Bruce Springsteen speaks out on Donald Trump ahead of Spain tour: 'The USA is in the hands of a corrupt, incompetent and treacherous administration'

Bruce Springsteen and The E Street Band kicked off their European tour on Wednesday night (15 May), which will eventually bring them to Spain. The Boss started 'The Land of Hope and Dreams Tour' in Manchester. More than 700,000 fans are expected to go to the sixteen concerts he is giving in six countries.

At the start of the show at the Co-Op Live Arena, Springsteen delivered a blunt message against US President Donald Trump. "My home, the America that I love, the America that I have written about and that has been a beacon of hope and freedom for 250 years, is currently in the hands of a corrupt, incompetent and treacherous administration," he said.

"Very strange, strange and dangerous things are happening. In the United States, people are being persecuted for exercising their right to free speech and expressing their disagreement. This is happening right now. The richest men are happy to abandon the world's poorest children to disease and death," he added.

As the lights dimmed and the crowd cheered, Springsteen opened the show with an enthusiastic greeting: "It's great to be back in Manchester," he said as he welcomed a packed stadium.

He then explained that he and the E Street Band had come on stage to "invoke the righteous power of music, art and rock and roll in these perilous times" in America. Springsteen is known as an ardent supporter of the Democratic Party and a passionate liberal.

And he concluded with a call to action that had the audience buzzing: "Tonight, we ask all who believe in democracy and the best of the American spirit to stand up with us, to raise their voices against authoritarianism and let freedom reign."

Springsteen's Manchester performance included a variety of songs from throughout his iconic career. There were timeless hits such as Born to Run, Darkness of the Edge of Town and Thunder Road, but also more recent tracks including Rainmaker, a track from the 2020 album Letter to You, which was performed live for the first time. The Boss closed the night with his version of Bob Dylan's Chimes of Freedom, performed for the first time since 1988.

"Good evening!

It's a pleasure to be in Manchester and back in the UK. Welcome to the Land of Hope & Dreams tour! The mighty E Street Band is here tonight to invoke the power of art, music and rock and roll in difficult times.

My home, the America I love, the America I have written about, which has been a beacon of hope and freedom for 250 years, is currently in the hands of a corrupt, incompetent and treacherous administration.

Tonight, we ask all who believe in democracy and the best of our American experiment to join us, raise your voice against authoritarianism and let freedom ring!"

Introduction to House of a Thousand Guitars:

"The ultimate check, the ultimate check on power after the checks and balances of government have failed, is the people, you and me. It is the coming together of people around a common set of values that separates democracy from authoritarianism. In the end, we only have each other."

Introduction to My City in Ruins:

There’s some very weird, strange and dangerous shit going on out there right now. 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. This is happening now.

In my country, they’re taking sadistic pleasure in the pain they inflict on loyal American workers. They’re rolling back historic civil rights legislation that led to a more just and plural society.

They are abandoning our great allies and siding with dictators against those struggling for their freedom. They are defunding American universities that won’t bow down to their ideological demands.

They are removing residents off American streets and, without due process of law, are deporting them to foreign detention centres and prisons. This is all happening now.

A majority of our elected representatives have failed to protect the American people from the abuses of an unfit president and a rogue government. They have no concern or idea of what it means to be deeply American.

The America l’ve sung to you about for 50 years is real and regardless of its faults is a great country with a great people. So we’ll survive this moment. Now, I have hope, because I believe in the truth of what the great American writer James Baldwin said. He said, ‘In this world, there isn’t as much humanity as one would like, but there’s enough.’ Let’s pray."