Bruce Springsteen’s Critics Trend Towards Hypocrisy and Profit

Bobby Olivier, the food and culture editor for New Jersey Advance Media, recently called on Bruce Springsteen to denounce his concert at Newark’s Prudential Center as “all hypocritical bullshit: profiteering over a legitimate protest.”

Olivier pointed out how Springsteen’s image as a champion for the underprivileged seems increasingly at odds with the high prices for his concert tickets. For instance, the best seats for the recent show were priced at a staggering $2,900. “He agreed to the price despite fan backlash,” Olivier remarked. The irony doesn’t escape me; isn’t it strange for a so-called blue-collar hero to charge such exorbitant fees?

The critic went on to mention that Springsteen also sells “No Kings” flags for $90 right at the venue. More shocking, he said, was the recent restraining order granted to Springsteen’s product distributor, which prohibits the sale of unauthorized merchandise outside the concert. Meanwhile, independent sellers—those everyday folks Springsteen often sings about—had no issue selling their goods at the event.

This February, Springsteen kicked off his “Land of Hopes and Dreams” tour, ramping up his anti-Trump rhetoric as he performed in various cities across the country. It’s almost a spectacle—his booming messages about hope and freedom echoing against a backdrop of such immense ticket prices.

For attendees, those who could actually afford to get in, the experience has often been punctuated with reminders of the political state of the country. Springsteen has proclaimed, “The America I have been writing about for 50 years has been a beacon of hope and freedom around the world, but now it is in the hands of a corrupt, incompetent, racist, reckless, and treasonous regime.”

Interestingly, as Springsteen’s shows are gaining traction, the contradictions of his situation surface. Olivier captured it perfectly when he noted that Springsteen’s current interactions with politics and financial success present an incredible paradox. “This threatens to tarnish the final acts of Bruce’s career and is no small tragedy for New Jersey’s biggest rock star.” It’s hard not to feel a bit sad about that.

In a recent twist, President Trump retaliated, mocking Springsteen as a “withered prune” due to alleged mishaps with cosmetic surgery, while encouraging his followers to boycott the concerts. It’s a strange kind of feud, isn’t it?