- The concerts are part of the "Land of Hope and Dreams Tour,” and they include three spoken parts on the state of democracy in America
- Up next for Springsteen and the E Street Band is Saturday, May 24, at Stade Pierre Mauroy in Lille, France.
This band has no surrender.
Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band opened their Tuesday, May 20, show at the Co-op Live in Manchester, England, with “No Surrender” after Springsteen again called the Trump administration “corrupt, incompetent and treasonous” during his concert introduction.
“Are you ready for round three!” said Springsteen at the onset of the show in comments similar to the two previous concerts at the venue last week. “The mighty E Street Band is here tonight on a mission! We are going to call upon the righteous power of art, of music, of rock ‘n roll in dangerous times!”
The Boss yelled “Max!” for drummer Max Weinberg and the band charged into “No Surrender,” according to a livestream of the show.
The concerts are part of the "Land of Hope and Dreams Tour,” and they include three spoken parts on the state of democracy in America. President Donald Trump replied by calling him a “dried out prune” May 16 on Truth Social post, and then rejoined the Springsteen discussion on May 19 by calling for an investigation into whether Springsteen and Beyonce were paid to endorse former Vice President Kamala Harris' presidential run.
“I am going to call for a major investigation into this matter,” Trump said. “Candidates aren't allowed to pay for ENDORSEMENTS, which is what Kamala did, under the guise of paying for entertainment.”
Up next for Springsteen and the E Street Band is Saturday, May 24, at Stade Pierre Mauroy in Lille, France. Below are Springsteen's statements at the tour opening on May 14.
Introduction to 'Land of Hope and Dreams'
“Good Evening! It's great to be in Manchester and back in the UK. Welcome to the Land of Hope and 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!”
Introduction to 'House of a Thousand Guitars'
“The last check, 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.”
Introduction to 'My City of Ruins'
“There's some very weird, strange, and dangerous (blank) 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.”
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Chris Jordan, a Jersey Shore native, covers entertainment and features for the USA Today Network New Jersey. Contact him at cjordan@app.com
