During the encore portion of PEARL JAM’s show in Pittsburgh, PA on Friday (May 16th), frontman Eddie Vedder performed a solo acoustic rendition of Bruce Springsteen’s song “My City of Ruins.”
Although he didn’t explain why he was playing the track, Vedder’s cover of “My City of Ruins” seems to be a direct response to the ongoing drama between Springsteen and President Donald Trump.
During his Manchester, England show this past Wednesday (May 14th), Springsteen expressed his dislike for the current administration, saying in part: “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.
“Tonight, we ask all who believe in democracy and the best of our American spirit to rise with us, raise your voices against authoritarianism and let freedom ring. This is ‘Land of Hope and Dreams.’”
Prior to playing “My City of Ruins” at his own concert, Springsteen added: “There’s some very weird, strange, and dangerous sh*t going on out there. 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.”
Springsteen later continued: “A majority of our elected representatives have failed to protect the American people from the abuses of an unfit president and a rogue government.”
Just days later, on Friday (May 16th), the President went on a social media tirade in response to The Boss’ comments.
“I see that Highly Overrated Bruce Springsteen goes to a Foreign Country to speak badly about the President of the United States. Never liked him, never liked his music, or his Radical Left Politics and, importantly, he’s not a talented guy — Just a pushy, obnoxious JERK,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
He continued, calling Springsteen “dumb as a rock” before attacking the musician’s physical appearance: “This dried out ‘prune’ of a rocker (his skin is all atrophied!) ought to KEEP HIS MOUTH SHUT until he gets back into the Country, that’s just ‘standard fare.’ Then we’ll all see how it goes for him!”
