Pearl Jam frontman Eddie Vedder honored Bruce Springsteen with a song at his Pittsburg concert in an apparent dig at Donald Trump just hours after the president savaged Springsteen for criticizing him on stage.
Vedder didn’t mention Trump’s name, but he sang Springsteen’s ballad “My City of Ruins” from the album Rising at the concert last Friday with the refrain: “Rise up, rise up.“ Springsteen wrote “My City of Ruins” lamenting the deterioration of Asbury Park in New Jersey, but it also became a song of hope after 9/11.
Last week “The Boss” attacked Trump on stage in a lead up to the same song as he kicked off his current European tour.
“In my home, the America I love, the America I’ve written about, and has been a beacon of hope and liberty for 250 years, is currently in the hands of a corrupt, incompetent, and treasonous administration,” Springsteen said at his concert in Manchester, England, urging his audience to “rise with us, raise your voices against the authoritarianism, and let freedom ring.”
Trump, 78, quickly slammed Springsteen, 75, as a “dried up old prune,” “highly overrated,” and an “obnoxious jerk” in a Truth Social post Friday.
Trump later also called in a post for an investigation into Springsteen, Beyonce, Oprah and U2 frontman Bono for endorsing his opponent Kamala Harris in the presidential campaign, calling support for Harris or the Democrats somehow “illegal.”
“I am going to call for a major investigation into this matter,” Trump wrote.
In a separate post, Trump also noted: “Has anyone noticed that, since I said, ‘I HATE TAYLOR SWIFT,’ she’s no longer ‘HOT?’” He attacked her for criticizing his policies in the past.
The American Federation of Musicians issued a statement supporting the artists
We “will not remain silent as two of our members – Bruce Springsteen and Taylor Swift—are singled out and personally attacked by the President of the United States,” read the statement from AFM President Tino Gagliardi.
“Bruce Springsteen and Taylor Swift are not just brilliant musicians, they are role models and inspirations to millions of people in the United States and across the world.”
