Bruce Springsteen is currently on tour across the pond right now, and he kicked off his run of UK dates by doubling-down on his distain for his home country's current administration. "My home, the America I love, the America I’ve written about, that has been a beacon of hope and liberty for 250 years, is currently in the hands of a corrupt, incompetent, and treasonous administration," the Boss told his Manchester crowd. Once word traveled back to the US, Donald Trump took to his Truth Social site to call Springsteen a "dried out prune of a rocker" whose "skin is all atrophied," which might be one of the most hilariously hypocritical claims ever emitted from the rotten trash chute that is his mouth. Anyway, Trump's latest hissy fit has already made for good press for Springsteen, and MJ Lenderman tipped his hat Saturday night with a cover of "Darkness On The Edge Of Town" at his Philadelphia show.
Lenderman performed the Springsteen cover, the title track to his 1978 album, as the final song in his set. He was joined on lead vocals by Philly's own Dan Wriggins of Friendship, whose new record Caveman Wakes Up was Stereogum's latest Album Of The Week. That was a good call. Wriggins' singing voice sounds more like the Boss' than Lenderman's does. See a clip from the pit below.
Snippet of Lenderman and Wriggins covering “Darkness on the Edge of Town” pic.twitter.com/nuQl0PD5tH
— Peter Blair (@PeterAWBlair) May 18, 2025
This Is Lorelei opened, and their set saw touring member Joe Taylor Sutkowski (Dirt Buyer) sporting a Stereogum shirt. 😃 Thanks EJ in the Discord for the pic!
Also over the weekend, Pearl Jam covered Springsteen's post-9/11 tune "My City Of Ruins" in Pittsburgh in solidarity, while Springsteen himself continues to spread the good anti-Trump word. See that below, too.
Bruce Springsteen won't be silenced. He was back at it again tonight in Manchester.
Still The Boss. pic.twitter.com/Skilu9sql4
— Molly Ploofkins (@Mollyploofkins) May 18, 2025
