Latest news with #LandofHope&Dreams
Los Angeles Times
02-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Los Angeles Times
Bruce Springsteen's European stadium concerts harness rock's ‘righteous power' in ‘dangerous times'
BERLIN — In a country that saw its democracy die in 1933, the more than 170,000 people crowding into three of Germany's biggest soccer stadiums for Bruce Springsteen's rock concerts in recent weeks have been especially receptive to his message and dire warnings about a politically perilous moment in the United States, one that has reminded some of Adolf Hitler's power grab in the '30s. At these gigantic open-air concerts in Berlin, Frankfurt and Gelsenkirchen, which have been among the largest concerts to date in Springsteen's two-month-long, 16-show Land of Hope & Dreams tour across Europe, the 75-year-old rock star from New Jersey has interspersed short but poignant political speeches into his exhausting, sweat-drenched performances to describe the dangers he sees in the United States under the Trump administration. '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,' Springsteen says to cheers at the start of each concert. 'In my home — the America I love, the America I have written about — the America 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 experience to rise with us, raise your voices against authoritarianism and let freedom ring.' Springsteen's words have had special resonance in Germany, where memories of the Nazi past are never far from the surface and the cataclysmic demise of the Weimar Republic, which led directly to Hitler's takeover, is studied in great detail in schools and universities. With that Nazi past embedded in their DNA, German fears of President Trump's tactics probably run higher than anywhere else. 'Germans tend to have angst about a lot of things and they are really afraid of Trump,' said Michael Pilz, a music critic for the Welt newspaper, who agrees that the death of German democracy in 1933 is a contributing factor to the popularity of Springsteen's anti-Trump concerts this summer. 'A lot of Germans think Trump is a fool. It's not only his politics but the way he is, just so completely over the top. Germans love to see Trump getting hit. And they admire Springsteen for standing up and taking it to him.' The crowds in Germany have been as large as they are enthusiastic. More than 75,000 filled Berlin's Olympic Stadium on June 11; 44,500 were in Frankfurt on June 18; and another 51,000 watched his concert in the faded Ruhr River industrial town of Gelsenkirchen on June 27. All told, more than 700,000 tickets have been sold for the 16 shows in Springsteen's tour (for concerts that last three or more hours), which concludes on July 3 in Milan, Italy. 'The German aversion to Trump has now become more extreme in his second term — Germans just don't understand how the Americans could elect someone like Trump,' said Jochen Staadt, a political science professor at the Free University in Berlin who is also a drummer in an amateur Berlin rock band. Staadt believes Springsteen's 1988 concert may well have helped pave the way for the Berlin Wall to fall a little over a year later in 1989. 'Germans are drawn to Springsteen as someone who played an important role in our history when Germany was still divided and as someone who may have helped overcome that division with rock music.' Springsteen has been filling stadiums across Europe in the warm summertime evenings with his high-energy shows that not only entertain the tremendous crowds but also take on Trump's policies on civil liberties, free speech, immigrants and universities in thoughtfully constructed messages. To ensure nothing is lost in translation, Springsteen's brief forays into politics of about two to three minutes each are translated for local audiences in German, French, Spanish, Basque and Italian subtitles on the giant video walls onstage. To ram the message home to more people, Springsteen also released a 30-minute recording from the first stop of the tour in Manchester, England, that contains three songs and three of his speeches onstage. 'I've always tried to be a good ambassador for America,' said Springsteen while introducing 'My City of Ruins,' a song he wrote after the 9/11 terror attacks that has taken on a new meaning this summer. 'I've spent my life singing about where we have succeeded and where we've come up short in living up to our civic ideals and our dreams. I always just thought that was my job. Things are happening right now in my home that are altering the very nature of our country's democracy and they're simply too important to ignore.' Springsteen's first speech during the tour's Manchester show on May 17 prompted a sharp rebuke from Trump on his Truth Social platform. 'Springsteen is 'dumb as a rock'… and this dried out 'prune' of a rocker (his skin is all atrophied!) ought to KEEP HIS MOUTH SHUT until he gets back into the Country, that's just 'standard fare'. Then we'll all see how it goes for him!' Springsteen did not respond directly. Instead, he repeated his messages at every concert across Europe. He delivered more political commentary in introducing his song 'House of a Thousand Guitars' by saying: 'The last check on power, after the checks and balances of government have failed, are the people. You and me. It's the union of people around a common set of values. That's all that stands between democracy and authoritarianism. So at the end of the day, all we've really got is each other.' In the song, Springsteen sings about 'the criminal clown has stolen the throne / He steals what he can never own.' His concerts also included the live debut of 'Rainmaker,' about a con man, from his 2020 'Letter to You' album. At the concerts in Europe, Springsteen dedicates the song to 'our dear leader,' with a line that goes: 'Rainmaker says white's black and black's white / Says night's day and day's night.' He also changed one line in the song from 'they don't care or understand what it really takes for the sky to open up the land,' to 'they don't care or understand how easy it is to let freedom slip through your hands.' Springsteen's enormous popularity across Europe has long been on a different level than in the United States, and that gap could grow even wider in the future. Springsteen's close friend and the band's lead guitarist, Steve Van Zandt, recently observed in an interview with the German issue of Playboy magazine that the E Street Band may have lost half of its audience back home because of the group's unabashed opposition to Trump. (The band's concerts in the United States are often held in smaller indoor arenas.) But in Europe, Springsteen and his band have been reliably filling cavernous stadiums during the long, daylight-filled summertime evenings for decades with improbably enthusiastic crowds that sing along to the lyrics of his songs and spent most of the concerts on their feet dancing and cheering. There are also large numbers of hearty Springsteen fans from scores of countries who use their entire yearly allotment of vacation to follow him from show to show across the continent. This summer, Springsteen's message has been amplified even more, sending many in the boomer-dominated crowds into states of near-ecstasy and attracting considerable media attention in countries across Europe. 'The message of his music always touched a deep nerve in Europe and especially Germany, but ever since Trump was elected president, Springsteen's voice has been incredibly important for us,' said Katrin Schlemmer, a 56-year-old IT analyst from Zwickau who saw five Springsteen concerts in June — from Berlin to Prague to Frankfurt and two in San Sebastián, Spain. All told, Schlemmer has seen 60 Springsteen concerts in 11 countries around the world since her first in East Berlin in 1988 — a record-breaking, history-changing concert with more than 300,000 spectators that some historians believe may have contributed to the fall of the Berlin Wall just 16 months later. 'A lot of Germans can't fathom why the Americans elected someone like Trump,' said Schlemmer, who had the chance to thank Springsteen for the 1988 East Berlin concert at a chance meeting after a 2014 concert in Cape Town, South Africa. 'We saw for ourselves how quickly a democracy was destroyed by an authoritarian. The alarm bells are ringing about what a danger Trump is. People love [Springsteen] here because he tells it like it is and because he is standing up to Trump.' Stephan Cyrus, a 56-year-old manager from Hamburg, said Germans view Springsteen as a trustworthy American voice during a period of uncertainty. 'When Germans hear Springsteen speaking about his worries about the United States, they listen, because so many of us have so much admiration and longing for the United States and are worried about the country's direction too,' said Cyrus, who saw the June 11 concert in Berlin. 'He definitely touched us with his words.' In one of his concert speeches, Springsteen goes after Trump without mentioning his name. 'There is some very weird, strange and dangerous s— 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.' Springsteen then adds: 'In my country, they're taking sadistic pleasure in the pain they are inflicting on loyal American workers. They're rolling back historic civil rights legislation that 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're defunding American universities that won't back 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.' He tells the audiences that those in the administration 'have no concern or idea of what it means to be deeply American.' But Springsteen ends on a hopeful note, promising his audiences: 'We'll survive this moment.'
Yahoo
06-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Trump trolls Bruce Springsteen with golf video in latest social media attack
President Donald Trump took aim at rock star Bruce Springsteen again as their week-long tête-à-tête continues. On Wednesday, Trump posted a video on Truth Social of himself playing golf, before the video cuts to Springsteen tripping on a concert stage with a golf ball added in and appearing to hit the rocker, causing his fall. The post went up the same day Springsteen released a new EP called 'Land of Hope & Dreams.' The EP features six songs from a May 14 concert in Manchester, England, where he called out Trump. Those recorded remarks about the president, backed up by a piano, make up the fourth track, 'My City of Ruins (Introduction).' '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,' Springsteen said. '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.' The other songs include the title track, 'Land of Hope & Dreams (Live),' 'Long Walk Home (Live),' 'My City of Ruins (Live)' and a cover of Bob Dylan's 1964 song 'Chimes of Freedom.' Since The Boss made these remarks in Manchester, Trump wrote on Truth Social to blast the musician in the days leading up to the golf video. On Friday, Trump called Springsteen 'highly overrated,' 'dumb as a rock' and a 'dried out 'prune' of a rocker (his skin is all atrophied!).' Trump followed up by calling for an investigation into Springsteen and other celebrities who contributed to former Vice President Kamala Harris' campaign. Other rockers have come to Springsteen's defense in the wake of Trump's attacks on the New Jersey musician. Onstage in Pittsburgh on Sunday, Pearl Jam's Eddie Vedder said Springsteen was right in saying 'residents are being removed off America's streets and being deported without due process of law.' 'They're defunding American universities that won't bow down to their ideologies, as Bruce said,' Vedder added. That same day, during a performance with the band Saving Grace in Finland, Led Zeppelin's Robert Plant showed his support for The Boss, Classic Rock reported. 'Right now in England, which is where we come from — not quite the land of the ice and snow — Bruce Springsteen is touring right now in the U.K.,' Plant said. 'And he's putting out some really serious stuff. So tune in to him. And let's all hope that we can be…' On Tuesday, Neil Young wrote a blog post directed at Trump, which started off with 'What are you worryin' about man?' 'Bruce and thousands of musicians think you are ruining America,' Young wrote. 'You worry about that instead of the dyin' kids in Gaza. That's your problem. STOP THINKING ABOUT WHAT ROCKERS ARE SAYING.' Unlawful contracts, overpayment for services: 4 takeaways from the Mass. emergency shelter audit Trump admin blocks international students from Harvard University Read the Trump admin letter barring Harvard from enrolling international students Local leaders call on Healey to defend them from 'state-sanctioned violence' by ICE Trump admin turns sights on 'activist' Mass. judge who said deportation defied court order Read the original article on MassLive.
Yahoo
22-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Bruce Springsteen releases EP featuring anti-Trump rants from UK concert
Singer-songwriter Bruce Springsteen continued his criticism of President Donald Trump Wednesday by releasing a six-track digital extended play (EP) that included his political rants while performing in Manchester, United Kingdom, last week. "The Boss" included four songs on the 31-minute EP, "Land of Hope & Dreams." The songs included "Land of Hope and Dreams," "Long Walk Home," "My City of Ruins" and "Chimes of Freedom." All four songs were recorded live May 14, 2025, when Springsteen publicly lambasted Trump. During his intro to "Land of Hope and Dreams," Springsteen said it was great to be back in Manchester, calling on the "righteous power of art, of music, of rock and roll, in dangerous times." Kid Rock Calls Out Bruce Springsteen's Anti-trump Rant On European Tour, Says It Was A 'Punk Move' "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," he said. "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." Read On The Fox News App Springsteen went on another political rant against Trump and the U.S. government before the E Street Band kicked into the song "My City of Ruins." "There's some very weird, strange and dangerous s--- going on out there right now," Springsteen told the British crowd. "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 and abandoning the world's poorest children to sickness and death. Trump Calls Springsteen 'Highly Overrated' After Rocker Labels Him 'Treasonous' Overseas "This is happening now," he added. "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." Springsteen also accused the government of 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," he said. "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. Fox News Politics Newsletter: No Love Lost Between Trump And 'The Boss' "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," Springsteen added. "So, we'll survive this moment." The crowd responded with applause when Springsteen continued to pontificate his stance on the current administration. The comments went viral last week, and Trump responded by slamming Springsteen and calling him "highly overrated" Friday. Bruce Springsteen Ignores Question About Trump Feud While Signing Autographs: Video "I see that Highly Overrated Bruce Springsteen goes to a Foreign Country to speak badly about the President of the United States," Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social. "Never liked him, never liked his music, or his Radical Left Politics and, importantly, he's not a talented guy — Just a pushy, obnoxious JERK, who fervently supported Crooked Joe Biden, a mentally incompetent FOOL, and our WORST EVER President, who came close to destroying our Country. "Sleepy Joe didn't have a clue as to what he was doing, but Springsteen is 'dumb as a rock,' and couldn't see what was going on, or could he (which is even worse!)? This dried out 'prune' of a rocker (his skin is all atrophied!) ought to KEEP HIS MOUTH SHUT until he gets back into the Country, that's just 'standard fare.' Then we'll all see how it goes for him!" Springsteen declared last year that "I'll be casting my vote for Kamala Harris and Tim Walz" in the presidential election. Harris lost the race to Trump. Fox News Digital's Greg Norman, Lindsay Kornick and Brooke Singman contributed to this article source: Bruce Springsteen releases EP featuring anti-Trump rants from UK concert
San Francisco Chronicle
22-05-2025
- Entertainment
- San Francisco Chronicle
Bruce Springsteen's anti-Trump speech is now available to stream
Bruce Springsteen is standing firmly behind his recent condemnations of the Trump administration, despite facing backlash directly from the president. The Boss has made his onstage remarks about Donald Trump, who he referred to as ' sadistic' and 'incompetent,' available for fans to stream online as part of his latest EP. 'Land of Hope & Dreams,' released Wednesday, May 21, features highlights from Springsteen's controversial concert in Manchester, England last week. The six-track release includes audio snippets from the 'Born in the U.S.A.' singer's mid-show comments about the Trump administration, in which he criticized a number of its recent policies and deemed the president as 'unfit.' It also includes the live audio recordings of 'Land of Hope and Dreams,' 'Long Walk Home,' 'My City of Ruins' and 'Chimes of Freedom.' Meanwhile, Trump took to social media Wednesday morning to continue his week-long string of attacks against the singer. He shared a clip of himself hitting a drive at a LIV Golf event edited together with one of Springsteen tripping onstage, making it appear as though he knocked over the singer with a golf ball. Trump also singled the musician out earlier this week, threatening a 'major investigation' after accusing Springsteen of an 'illegal campaign contribution' during last year's election. He then proceeded to target a range of other celebrities including Beyoncé, Oprah Winfrey and Bono. The president has not provided any evidence to back up these claims. Immediately after Springsteen spoke ill of him on May 14, Trump fired back by calling the Grammy-winning musician a 'dried out 'prune' of a rocker' among other insults in a social media rant. He went on to warn Springsteen to 'keep his mouth shut' until he returns to the U.S. Neil Young, who also has a reputation of speaking out against Trump, stood in solidarity with his fellow Rock & Roll Hall of Famer in a message shared to his official Neil Young Archives site on Tuesday, May 20. 'Bruce and thousands of musicians think you are ruining America,' Young wrote, directly addressing Trump. 'You worry about that instead of the dyin' kids in Gaza. That's your problem. I am not scared of you. Neither are the rest of us.'
NDTV
17-05-2025
- Entertainment
- NDTV
'Obnoxious Jerk', 'No Longer Hot': Trump Insults Bruce Springsteen, Taylor Swift
President Donald Trump used his down time on Air Force One Friday to insult "obnoxious JERK" Bruce Springsteen and declare Taylor Swift "no longer HOT" in social media blasts against the music giants. Trump -- returning from a whirlwind Middle East diplomatic trip -- took to his Truth Social platform to feud with Springsteen, who this week told a British concert audience that his homeland is now ruled by a "corrupt, incompetent and treasonous administration." In return, the 78-year-old Republican said the legendary rocker, nicknamed "the Boss," is "Highly Overrated." "Never liked him, never liked his music, or his Radical Left Politics and, importantly, he's not a talented guy - Just a pushy, obnoxious JERK," Trump wrote in the lengthy tirade. "This dried out 'prune' of a rocker (his skin is all atrophied!) ought to KEEP HIS MOUTH SHUT until he gets back into the Country, that's just "standard fare." Then we'll all see how it goes for him!" Springsteen is an outspoken liberal critic of Trump and campaigned for Democratic president Joe Biden's ultimately abandoned reelection run last year. While in Manchester on his "Land of Hope & Dreams" tour Wednesday, he told fans that "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 in danger. "Raise your voices against authoritarianism and let freedom ring," Springsteen said. Trump also had strong words for Swift, who endorsed Biden's replacement as the Democratic candidate in 2024, Kamala Harris. In a separate post, which provided no context, the US president said: "Has anyone noticed that, since I said 'I HATE TAYLOR SWIFT,' she's no longer 'HOT?'" He appeared to be referencing a post in September last year when he declared "I HATE TAYLOR SWIFT!" Swift, 35, is the wealthiest female musician on the planet, with an estimated personal wealth of $1.6 billion, 14 Grammys and 30 MTV Video Music awards.
