“The mighty E Street Band is here tonight to call upon the righteous power of art, of music, of rock 'n' roll, in dangerous times. In 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. ...

”They're rolling back historic civil rights legislation that has led to a more just and plural society. They're abandoning our great allies and siding with dictators against those struggling for their freedom. They're defunding American universities that won't bow down to their ideological demands. They're removing residents off American streets and, without due process of law, are deporting them to foreign detention centers and prisons. This is all happening now.

“The America I've sung to you about for 50 years is real and, regardless of its faults, is a great country with a great people. So we'll survive this moment.”

-- Bruce Springsteen, in Manchester, England, opening his “Land of Hopes and Dreams” tour. Encore, everyone.