On the final day (June 13) of an eventful Tribeca Festival, Bono, Patti Smith and Tribeca co-founders Robert De Niro and Jane Rosenthal gathered in lower Manhattan to honor Bruce Springsteen with the Harry Belafonte Voices for Social Justice Award.
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“I’m a little embarrassed to get this award,” Springsteen, who dedicated the award to the people of Minneapolis, Portland and Los Angeles for standing “against the federal invasion of their cities this year,” admitted during a lengthy sit-down conversation with Bono. “I’m just a concerned citizen.”
Much like Springsteen’s recent Land of Hopes & Dreams Tour, the main topic of concern at this Tribeca Storytellers event was the erosion of democracy in America and President Trump’s federal overreach. Prior to the conversation, De Niro and Rosenthal introduced the Boss and explained why he was receiving the award.
“This is a man who knows how to use his voice,” explained the Oscar-winning actor. “He uses it to give voice to the powerless and he uses it to lead the resistance. He is fearless and direct. He knows what the problem is and he names it: Donald Trump. Donald J. Trump and his feckless enablers. That’s so important because this isn’t about reasonable disputes on policy: this is about the corruption and megalomania of one person. Bruce Springsteen puts a face on it, and he does it with the words of a poet.”
Though a peer and a self-professed “fan masquerading as a friend,” Bono asked thoughtful and even tough questions of Springsteen during their chat.
Speaking about a rock star’s ability (or inability) to connect with the working class, which both Bono and Springsteen came from, the U2 frontman said, “I fear sometimes we on the left lost a little bit of it and that the accusations of elitism that are out there for people like me are not inaccurate.”
“Has it cost you?” Bono asked Springsteen. “Do you feel torn at all thinking there’s people in this town that used to come see my shows who don’t now? Or have you made peace with that?”
“I’m not sure,” Springsteen candidly answered. “You have to do two things. There’s the classic folk song, “Which Side Are You On?”: you have to make your stand and follow your beliefs and you have to have the faith in them that they will be explicable and understandable by your fellow citizens. And you have to believe that America is a sacred argument and a compromise.”
Elsewhere in the chat, Springsteen pointed out that no one should have shown up to his recent tour – the most explicitly political one he’s done in a career marked by socio-political concerns – expecting anything different from what they got. “I warned everybody what the tour was gonna be like so they didn’t waste their money before they came,” Springsteen said with a chuckle. “I figured I did my job and it was every man for himself after that.”
Despite his consistent activism, Springsteen chooses his battles carefully. Bono shared that in the past he’s asked the Boss to sign various petitions and has been politely but firmly turned down. Bono recalled asking Springsteen to license his 2007 song “Girls In Their Summer Clothes” for a Gap commercial when Bono joined up with the clothing brand for the (PRODUCT) RED campaign, which raised money to fight HIV/AIDS in Africa. Springsteen’s response? No.
“That was a big mistake, too,” Springsteen cut in, seemingly to Bono’s surprise. “I should have said yes.” Explaining it was one of his favorite songs even if it wasn’t a hit, Springsteen admitted, “I should have f–king done it. I have to apologize.”
After standing up and hugging it out, the two welcomed a third Rock & Roll Hall of Famer, Patti Smith, to the BMCC Tribeca Performing Arts Center stage. With Tony Shanahan on keys, she performed a soft plea for peace, “Peaceable Kingdom,” which was inspired by Rachel Corrie, who was killed by an Israeli military bulldozer in 2003 while protesting the demolition of Palestinian homes in Gaza Strip.
Smith then performed a live favorite of hers, “People Have the Power,” a rousing call-to-activism. Springsteen and Shanahan backed her on acoustic guitar, and though Bono left the stage, Bruce called him back out to contribute backup vocals (which he also did).
Nothing on the advance program promised a live performance from Springsteen, but everyone in the crowd was quietly hoping for a little something (key word: quietly, unlike the extremely vocal fans at Miley Cyrus’ Tribeca Q&A last year who heckled until she sang something, though her event never promised music). Springsteen did, in fact, perform, offering up an utterly mesmerizing solo version of “Land of Hope and Dreams.”
Before leaving the stage amid a standing ovation, Springsteen offered up one more important thought to the New York City audience: “Go Knicks.”
