Latest news with #Rivoli
Time of India
23-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Time of India
'Toms River is red and won't stand...': NJ bar drops Bruce Springsteen cover band over anti-Trump rants
NJ bar cancels Springsteen cover band over rocker's anti-Trump comments A Springsteen tribute band has been dropped from a Jersey Shore venue after the owner took issue with the singer's public comments criticising US President Donald Trump , reports the New York Post. The nine-member cover band, No Surrender, was set to play at Riv's Toms River Hub on May 30, but the show was cancelled after Bruce Springsteen made fresh anti-Trump comments during his tour in Europe. The cover band's leader, Brad Hobicorn, said he began receiving 'concerned texts' from bar owner Tony Rivoli soon after Springsteen's fiery political rants went viral. The singer had branded Trump's administration 'corrupt, incompetent and treasonous' while performing in Manchester, England — part of his 'Land of Hope and Dreams' tour. By Sunday, Hobicorn was informed the gig was off. Rivoli texted him to say the show was 'too risky at the moment,' adding that his conservative customer base might not welcome a Springsteen-themed night. '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,' Rivoli wrote in one of the messages obtained by NJ Advance Media. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like 5 Books Warren Buffett Wants You to Read In 2025 Blinkist: Warren Buffett's Reading List Undo Hobicorn even offered to switch the night's setlist to classic rock instead of Springsteen songs, but Rivoli turned him down, saying he couldn't justify paying $2,500 for a standard cover band. In another message sent to the band's bassist, Guy Fleming, Rivoli wrote: '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 bull—.' Fleming later shared details of the situation on Facebook, prompting Rivoli to backtrack somewhat. He claimed the band could still perform and denied outright cancelling the gig. 'As of (Wednesday), they could have played as No Surrender,' he said. 'I think a lot of people of my base would not have came, but I could have been wrong. You know, who knows? You can't predict what people are going to do.' But Hobicorn said the damage was done, and the band opted to play elsewhere. 'At that point, there were negative vibes about the whole thing,' he explained. 'There was definitely a safety concern,' he said. The show will now take place at Headliner Oasis in Neptune Township on the same date. 'This is not political for us at all,' Hobicorn insisted. '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.' Riv's isn't new to controversy. Earlier this year, another Toms River venue, Aqua Blu Kitchen & Cocktails, apologised after naming a hamburger after the far-right Proud Boys group, drawing massive backlash. Meanwhile, Trump took another swipe at Springsteen last week, writing 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.'
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Bruce Springsteen Cover Band's Jersey Shore Gig Canceled Because 'Bruce Can't Keep His Mouth Shut'
The post Bruce Springsteen Cover Band's Jersey Shore Gig Canceled Because 'Bruce Can't Keep His Mouth Shut' appeared first on Consequence. New Jersey residents usually have an ingrained reverence for Bruce Springsteen, but that doesn't seem to be the case for one Jersey Shore bar owner. After The Boss turned his latest European tour into a fiery rebuke of Donald Trump, Riv's Toms River Hub in Toms River, NJ canceled a scheduled performance by Springsteen cover band No Surrender, with the owner deeming the show 'too risky at the moment.' The nine-piece group was set to play Riv's on May 30th, but shortly after Springsteen's remarks at the opening of his 'The Land of Hope & Dreams Tour,' band members began receiving texts from concerned owner Tony Rivoli (yes, his real name). According to Rivoli messaged bassist Guy Fleming that Toms River and his establishment's base 'is red and won't stand for [Springsteen's] bullshit.' Get Bruce Springsteen Tickets Here Bandleader Brad Hobicorn suggested they could play the gig under their old name, Asbury Fever, with a set of classic rock covers excluding Springsteen. However, Rivoli refused to pay the $2,500 rate for a non-Springsteen show. 'This is not political for us at all,' Hobicorn told '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.' 'Unfortunately it's just too much money,' Rivoli texted Hobicorn. 'I wanted to do the Springsteen tribute for that money [and] 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.' Rivoli, however, told that he never officially canceled the gig, and that 'as of Wednesday' would have allowed No Surrender to play. After No Surrender publicized the cancellation in now-deleted social media posts, Rivoli did offer to let them play as planned, but the band felt 'negative vibes about the whole thing' and that there was now 'a safety concern.' They've since been booked at Headliner Oasis in Neptune Township, another red area just 30 minutes away from Toms River, on May 30th. See all their upcoming dates here. This isn't the first time Rivoli's conservative politics have brought his business bad press. Although his previous establishment, Rivoli's Restaurant, closed in 2016, images resurfaced in 2020 of the restaurant's sign reading, 'I can breathe, I obey law,' a reference to the death of Eric Garner. Rivoli publicly apologized. Springsteen himself, meanwhile, has continued to use his stage to speak out against Trump, even releasing The Land of Hope and Dreams EP featuring recently recorded songs and speeches from his ongoing tour. Trump has responded with memes and petty threats. Consequence's own Managing Editor Wren Graves and Publisher Alex Young discussed the feud in our latest Consequence Chat. Popular Posts Holy Shit, You Have to See Footage from System of a Down's Concert in Brazil Bruce Springsteen Gives Trump the Middle Finger with Another Defiant Concert Guns N' Roses Share Video of Axl Rose Repeatedly Falling Onstage: Watch The 30 Best Action Movie Stars of All Time, Ranked Trump Warns Springsteen: "He Ought to Keep His Mouth Shut Until He's Back Into the Country" Neil Young to Trump: "I'm Not Scared of You. Neither Are the Rest of Us" Subscribe to Consequence's email digest and get the latest breaking news in music, film, and television, tour updates, access to exclusive giveaways, and more straight to your inbox.
New York Post
23-05-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Post
N.J. bar cancels Springsteen cover band over rocker's anti-Trump comments: ‘won't stand for his bulls—'
Bruce Springsteen just got cancelled — at the Jersey Shore. A tribute band dedicated to The Boss' music pulled the plug on a gig at a bar not far from his Garden State home after a dispute with its owner over the singer-songwriter's anti-Trump comments, according to a report. No Surrender, a 20-year-old nine-piece Springsteen cover band from New Jersey, was slated to play Riv's Toms River Hub on May 30th — until the 'I'm on Fire' singer kicked off his European tour packed with on-stage rants flaming President Trump, NJ Advance Media reported. Band leader Brad Hobicorn started receiving 'concerned texts' from bar owner Tony Rivoli shortly after Springsteen's comments went viral, according to the outlet. 3 No Surrender, a Springsteen cover band, was slated to perform at Riv's Tom's River Hub on May 30th until concerned texts from the bar's owner over Springsteen's anti-Trump comments. YouTube/No Surrender Band NJ By Sunday, Rivoli allegedly pulled the plug on the show that was booked 9 months in advance. He texted Hobicorn that the gig would be 'too risky at the moment,' citing the restaurant's conservative customer base, the outlet reported. '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,' Rivoli wrote in a text message to Hobicorn obtained by NJ Advance Media. Hobicorn offered to have his band play only classic-rock covers instead of Springsteen, but Rivoli balked at paying $2,500 for a classic-rock cover band, the outlet said. 3 Bar owner Tony Rivoli pulled the plug on the show, saying the gig would be 'too risky at the moment,' and cited his restaurant's conservative customer base. Google Maps In a message sent to the band's bassist, Guy Fleming, Rivoli wrote, '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 bull—.' After Fleming posted about the situation on Facebook, Rivoli seemed to change his tune a bit — insisting he never cancelled the gig and had changed his mind. But the band decided it was too late for the bar owner to backtrack. 'This is not political for us at all,' Hobicorn told the outlet Thursday. '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.' 'At that point, there were negative vibes about the whole thing,' Hobicorn said. 'There was definitely a safety concern,' he said. Rivoli, though, insisted the cover band could have played. 'As of (Wednesday), they could have played as No Surrender,' Rivoli told the outlet. 3 Springsteen lambasted Trump's administration as 'corrupt, incompetent and treasonous' while kicking off the European leg of his 'Land of Hope and Dreams' tour in Manchester, England, last week. Getty Images 'I think a lot of people of my base would not have came, but I could have been wrong. You know, who knows? You can't predict what people are going to do.' Toms River bar and restaurant joints have previously sparked backlash for their conservative slant. Aqua Blu Kitchen & Cocktails in Toms River put a hamburger on its menu dedicated to the right wing extremist group the 'Proud Boys' in January — leading to a massive online backlash and an apology from the owner. Springsteen — who was born in Long Branch and raised in Freehold — lambasted Trump's administration as 'corrupt, incompetent and treasonous' while kicking off the European leg of his 'Land of Hope and Dreams' tour in Manchester, England last week. Last Friday, Trump slammed the musician, calling him 'Highly Overrated' and 'dumb as a rock' for going 'to a Foreign Country to speak badly about the President of the United States.' '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,' he posted to Truth Social. Instead of playing The Riv's Tom's River Hub, No Surrender will instead play Headliner Oasis in Neptune Township on May 30, according to the outlet.
CBC
14-03-2025
- Entertainment
- CBC
Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie got a 'rapturous reception' at SXSW
Social Sharing Nirvanna the Band the Show is a Canadian mockumentary series where two friends, played by creators Matt Johnson and Jay McCarrol, make up "Nirvanna the Band," an unlikely piano-poetry duo. Together, they spend their time pulling various stunts around Toronto as they try to land a gig at concert venue the Rivoli. The show first debuted as an early-aughts web series, and then later as a 2017 TV show on Viceland. Now, Johnson and McCarrol have premiered Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie at SXSW, which sees character Jay trying to make it as a solo act — and subsequently triggering a tear in the space-time continuum that accidentally sends both Matt and Jay back to the year 2008. Today on Commotion, film critics Barry Hertz and Teri Hart join guest host Rad Simonpillai to talk about how the film was received by the audience in Austin, Texas, and what the project suggests about Matt Johnson's signature as a filmmaker. We've included some highlights below, edited for length and clarity. For the full discussion, where the panel discusses the Canadian film Can I Get A Witness? and Netflix's new adventure epic The Electric State, listen and follow Commotion with Elamin Abdelmahmoud on your favourite podcast player. WATCH | Today's episode on YouTube: Rad: Nirvanna the Band the Show is a Canadian comedy TV series from 2017 that follows an indie band trying to book their first gig. That show was co-created by Jay McCarrol and Matt Johnson. Matt Johnson, being the director of BlackBerry which, of course, swept the Canadian Screen Awards last year. This week, Jay and Matt were at the SXSW Film Festival in Austin for the world premiere of Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie, and Barry, you were there too…. How did it go, and how did the people down south, you know, receive what Jay and Matt had to offer? Barry: I think it was for me, personally, a top five screening experience of my life. I've really never been in a room where they were locked in and on the same wavelength as the film from the opening second. Laughter regularly drowning out dialogue that preceded a scene. Spontaneous applause. And even before the end credits rolled, when people knew it was over, they just leapt to their feet. It was a rapturous reception. Rad: I mean, it's a very Toronto-centric story too, right? ... Do you feel like they were missing other parts of the culture? Barry: No, I don't think so. I mean, there were some Canadians in the room; Johnson and McCarrol brought, like, two dozen of their team members down for the festival premiere. And if you were a Canadian in Austin otherwise … you were at that screening. But at the same time, it was like a 400-plus auditorium, and there were tons of locals down there, and they totally got it too. Either they were fans of the series from the get-go, so they knew the kind of Toronto-ness of it. But I also spoke with several members of the press who were just kind of there because it fit their schedule, or because they were kind of curious — had not seen the series, had not seen BlackBerry, and still were like, "This was a wild ride and I loved it." Rad: Right. Well Teri, you and I did not get to have this experience — one of these top five lifetime experiences that Barry is talking about. But we of course are very aware of Matt Johnson's whole career as a filmmaker, but also as a rabble-rouser within the Canadian film industry. So what are you thinking in terms of his evolution as a filmmaker, and potentially flagbearer for our national cinema? Teri: Matt is such an interesting guy to watch. Not only is he remarkably talented, but he certainly likes to stir the pot. I mean, he was very, very critical in very, very public ways, including an article in the Globe and Mail, criticizing the entire system of funding and who gets to make movies, and then, God forbid, the kinds of movies that those artists make. He's been very public about the history of Canadian film and why it's problematic, in his mind. And now he is a person working squarely in that system. Frankly, one of the people that he criticized most ended up producing BlackBerry. So, I mean, he's kind of done a full circle from his criticism of it to then kind of being in bed with these same people that he criticized. So maybe he looked at it as it being terrible at the beginning, and then thinking, "Well, maybe it's not so bad. Maybe it does work out." But what Matt's still doing is something a little bit different: the fact that he premiered this film at SXSW, the same strategy as him premiering BlackBerry in Berlin — whereas most Canadian films and filmmakers are looking to make their world premiere if not at the Toronto Film Festival, then at Cannes. So, I do think that Matt is always going to be an outlier. I think that Matt is always going to be looking at things with a critical eye and trying to figure out how he can change things up. And I think that's one of the reasons why he's such a great artist.
