“This is a man whose vision is limited to little beyond himself,” said Bruce Springsteen of Donald Trump while playing to a massive rally in front of Philadelphia’s Independence Hall. Tomorrow, he added, Trump is “going down.” Despite being the Boss, the Boss wasn’t even the headliner, but opened for the Obamas and both Clintons in a powerful show of force on behalf of Hillary Clinton’s campaign.
“Hillary’s candidacy is based on intelligence, experience, preparation and on an actual vision of an America where everyone counts, men and women, white and black, Hispanic and native — where folks of all faiths and backgrounds can come together to address our problems in a reasonable and thoughtful way,” he said of Clinton.
Springsteen had been criticized by fans (including me) for not addressing politics on his most recent tour, with some wondering why he was “demonstrably silent” about Donald Trump even as he played songs like “American Skin (41 Shots)” that seemed to address Black Lives Matter. Yet this last-minute concert, similar to ones he did for John Kerry and Barack Obama, as well as a recent interview in which he called Trump a “moron” have somewhat mollified us.
The set included a memorably beautiful “Thunder Road.”
Another rock and roller from New Jersey named Jon Bon Jovi, was also in attendance.