Bruce Springsteen deviates from Broadway script to perform “The Ghost of Tom Joad”
For the last year, Bruce Springsteen has been holed up at the Walter Kerr Theatre in New York City staging his Tony Award-winning Broadway concert residency. Last night, for the first time in 146 shows, Springsteen deviated from the show’s setlist to protest the Trump Administration’s policy of separating families at the border and locking children in cages.
“For 146 shows, I have played pretty much the same set every night,” Springsteen said. “Tonight demands something different.” He then proceeded to play “The Ghost of Tom Joad”, which includes the lyrics: “Wherever somebody’s fighting for a place to stand/Or a decent job or a helping hand/Wherever somebody’s struggling to be free/Look in their eyes, Ma, and you’ll see me.”
As recording devices are prohibited at Springsteen’s residency, here’s an excellent in-studio version from back in the day:
