Bruce Springsteen and his E-Street Band kicked off their UK tour in Manchester, England on Wednesday night and would you expect anything less than for The Boss to be outspoken about the current state of the United States under the new Trump Reich? At 75 years old, Bruce is still out there kicking ass night after night delivering his no frills, rock n’ roll and as a lifelong liberal, he has never been quiet about his disdain for conservative politics. In the past, Bruce has long supported Democratic presidential candidates, including former Vice President Kamala Harris. He made the remarks at a concert in Manchester, England, on Wednesday, which was the first in his “Land of Hope and Dreams” tour.
Addressing the sold-out venue, Springsteen said:
“The mighty E Street Band is here tonight to call upon the righteous power of art, of music, of rock ’n’ roll in dangerous times In my home, the America I love, the America I’ve written about, that has been a beacon of hope and liberty for 250 years, is currently in the hands of a corrupt, incompetent, and treasonous administration.” The crowd roared with approval and support.
Springsteen then asked supporters of democracy to “raise your voices against authoritarianism and let freedom ring!” before beginning the show.
He later described to the crowd what he saw happening in the United States under the administration of President Donald Trump.
“They are persecuting people for using their right to free speech and voicing their dissent,” Springsteen said in his remarks, a transcript and video of which were later posted on his website and YouTube channel.
He also accused the Trump administration of “abandoning the world’s poorest children to sickness and death” and “taking sadistic pleasure in the pain that they inflict on loyal American workers.”
“They’re rolling back historic civil rights legislation that led to a more just and plural society,” Springsteen said. “They’re abandoning our great allies and siding with dictators against those struggling for their freedom.”
“They’re defunding American universities that won’t bow down to their ideological demands. They’re removing residents off American streets and, without due process of law, are deporting them to foreign detention centers and prisons.”
Springsteen also said,
“The America that I’ve sung to you about for 50 years is real, and regardless of its faults is a great country with a great people.”
“So we’ll survive this moment,” he added.
Of course, Trump got wind of this and decided to Tweet this out, probably while taking a shit at 2am or something:
And for the record, Trump is only 3 years older than Bruce. Ol’ Donnie needs to go back to bed. Or maybe go to an important meeting where he can fall asleep.
If you’re in Europe, make me jealous, and go see The Boss and be sure to tell him I said, “Hi!”
About The Author
