The Boss didn’t get a hometown discount.
Instead, Bruce Springsteen got flattened by a news outlet close to his hardscrabble roots.
A critic from the Left-leaning NJ.com just did what major news outlets like Variety and Time Magazine refused to do – hold him accountable for his epic hypocrisy.
The review could have said even more about his subject, but the top-tier skewering still left a mark.
My thoughts from @springsteen in Newark last night:
Bruce’s artistic identity, as a populist who sings for the destitute and downtrodden, has never been more disconnected from his economic behavior as a businessman.
The contradiction is a tragedy.
https://t.co/SaKiWO55ku— Bobby Olivier (@BobbyOlivier) April 21, 2026
The review took Springsteen to task for forgetting his roots in more ways than one. Yes, the anti-Trump concert took place in his beloved Garden State, although we get few details about the singer’s voice, performance or song selection.
Instead, we’re reminded of his blue-collar blind spots.
The blue-collar troubadour now charges exorbitant amounts for his tickets — up to $2,900 retail for the best seats in Newark Monday; prices he agreed to despite fan backlash. He’s selling “No Kings” branded flags for $90 in the arena concourse. And last week, his merchandise distributor got an injunction passed to ban bootleg T-shirt sales outside the venue, even as crews of independent sellers — fine examples of working-class people he’s romanticized for 50 years — hawk merch at nearly every other Prudential Center show without issue.
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The critic also singled out how blindingly white the crowd is and the lack of immigrant faces (for one obvious reason).
… the guy who sold his publishing catalog for $550 million singing to a room of almost exclusively white fans in defense of immigrants, who couldn’t afford get in, aren’t allowed to make an extra buck outside selling T-shirts with his face on them, and who ostensibly will in no way benefit from this tour.
We could add some more complaints, of course.
- Springsteen went silent as the Democrats hid President Joe Biden’s cognitive decline and weakened America via an aggressive, open-border policy
- The Boss couldn’t spare a syllable about Team Biden silencing speech
- He hasn’t spoken up for the many people killed by soft-on-crime Democratic policies or victims like Laken Riley, murdered by illegal immigrants
Their pain is ignored. Why? To speak out wouldn’t help the Democrats. Is there another reason?
Would love hardcore Springsteen fans to weigh in below. Defend him! Eager to hear it!
