Over here on E Street, it’s pretty quiet now that a Jersey Shore bar owner questioned whether No Surrender, a Bruce Springsteen cover band, should perform at his establishment after the real Springsteen openly criticized Donald Trump. The group had booked a gig at Riv’s Toms River Hub, in Toms River, New Jersey, on May 30 (a Friday night, always a great night for Springsteen), but found out Sunday night the concert was in jeopardy.
The band’s “Boss,” singer Brad Hobicorn, told NJ.com that Tony Rivoli, who owns Riv’s, texted him on Sunday saying the show was off because it was “too risky at the moment.” Riv’s clientele is mostly conservative, according to the news outlet and messages Rivoli sent the band. They could have played songs by other classic rockers but Rivoli wouldn’t pay them the $2,500 they’d expected.
“This is not political for us at all,” Hobicorn told NJ.com. “We’re just a cover band that’s trying to make some money and people rely on it financially. We’re the ones really getting hurt.” (They’ve since rescheduled the performance for the same night at Headliner Oasis in Neptune Township and have several other gigs scheduled around New Jersey.)
In text messages obtained by NJ.com, Rivoli said the concert would have done well “but now because Bruce can’t keep his mouth shut we’re screwed.” Rivoli also texted bassist Guy Fleming, “Whenever the national anthem plays, my bar stands and is in total silence, that’s our clientele. Toms River is red and won’t stand for his bullshit.”
But Rivoli denied canceling the gig, and said he told the band that they could have performed as No Surrender. “I think a lot of people of my base would not have came, but I could have been wrong,” he said. “You know, who knows? You can’t predict what people are going to do.” He said it was No Surrender who ultimately chose not to perform in Toms River.
The group exchanged more messages with Rivoli after they posted on social media about the cancellation, and he said he didn’t cancel the concert, which is still listed on the bar’s website. “I explained to the owner that he wasn’t hurting Bruce, but he was hurting nine New Jersey musicians he booked to play at his club,” Fleming wrote on Facebook Wednesday night.
On Thursday, they told NJ.com that ultimately they did not want to perform there due to “negative vibes” and “a safety concern.”
At a recent concert in Manchester, England, the real Bruce Springsteen described Trump’s government as “a corrupt, incompetent, and treasonous administration.” Trump responded on social media saying Springsteen “out to KEEP HIS MOUTH SHUT.” Springsteen in turn released a live EP, Land of Hope & Dreams, that contained two intro tracks in which he criticized the Trump administration. Springsteen will be on tour in Europe through July.
