It is the first time Bruce Springsteen has changed his set list during his Broadway stint.
For 146 straight shows on Broadway, Bruce Springsteen has stuck to a script, playing basically the same set each night at the Walter Kerr Theatre in New York.
But on Tuesday night, the New Jersey rock legend veered off that script to denounce the “senior people in government” who have enacted immigration policies that have led to thousands of children being separated from their families, according to the Guardian.
He reportedly called the detainment and separation of more than 2,000 children over the past six weeks “inhumane.”
Springsteen, a frequent critic of President Donald Trump, said the administration, which has cited Bible verses to justify its actions, had “blasphemed in suggesting that they had a duty to separate families.”
After his remarks, Springsteen added a new song to his set list, playing “The Ghost of Tom Joad,” a song that Pitchfork notes includes the lyrics: “Wherever somebody’s fighting for a place to stand/Or a decent job or a helping hand/Wherever somebody’s struggling to be free/Look in their eyes, Ma, and you’ll see me.”
Springsteen adds The Ghost of Tom Joad to his Broadway show tonight in protest at the inhumane treatment at US Borders. First set change for 146 shows.
— Greasy Lake (@GreasyLake) June 20, 2018
Springsteen on Broadway” kicked off in October 2017 and was first announced as an eight-week run. The show was extended several times and now is planned to run until about Christmas of this year. Tickets for the show are now selling for more than $ 500 on sites such as StubHub.
Springsteen took time out of his stint on Broadway earlier this week for a quick set at the reopening celebration of the legendary Asbury Lanes. This was also noticeably different from his tamed Broadway performance.
NJ Advance Media music critic Bobby Olivier wrote: “It felt as though Springsteen was unleashing all that he’s required himself to rein in during his last nine months at the Walter Kerr Theatre.”
Joe Atmonavage may be reached at jatmonavage@njadvancemedia.com. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
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