Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band recently kicked off their Land of Hope & Dreams Tour with a powerful message. While performing in Manchester, England, he paused for a moment to comment on American politics, specifically to call out treason.
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Springsteen has long been involved in politics as an artist and supporter of democracy. Addressing the crowd, he called upon the “righteous power of art, of music, of rock ‘n’ roll in dangerous times.”
He continued, “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.”
Before launching into the 2001 track “Land of Hope & Dreams,” Springsteen urged the crowd, “Tonight, we ask all who believe in democracy and the best of our American experience to rise with us, raise your voices against authoritarianism and let freedom ring!”
Bruce Springsteen Slams Current U.S. Administration, Calls for Anti-Authoritarianism Support During Concert
Later in the show, Bruce Springsteen addressed the crowd again with powerful statements about the state of U.S. politics.
“The last check on power after the checks and balances of government have failed are the people, you and me,” he said. “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 really got is each other.”
He continued, “There’s some very weird, strange, and dangerous s–t 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.”
Despite the fact that Springsteen was discussing American politics while in the U.K., there’s still merit to rallying the people around a common cause. People in the U.K. have been dealing with their own form of dangerous politics recently as well. Springsteen’s statements are about the U.S., but they arem unfortunately, internationally relatable.
“In This World There Isn’t as Much Humanity as One Would Like, But There’s Enough”
Springsteen continued, “In my country, they’re 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. They’re abandoning our great allies, and siding with dictators against those struggling for their freedom.”
He added, “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. 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 of what it means to be deeply American.”
In a rousing, powerful conclusion, Bruce Springsteen said, “The America that l’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.”
Featured Image by Shirlaine Forrest/Getty Image
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