Springsteen reacts to HB2 - Public Facilities Privacy and Security Act

BRUUUUUUUUUCE!

A Statement from Bruce Springsteen on North Carolina
Bruce Springsteen·Friday, April 8, 2016

As you, my fans, know I’m scheduled to play in Greensboro, North Carolina this Sunday. As we also know, North Carolina has just passed HB2, which the media are referring to as the “bathroom” law. HB2 — known officially as the Public Facilities Privacy and Security Act — dictates which bathrooms transgender people are permitted to use. Just as important, the law also attacks the rights of LGBT citizens to sue when their human rights are violated in the workplace. No other group of North Carolinians faces such a burden. To my mind, it’s an attempt by people who cannot stand the progress our country has made in recognizing the human rights of all of our citizens to overturn that progress. Right now, there are many groups, businesses, and individuals in North Carolina working to oppose and overcome these negative developments. Taking all of this into account, I feel that this is a time for me and the band to show solidarity for those freedom fighters. As a result, and with deepest apologies to our dedicated fans in Greensboro, we have canceled our show scheduled for Sunday, April 10th. Some things are more important than a rock show and this fight against prejudice and bigotry — which is happening as I write — is one of them. It is the strongest means I have for raising my voice in opposition to those who continue to push us backwards instead of forwards.

Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band’s Sunday April 10th show is canceled. Tickets will be refunded at point of purchase.

wow.  Good for him  

Collective punishment of those not responsible. Wonderful. It is like when a totalitarian leader levels a town if one person there does something he does not like.

Oh, and I am sure he used Ticketmaster or similar to sell the tickets. Their fees are non refundable.

bramzzoinks said:

 It is like when a totalitarian leader levels a town if one person there does something he does not like.

Well, you are certainly a master of the analogy. Or not.

bramzzoinks said:

Oh, and I am sure he used Ticketmaster or similar to sell the tickets. Their fees are non refundable.

I know Bruce is a very wealthy guy, but the $2MM or so he forfeited on this show is about the equivalent of a Ticketmaster charge for a fan.

Good for him.

Just have to add, now that I've thought about it some more... that's just awesome.

And one last thing... his NC-based version of Artie Fufkin must be having a conniption right about now.

"Chris Christie" type fans are outraged.

Real fans say, "Good job."

I am a fan, some might say a fanatical fan.  I was with our fearless moderator Dave at his first Springsteen show, passing along the fever. 

This is a powerful statement.

bramzzoinks said:

Collective punishment of those not responsible. Wonderful. It is like when a totalitarian leader levels a town if one person there does something he does not like.

You do realize what not-terribly-nice term you inspired people to think about you, with that comment?

For what it's worth, Mr. Springsteen saved you the trouble of starting a thread about how you think he's a big phony for not boycotting NC.  You would have something insulting to say either way, you cannot deny.

This is great!  

Bruuuuuuce. Yay!!

Love that screen name.

badscooter said:

nohero said:

Love that screen name.

badscooter said:

And I love your profile pic.

I have never really been a huge fan of Springsteen, but this is wonderful. As for punishing the fans, maybe next time they will be sure to turn out to vote for someone who won't try to control the LGBT population in quite such onerous ways. Or, if they think the bill was a good idea, I am really not too upset that they don't get their concert.

Either way, it was the right thing to do. Star power can be leveraged for good, and I love it when it happens that way.

Good motivation for NC voters to get out the vote!

I can't believe the same old lame criticisms:  cancelling the show will hurt mall businesses.  Give it a break jerks.  Like Bruce said, some things are bigger than a rock and roll show, and basic human rights is #1 on the list.

Collective punishment is banned by the Geneva Convention. And this is collective punishment.

bramzzoinks said:

Collective punishment is banned by the Geneva Convention. And this is collective punishment.

Doubling down on stupid so early in the morning - nice.

Collective punishment will end when we can figure out how to focus retribution on the perpetrators.  I wish we had had a whole passel of smart bombs in WW II so that we could have spared the lives of millions of non-combatants, but we didn't.

By this logic, they should have played Sun City.

I am very proud of Bruce.  And my friends in North Carolina think this is awesome. 

I especially liked that all the tickets sold will be refunded.  Class act in all ways.

deborahg said:

By this logic, they should have played Sun City.

By this logic they should have said they're playing Sun City, sold all the tickets, then 3 days before playing, remembered it was Sun City and canceled it.

Paul Simon did more good for the anti apartheid cause than any boycott. 

"Collective punishment," because the poor babies don't get a pricey pop concert? Wow, such heavy overtones of "Let them eat cake!" The poor darlings will expire if they don't get their doses of Bruce.

Out of curiosity, how are the fans in NC responding to the news that the Boss isn't coming? Are they angry, approving, peevish...?

Springsteen fans are not complaining.  zoinks is being sardonic.

Think about all the young corporate types being dragged along by their boomer bosses who just got their nights back. Truly, Mr. Springsteen is merciful and just.

dave said:

Springsteen fans are not complaining.  zoinks is being sardonic.

"Sardonic." Now, there's a word I haven't seen on paper since Jane Eyre described Mr. Rochester.   

Governor of North Carolina holds on to his bathroom fixation, but issues executive order backing away from other aspects of the law.  In an executive order today, as he describes it -

Affirms the private sector’s right to establish its own restroom and locker room policies
Affirms the private sector and local governments’ right to establish non-discrimination employment policies for its own employees
Expands the state’s employment policy for state employees to cover sexual orientation and gender identity
Seeks legislation to reinstate the right to sue in state court for discrimination

Or, "one step up and two steps back" for what his new law was doing at the end of last week.