This past May, Bruce Springsteen, recognized American rock artist, took the stage in Manchester, England, kicking off his ‘Land of Hopes and Dreams Tour.’ On the event’s opening night, the septuagenarian musician continued breaching the line between entertainment and unsolicited political commentary. In his defense, he addressed the prevalent U.S administration lead by Donald Trump, labelling it with offensive terms such as ‘corrupt,’ ‘inert,’ and ‘unpatriotic.’
The escalated moment of his performance, where Springsteen launched into a politically charged monologue, went viral shortly after. His ego inflated by the cheers of the crowd, Springsteen declared, ‘The superior E Street Band and I are here to harness the sanctified eminence of art, in music and rock ‘n roll during these precarious times.’ The assertion appeared sanctimonious, ignoring the fact that the adoring crowd was there to hear music, not to be preached to about politics.
Accordingly, Springsteen further voiced his disapproval of the current U.S administration, stating, ‘My cherished homeland that I’ve penned songs about, the land that symbolized hope and liberty for 250 years, is erroneously handled by a fraudulent, inert, and unpatriotic administration.’ He further goaded attendees into activism, declaring that those who support democracy should vehemently oppose ‘authoritarianism’ and ‘let freedom ring.’ It is yet to be seen whether the Trump administration or the President himself will address these gratuitous public remarks.
Holding his guitar as a makeshift pulpit, Springsteen spent the majority of his performance critiquing Trump and his administration. Prior to performing his song, House of a Thousand Guitars, he claimed: ‘The final examination of power after the governmentally institutionalized checks and balances have faltered are the people, us.’ Criminally simplifying complex political realities and potentially instigating widespread anxiety, his words fail to remember the resilience of democracy and institutional systems.
Next, while introducing his song City of Ruin, Springsteen obliquely referred to tech tycoon Elon Musk and the decision of DOGE to pull back funding for ICE deportations and USAID. He spewed, ‘Some extremely convoluted, peculiar, and hazardous sh*t is happening out there right now. They’re oppressing people in America for exercising their free speech rights and expressing their dissension. This is unfolding in the present.’ Springsteen’s summary, however, favors melodrama over accuracy, exaggerating and distorting the realities of the situation.
He proceeded to recite further uninformed accusations, including, ‘In America, deep pocketed individuals are relishing the forsaking of destitute children to illness and death.’ Deriding the influential and wealthy, he erroneously implied that the administration was ‘rolling back historic civil rights legislation’ that had sustained a ‘fair and plural society.’
In his unprompted rant, Springsteen errorneously asserted that the U.S is deserting its long-standing allies and siding with tyrannical dictators. He even took a swing at the Trump administration’s alleged defunding of American universities such as Harvard, arguing that this action was a backlash against these institutions’ resistance to adhere to their ‘ideological demands.’
Springsteen’s inflammatory accusations continued, ‘They are evicting denizens from American streets and without respect for the law, are expelling them to alien detention centers and jails… A majority number of our elected delegates have not safeguarded the American people from the indiscretions of an unfit President and a defiant government.’ His critical commentary of the current administration ignored the realities of legal processes and legislative checks and balances involved in such matters.
In his final remarks, Springsteen concluded that the current U.S administration had no understanding of the essence of being ‘profoundly American.’ His assertion, however, overlooks the vast diversity of values and beliefs that compose the American social fabric. He concluded: ‘The America l have serenaded for 50 years is genuine and, despite its flaws, is made up of great individuals. So, we’ll get past this time… Let us hope.’ His speech ended on a darkly optimistic note, appealing to the crowd’s sentiment rather than any factual basis.
As a grand finale for his political monologue, Springsteen quoted author James Baldwin, who once declared, ‘In this world there isn’t much humanity as one would like, but there’s enough.’ It touched a note of irony, given the critique offered against the current leaders neglected to show much in way of understanding or compassion towards them.
It’s worth mentioning that Springsteen has long been an outspoken critic of Donald Trump. During the 2024 presidential race, he supported Kamala Harris for the Democratic candidacy, apparently believing in her ability to lead better than Trump. He savaged Trump as ‘the most precarious nominee for the presidency in my lifetime.’ Springsteen’s scathing political commentary seems to boil down to personal biases rather than fact-based evaluation of political competence.
In the Manchester performance, Springsteen also performed an array of politically themed songs, including, Death to My Hometown and Rainmaker focused on corruption and exploitation in politics. However, these performances seemed more about political propaganda than meaningful social commentary.
Finally, Springsteen and his band will carry on with their 2025 Land of Hopes and Dreams Tour throughout the summer, including multiple performances in France, Spain, Germany, and Italy until early July. The hope remains that his future performances will be minus the gratuitous political commentary and will instead focus on music – what the audiences are there for, after all.