Bruce Springsteen didn’t specifically mention Operation Midway Blitz at his show at the United Center on Wednesday, but the feeling of resistance was certainly thick in the air when he spotted a young fan in the crowd perched on his father’s shoulders.

As the band closed out the last, pulsing notes of “Dancing in the Dark,” Springsteen, the seemingly ageless rocker who has repeatedly bashed President Donald Trump for his hostile immigration policies, pointed to the 8-year-old boy and met father and son at the front of the stage, where he handed the kid his harmonica.

It was a seemingly random gesture that “The Boss” has incorporated into numerous shows through the years. But this one had a stunning and poignant connection.

Apparently unbeknownst to Springsteen, the boy’s father, Christopher Parente, is a Chicago attorney who has represented several high-profile defendants on federal charges stemming from Operation Midway Blitz, including Marimar Martinez, the teacher’s assistant who was shot five times by a Border Patrol agent in October.

In fact, Parente had spent his morning in Chicago’s federal courthouse, where prosecutors unexpectedly dropped felony conspiracy charges against another client, Oak Park Trustee Brian Straw, alleging he’d been part of a group of protesters who impeded an ICE agent and damaged his vehicle outside the agency’s facility in Broadview last fall.

“It was just one of those weird days,” Parente told the Tribune on Friday as he and his son, Oliver, were still marveling at the serendipity of what happened. “The whole thing, with what’s been going on in the world. The chances of him picking us out are unreal.”

Springfield’s publicist had not returned messages seeking comment Friday.

Springsteen’s sold-out show was the latest in his “Hopes and Dreams” tour that has focused heavily on the political climate of the times and featured songs like “Streets of Minneapolis,” a ballad about the killings of Alex Pretti and Renee Good by immigration agents in January.

Parente said he’s a big fan of the Boss but hadn’t planned on going to the show until after the bombshell news about Straw’s case, which took some of the pressure off work that needed to be done in advance of trial.

Also chirping in his ear was his law partner, Damon Cheronis, who’s a self-described Springsteen fanatic. “I’ve seen him close to 50 times,” Cheronis said. “I convinced Chris to go.”

So when Parente got home that evening, he purchased tickets from the secondary market less than two hours before the 7:30 p.m. start time. His son, who Parente says is a “student of music” who’s seen acts like Barenaked Ladies and Melissa Etheridge, dressed himself in a Boss-like costume, complete with red bandana and plaid shirt.

When the show started, Parente put his son on his shoulders, where he stayed for “probably 99%” of the time, about six rows back from the stage, Parente said.

“We were just rocking out, loving it,” he said. “During ‘Dancing in the Dark,’ he started pointing at Oliver, and Oliver was pointing back. You could see there was a connection there. We start moving, and Bruce is just moving forward. It was just awesome.”

Cheronis, who was at the show with his daughters, captured the moment on camera.

Parente said that although his son is only 8, he knows about his dad’s clients and had already made the connection to what Springsteen had said during the show. After it was over, Parente texted Martinez and told her what happened.

“Bruce spoke about Renee Good and Alex Pretti and the criminal behavior of ICE which was meaningful,” he wrote. “At one point he handed my son his harmonica from the stage. Felt like the stars were aligned.”

Martinez, who has testified before Congress about her ordeal, responded: “This is insane!!! It was meant to be.”

The harmonica handoff had also been captured on the giant video boards at the UC, making Parente and his son the objects of much attention as they left the arena.

“Everybody recognized this moment,” Parente said. “We couldn’t go two feet without someone stopping us and saying, ‘Oh my god, that was great. Can we get a picture?’”

Parente said Oliver is now lighting up Springsteen online fan boards. He’s wearing the wristband from the show to school. And he has barely let the harmonica out of his sight.

“He’s still floating,” Parente said, laughing. “He has, like, slept with this thing.”

jmeisner@chicagotribune.com