Latest news with #Springsteen
Yahoo
8 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
'Too risky at the moment': A Springsteen covers band has been advised not to play in his hometown
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. It's a well known fact that Bruce Springsteen is a Democrat. Most specifically he's a close personal friend of ex-US Democratic president Barack Obama. And while many stars – particularly in the US – believe that music and politics shouldn't mix, Springsteen has never been shy about speaking his mind. Now, those opinions have had an unlikely consequence. Appearing in Manchester on 14 May, kicking off his E-Street band's European tour, rock's most famous working class hero told the audience: '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! 'The richest men are taking satisfaction in abandoning the world's poorest children to sickness and death. They're taking sadistic pleasure in the pain they inflict on loyal American workers. They are abandoning our great allies and siding with dictators against those struggling for their freedom,' Springsteen implored. And it didn't take long for his words to resonate with the Republican President back home: 'I see that Highly Overrated Bruce Springsteen goes to a Foreign Country to speak badly about the President of the United States," Trump said on social media. "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. '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!' With Springsteen currently on tour in Europe – a continent that has recently been rocked by Trump's turnarounds on NATO and random tariff wrath – it's likely he was on safe ground. However, back in the US, The Boss's rabble-rousing soon found a target closer to home. No Surrender, a Springsteen covers band currently on the road in the US to celebrate the 50th anniversary of The Boss's Born To Run, had been booked to play at Riv's Toms River Hub, in Toms River, New Jersey, on 30 May. New Jersey, of course, famously being Springsteen's hometown. However, on Sunday, the band received correspondence from the venue's owner that an appearance by the band was now 'too risky at the moment'. 'This is not political for us at all,' Springsten sound-alike Brad 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.' Hobicorn even offered to have his band play a non-Springsteen, classic-rock cover set instead but owner Tony Rivoli refused to pay the agreed $2,500 for a more generic covers band. 'Unfortunately it's just too much money,' he wrote in text messages obtained by the outlet. 'I wanted to do the Springsteen tribute for that money… We would have done well but now because Bruce can't keep his mouth shut we're screwed. '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.' Rivoli later insisted that it was the band themselves that had chosen not to play in Toms River, and they told that ultimately they did not want to perform there due to 'negative vibes' and 'a safety concern.' The band have now been given an alternative venue to play and are currently scheduled to be appearing at New Jersey's Headliner Oasis in Neptune Township instead. Springsteen met Obama in 2008 when he was on the campaign trail prior to his first run as president. The two shared similar, working class upbringings, dreams, aspirations and opinions as to what should be done and soon Springsteen was a regular at high profile fund-raisers and, in 2020, the pair even produced a podcast together. Renegades: Born in the USA, a series of conversations between Barack Obama and Bruce Springsteen saw the two talk about 'their lives, music, and enduring love of America – despite all its challenges'. 'We are both creatures stamped Born in the USA. Guided by our families, our deep friendships and the moral compass inherent in our nation's history, we press forward, guarding the best of us while retaining a compassionate eye for the struggles of our still young nation,' Springteen told The Guardian in 2021.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Bono on Trump, Springsteen feud: ‘There's only one boss in America'
Bono is defending fellow superstar musician Bruce Springsteen, who was recently attacked by President Trump after the 'Born to Run' singer blasted the president during an overseas concert earlier this month. 'I think there's only … only one boss in America,' Bono said during an appearance on Jimmy Kimmel's late night program when asked which side of the feud he was on. The Irish singer-songwriter also dismissed the president's accusations that he, Springsteen and other celebrities were paid to endorse former Vice President Kamala Harris in the 2024 election. 'Two points I'll make: One, to be in the company of Bruce Springsteen, Beyoncé, and Oprah — I'd play tambourine in that band. And two, U2 and I have never been paid or played a show to support any candidate from any parts. That never happened,' he said. The musician, born Paul Hewson, alluded to attacks Trump has leveled against Kimmel, saying, 'I don't want to cut in on your action, because I know the president at 1 a.m. or 1:30 or whatever that was is usually thinking about you.' The comments were first highlighted by Mediaite. Trump has ramped up his criticism of Springsteen and other celebrities in recent weeks, posting an edited video on social media last week showing him hitting Springsteen with a golf ball amid the ongoing back-and-forth. Springsteen, during a concert in the U.K. days earlier, had criticized the president, saying the U.S. is 'currently in the hands of a corrupt, incompetent and treasonous administration.' Bono, during the interview with Kimmel, said, 'We've got a lot of very religious Catholics, evangelicals, conservatives, who are very, very, very angry with the person that they voted into office, having demolished instruments of mercy and compassion,' mentioning the scaling back of humanitarian assistance throughout the world through the United States Agency for International Development. 'That's the America that we love,' he said. 'That's the America that we all want to be part of, and they are not happy, and there will be trouble.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
The Hill
a day ago
- Entertainment
- The Hill
Bono on Trump, Springsteen feud: ‘There's only one boss in America'
Bono is defending fellow superstar musician Bruce Springsteen, who was recently attacked by President Trump after the 'Born to Run' singer blasted the president during an overseas concert earlier this month. 'I think there's only … only one boss in America,' Bono said during an appearance on Jimmy Kimmel's late night program when asked which side of the Trump vs. Springsteen feud he was on. The Irish singer-songwriter also dismissed the president's accusations that he, Springsteen and other celebrities were paid to endorse then-Vice President Harris in her race against Trump last year. 'Two points I'll make: One, to be in the company of Bruce Springsteen, Beyoncé, and Oprah — I'd play tambourine in that band. And two, U2 and I have never been paid or played a show to support any candidate from any parts. That never happened,' he said. The musician alluded to attacks Trump has leveled against Kimmel, saying, 'I don't want to cut in on your action because I know the president at 1 a.m. or 1:30 or whatever that was is usually thinking about you.' The comments were first highlighted by Mediate. Trump has ramped up his criticism of Springsteen and other celebrities in recent weeks, posting an edited video on social media last week showing him hitting Springsteen with a golf ball amid the ongoing tension. Springsteen, during a concert in the U.K. days earlier, had criticized the president, saying the U.S. is 'currently in the hands of a corrupt, incompetent and treasonous administration.' Bono, during the interview with Kimmel, said, 'We've got a lot of very religious Catholics, evangelicals, conservatives, who are very, very, very angry with the person that they voted into office, having demolished instruments of mercy and compassion,' mentioning the scaling back of humanitarian assistance throughout the world through USAID. 'That's the America that we love,' he said. 'That's the America that we all want to be part of, and they are not happy, and there will be trouble.'
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
‘I loved him': Legendary singer kissed ‘errant father' goodbye as he died
Though on tour in Europe, Bruce Springsteen took some time to write an emotional tribute to his early manager. Carl Virgil 'Tinker' West, who died this week at 89, first recognized The Boss's raw talent in the 1970s and became a pivotal figure in the singer's formative years, according to the singer's Instagram and website. '[West] was simply one of the most important people of my young life,' Springsteen wrote. Springsteen met West in 1970, a time when the aspiring musician had 'nothing, nowhere to live' and 'was broke with nowhere to go.' The two lived together in West's 'tiny room' in Wanamassa, New Jersey, at the Challenger Eastern Surfboard Factory, where they slept six feet away from each other on separate mattresses. Spending so much time with West, Springsteen quickly learned his manager was 'not an easy man to know, live with or be around.' In fact, the famous American singer noted that West 'was a natural born misanthrope.' 'He was from California and was an old school frontier individualist asking no quarter and giving none,' Springsteen wrote. 'If you weren't being useful he didn't want you near him. If you visited the surf shop for more than 10 minutes, he'd shove a broom in your hand and tell you to start sweeping. He wasn't joking.' West and Springsteen embarked on numerous cross-country trips, starting when Springsteen was just 20. Their chosen vehicle was a 1940s Chevrolet flatbed truck with all of their band equipment under a tarp in the back. Despite the 'old' and 'huge' truck had an 'unwieldy, grinding transmission,' West insisted that they drive straight through to Big Sur, which was their only gig, without stopping, for 72 hours. West also made Springsteen drive his 'share' even though the artist had no driving skills or a license. 'That's how Tinker taught you something,' Springsteen said. 'He just made you do it.' Later in Springsteen's career, he and his manager graduated to an old Nomad Station wagon and each Christmas found themselves 'heading west on I-10 through dry desert and western mountain blizzards.' Never throughout Springsteen's career did his manager ask for anything. Instead, West would continue to work independently. Sometimes he would travel to San Francisco while Springsteen visited his parents once a year in San Mateo. However, the idea that West had parents felt unthinkable to Springsteen. 'Did my old friend have parents? I can't believe so,' he wrote. 'I believe he sprung near full grown from the mountains, valleys and waves of a primitive and unknowable California.' The last time Springsteen saw West was in the hospital when he was dying from throat cancer. West smiled when he saw Springsteen and the singer kissed his 'errant father' goodbye. West then pulled Springsteen close and whispered in a raspy voice, 'We sure had some adventures didn't we?' Springsteen answered, 'We sure did.' The singer remembered receiving West's highest compliment, 'Springsteen, you don't (expletive) around.' And indeed, neither did West. But as Springsteen was about to leave that hospital room, he witnessed something that he'd never seen before, West cried. 'I loved him,' Springsteen said. Award-winning restaurant serves 'best barbecue' in all of Mass. RFK Jr. says US ending COVID shot recommendation for healthy children, pregnant women Three WMass drug investigations net 45 guns, 52 arrests, heroin, fentanyl Mayor Wu slams rival Josh Kraft over big bucks infusion: 'Boston is not for sale' Mass. nursing home with 130-year history to close, lay off staff Read the original article on MassLive.
Toronto Sun
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Toronto Sun
Bono backs Bruce Springsteen in Trump battle: 'There's only one Boss in America'
Get the latest from Mark Daniell straight to your inbox Bono poses during the "Bono: Stories Of Surrender" photocall at the 78th annual Cannes Film Festival. Photo by Andreas Rentz / Getty Images After praising Canada for electing Mark Carney as prime minister, Bono has sounded off on the contentious battle between U.S. President Donald Trump and rock star Bruce Springsteen. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account During a recent appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live! this week, the U2 frontman was asked who he's backing as the president and musician engage in an ongoing war-of-words. Bono laughed after being posed the question, responding: 'There's only one Boss in America,' namechecking Springsteen's nickname. Kimmel then asked Bono if he had seen Trump's recent Truth Social post in which he accused the singer of being paid — along with Springsteen, Beyonce and Oprah Winfrey — to endorse Kamala Harris during last year's presidential election. 'I don't want to cut in on your action, because I know the president at 1 a.m., or 1:30, or whatever, is usually thinking about you,' Bono replied, referencing Kimmel's own feud with Trump. Your noon-hour look at what's happening in Toronto and beyond. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. But he continued, denying that U2 received money to pitch Harris to American voters. 'Two points I'll make. One, to be the company of Bruce Springsteen, Beyonce, and Oprah — I'll play tambourine in that band,' he joked. 'And two, U2 and I have never (been) paid or played a show to support any candidate from any party. It has never happened.' Hitting out at Trump's social media platform, calling Truth Social ' pretty antisocial' and remarking that 'it's not very true a lot of the time,' Bono said that ' there will be trouble' following Trump's cuts to foreign aid. ' I co-founded the One Campaign, which is, by design, bipartisan,' he said, acknowledging his anti-poverty organization. 'We've got a lot of very religious Catholics, Evangelicals, Conservatives who are very, very, very angry with the person that they voted into office having demolished instruments of mercy and compassion like USAID (United States Agency for International Development) or PEPFAR (United States President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief), which can save 26 million lives of people who have AIDS around the world,' Bono said. 'That's the America that we love. That's the America that we all want to be part of. And they are not happy, and there will be trouble.' This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Trump and Springsteen's fight began after the Born in the U.S.A. rocker lashed out at the president on the opening night of the European leg of his Land of Hope and Dreams Tour. '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 told the crowd in Manchester, England. Bruce Springsteen and Donald Trump are seen in this combination file photo. Photo by Getty Images Springsteen also said that most of Trump's colleagues have failed to shield Americans 'from the abuses of an unfit president and a rogue government.' In response, Trump called the 20-time Grammy winner a 'dried-out 'prune'' and declared that he 'never liked him, never liked his music, or his Radical Left Politics.' He later returned to Truth Social and shared a doctored video of himself hitting a golf ball alongside a clip of the singer taking a tumble onstage after he's hit with an animated projectile. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 21, 2025 The ongoing conflict has drawn other rockers out of the woodwork, including Neil Young, who took to his website earlier this month to warn Trump he's 'not scared' of the president. 'Bruce and thousands of musicians think you are ruining America. You worry about that instead of the dyin' kids in Gaza. That's your problem,' he wrote. 'STOP THINKING ABOUT WHAT ROCKERS ARE SAYING. Think about saving America from the mess you made.' mdaniell@ Read More Love concerts, but can't make it to the venue? Stream live shows and events from your couch with VEEPS, a music-first streaming service now operating in Canada. Click here for an introductory offer of 30% off. Explore upcoming concerts and the extensive archive of past performances! Toronto & GTA Ontario Toronto & GTA Toronto & GTA Sunshine Girls
