Bruce Springsteen Calls Out Trump Administration At Tour Opener In England

Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band launched the Land Of Hope And Dreams Tour last night with a concert at Co-op Live in Manchester, England. Bandleader Bruce Springsteen sent a message back to the United States, calling out the Trump administration, which the singer-songwriter called “corrupt, incompetent and treasonous.”

Springsteen started Wednesday’s concert abroad with his first address to the audience in attendance for the tour opener. Before he and the band kicked off the Land Of Hope And Dreams Tour with “Land of Hope and Dreams,” Springsteen stood on the darkly lit stage and stated:

“Good Evening! It’s great to be in Manchester and back in the U.K. Welcome to the Land of Hope & Dreams Tour! 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.

“Tonight, we ask all who believe in democracy and the best of our American experiment to rise with us, raise your voices against authoritarianism and let freedom ring!”

Later in the set, Springsteen prefaced a solo acoustic performance of “House of a Thousand Guitars” with another pause to speak to the audience. Adding to his previous statement, Springsteen went on to say:

“The last check on power after the checks and balances of government have failed are the people, you and me. It’s in the union of people around a common set of values now that’s all that stands between a democracy and authoritarianism. At the end of the day, all we’ve got is each other.”

Springsteen’s final message to the Manchester audience came ahead of the subsequent “My City of Ruins.” He took a seat on the stage before telling the assembled concertgoers:

“There’s some very weird, strange and dangerous shit going on out there right now. In America, they are persecuting people for using their right to free speech and voicing their dissent. This is happening now.

“In America, the richest men are taking satisfaction in abandoning the world’s poorest children to sickness and death. This is happening now.

“In my country, they’re taking sadistic pleasure in the pain they inflict on loyal American workers.

“They’re rolling back historic civil rights legislation that has led to a more just and plural society.

“They are abandoning our great allies and siding with dictators against those struggling for their freedom. They are defunding American universities that won’t bow down to their ideological demands.

“They are removing residents off American streets and, without due process of law, are deporting them to foreign detention centers and prisons. This is all happening now.

“A majority of our elected representatives have failed to protect the American people from the abuses of an unfit president and a rogue government. They have no concern or idea for what it means to be deeply American.

“The America 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. Now, I have hope, because I believe in the truth of what the great American writer James Baldwin said. He said, ‘In this world, there isn’t as much humanity as one would like, but there’s enough.’ Let’s pray.”

Amplifying his statements, Springsteen quickly shared official video from the Manchester concert, which can be viewed below:

Wednesday’s setlist was notable for the inclusion of “Rainmaker” from Springsteen’s 2020 album, Letter To You. The live debut was dedicated by Springsteen to “our dear leader.”

The Boss also pulled out “Murder Incorporated” for the first time since 2017. The tour-launching concert ended with Springsteen covering Bob Dylan’s “Chimes Of Freedom” for the first time since 1988.

The Land Of Hope And Dreams Tour continues Saturday with the second of three shows at Co-op Live. Watch additional audience-captured video of the tour’s first show below:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zdcz7TFN2aE