Bruce Springsteen gave scathing speeches criticising President Donald Trump during his show in Manchester tonight (May 14).
Springsteen and the E Street Band are playing the first of three scheduled shows at Manchester’s Co-Op Live, the opening night of a UK and European run that will last until July.
Near the beginning of the show, he said that he and the E Street Band were here to “call upon the righteous power of music, art and rock and 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,” he said.
“Tonight, we ask all who believe in democracy and the best of our American spirit, to rise with us, raise your voices against authoritarianism, and let freedom reign.”
Wow #BruceSpringsteen Bruce Springsteen just battered Trump unbelievable moment at start of Manchester tour pic.twitter.com/JYfL4G5KQE
— DORTIE (@TonyDortie) May 14, 2025
Before singing of his city of ruin, Bruce Springsteen preaches of what is happening back home. He pulls no punches in a harsh sermon. This is part one of two on May 14, 2025 in Manchester. Papa preach. pic.twitter.com/TIZwERP37S
— The Unspin Room (@UnspinRoom) May 14, 2025
Later on, Springsteen sat down on the stage and made another politically-charged speech. “There’s some very weird, strange and dangerous shit going on out there. 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.”
He got up and continued speaking. “This is happening now. 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 moral society. They’re abandoning our great allies and siding with dictators against those struggling for their freedom.”
Springsteen has been a staunch critic of Donald Trump. He endorsed Kamala Harris in November’s presidential election and performed at one of her rallies, whereas he described Trump as “mentally ill”.
In addition, he opened a show just after the election with a “fighting prayer” for the US following Donald Trump‘s victory.
In other news, The Boss jammed alongside John Fogerty, Smokey Robinson, Jackson Browne, Tom Morello, Darlene Love and Nora Guthrie at an intimate event in his home state of New Jersey last month.
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