Bruce Springsteen Offers ‘Fighting Prayer’ for America at Toronto Show
Bruce Springsteen, who endorsed Democratic candidate Kamala Harris, hinted at the election results Wednesday night during his show in Toronto.
The musician began his second evening at the Scotiabank Arena with “Long Walk Home,” a song he rarely uses as his opening number. Springsteen first apologized to the audience for the show’s late start due to a flight delay that left the band “sitting on our asses,” then he briefly acknowledged Donald Trump’s election victory. “This is a fighting prayer for my country,” Springsteen said.
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“Long Walk Home” appears on Springsteen’s 2007 LP, Magic. He followed the song with a rendition of “Land of Hope and Dreams,” another thematically fitting track.
Ahead of the election, Springsteen appeared at a Harris rally in Philadelphia. That appearance was also used for a campaign ad that the rocker shared on social media just days before the vote took place. In the ad dubbed “Hopes and Dreams” — a nod to the song “Land of Hope and Dreams,” which he performed at the Temple University rally on Oct. 28 — Springsteen denounced Trump and offered his compelling case why Americans should vote Harris-Walz on Election Day.
“This election is about a group of folks who want to fundamentally undermine our American way of life. Donald Trump does not understand this country, its history, or what it means to be deeply American,” Springsteen said in the ad. “I want a president who reveres the Constitution, who wants to protect and guide our great democracy, who believes in the rule of law and the peaceful transfer of power, who will fight for women’s rights and a woman’s right to choose, and who wants to create a middle class economy that serves all our citizens.”
Springsteen previously used “Long Walk Home” as a poignant moment the night before Election Day 2016 in support of Hillary Clinton.
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