Bruce Springsteen’s pre-song speeches bashing Donald Trump at the E Street Band’s European tour opener last week are immortalized on the new digital EP Land of Hope & Dreams, which also includes four full live performances.
At the May 14 show in Manchester, England, Springsteen labeled Trump as “corrupt, incompetent and treasonous” before he and his bandmates had even struck a note. “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,” the Boss said prior to “Land of Hope and Dreams.” “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!”
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Land of Hope & Dreams includes that sequence plus the song itself, as well as “Long Walk Home,” another anti-Trump speech prior to “My City of Ruins” and a cover of Bob Dylan’s “Chimes of Freedom,” which the E Street Band hadn’t performed live since 1988.
Trump’s social media post in response to Springsteen’s comments called the rock legend a “dried out prune of a rocker” and a “pushy, obnoxious jerk.” Trump has since called for an “investigation” into payments made to artists like Springsteen to perform at rallies for 2024 Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris.
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