Fans Lash Out at New Jersey Bar Owner Who Canceled Bruce Springsteen Cover Band Over Recent Statements

Excited to kick off his tour in England, Bruce Springsteen found himself at the center of controversy when he criticized the current White House Administration. Not a fan of the president, The Boss didn’t care about the backlash as he made his thoughts incredibly clear, calling on the crowd to “raise your voice against the authoritarianism and let freedom ring.” Labeling the White House a “corrupt, incompetent and treasonous administration”, a New Jersey bar owner came under fire when he decided to cancel a performance from a Springsteen cover band. 

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For over two decades, No Surrender covered hit songs from Springsteen and other classic rock groups. Caring little about the politics, the band only wanted to take the stage at Riv’s Toms River Hub in Toms River, New Jersey on May 30th. But that upcoming performance ended up canceled when owner Tony Rivoli claimed it was “too risky” given the recent statements from Springsteen. 

Even when No Surrender suggested they not play any Springsteen songs, Rivoli insisted he didn’t want to pay the $2,500 fee if they couldn’t play songs from The Boss. “Unfortunately it’s just too much money I wanted to do the Springsteen tribute for that money in my social media team would have promoted it we would have done well but now because Bruce can’t keep his mouth shut we’re screwed.”

Bruce Springsteen Fans Take The Fight To Yelp

While claiming it was just a business decision, Rivoli sent another message to the band, writing, “Whenever the national anthem plays, my bar stands and is in total silence, that’s our clientele. Toms River is red and won’t stand for his bulls**t.”

No Surrender’s bandleader Brad Hobicorn explained how they were the only ones getting hurt. “This is not political for us at all. We’re just a cover band that’s trying to make some money, and people rely on it financially. We’re the ones really getting hurt.”

With the story making headlines, apparently, Rivoli’s bar came under fire when fans decided to review bomb his establishment on Yelp. The company eventually disabled the page, writing, “This business recently received increased public attention resulting in an influx of people posting their views to this page, so we have temporarily disabled the ability to post here as we work to investigate the content.”

(Photo by Shirlaine Forrest/Getty Images)