Bruce Springsteen performs poignant rendition of 'I'll See You In My Dreams' at 9/11 memorial

Surprising the families of the victims of the terrorist attacks, Bruce Springsteen gave a poignant performance of 'I'll See You In My Dreams' at the 9/11 memorial in New York on Saturday.

Marking the 20th anniversary of America's darkest day, the Boss paid tribute to the almost 3,000 people who lost their lives by saying: "God bless our fallen brothers and sisters, and their families, their friends and their loved ones.'

He then broke into a moving rendition of the song, armed with his beloved guitar and harmonica.

The 71-year-old music legend's impromptu and unannounced performance came after a moment of silence at 9:03am, which marked the moment hijacked United Airlines Flight 175 was flown into the South Tower of the World Trade Center.

There were six moments of silence throughout the ceremony started by the chime of a bell - for the moment each tower was struck by the planes, the time both towers fell.

Bell chimes also rang out for the moment the Pentagon was struck by the third hijacked plane and the moment Flight 93 crashed in Shanksville, Pennsylvania.

Following the terror attacks on September 11, 2001, Springsteen returned to the studio with the E Street Band for the first time in almost two decades. The result was his 12th studio album, ‘The Rising’, which was inspired by the events of 9/11.