by Hanif Willis-Abdurraqib To watch Bruce Springsteen step onto a stage in New Jersey is to watch Moses walk to the edge of the Red Sea, so confident in his ability to perform a miracle, to carry his people to the Promised Land. I believe in the magic of seeing a musician perform in the… Read more »
Bruce Springsteen performed a concert in Ireland yesterday, but the singer’s thoughts were clearly on a major story taking place in America: The George Zimmerman verdict that acquitted this Florida resident in the wake of his shooting of Trayvon Martin. Springsteen performed “American Skin (41 Shots),” telling the crowd before doing so: “I want to send this out as a letter back home, for justice for Trayvon Martin.” Bruce Springsteen – “41 Shots” The track was penned in 1999 after New York City police officers shot and killed an unarmed man named Amadou Diallo. Earlier this week, Kim Kardashian Tweeted her thoughts on Martin, but got in a lot of trouble for doing so. We doubt The Boss will face the same backlash.
New Jersey’s #1 ambassador (with apologies to Chris Christie , who would probably agree with us), Bruce Springsteen, rocked the 12-12-12 Concert for Sandy Relief last night. The Boss kicked off the four-and-a-half-hour-plus show – which also featured a Nirvana reunion – with “Land of Hope and Dreams,” “Wrecking Ball” and “City of Ruins.” Bruce Springsteen 12-12-12 Concert Performance “For 25 years, if you go to Asbury [Park] in the summer, and there was no one on its beaches, no one on its boardwalk,” Springsteen said in introducing “City of Ruins.” “Then, over the past decade, thanks to an arts community, thanks to the gay community, thanks to people who lived there and toughed it out, the town has had a renaissance.” “The Jersey Shore’s always been a special place. It’s been inclusive.” “I’m sure there will be a lot of difficult conversations when the rebuilding comes around, but I pray that that characteristic remains along the Jersey Shore.” Springsteen then brought out Jon Bon Jovi, another of the Garden State’s homegrown heroes, to jam with the E Street Band on his 1975 classic, “Born to Run.” Pretty much as cool as it gets.
About a month ago, Lady Gaga admitted: she’s gained a little weight. It’s an issue that has tormented the singer for her entire life. In response, Gaga has started a “Body Revolution” on her Little Monsters website, asking fans to embrace their curves and inner beauty. Speaking to Stylist UK about the movement, she referenced another artist and compared the reception Adele has received versus the one that’s recently plagued Gaga. “Adele is bigger than me,” Gaga said . “How come nobody says anything about it? She’s so wonderful and I think her confidence is something I have to match. She has set the bar very high for a lot of woman. I need to be a confident woman and just say politically active things when I can that are helpful to young people.” And while it might help to shelve those lasagna recipes , Gaga says the true key to self-confidence comes from within – and without. “We should all make an effort to be nice to one another all the time,” Gaga says of women around the world.
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