Springsteen sits on the edge of the stage, holding his well-traveled guitar on his lap, as organ chords play softly behind him, for the evening’s closing prayer, before the performance of “Chimes of Freedom.” A recounting here cannot do justice to his cadence of his comments. But his words are worth sharing in full.
“The E Street Band was built for hard times,” he says. “And we will make it through this. Because with the love and the fight and the spirit and the faith and the hope in your heart, America renews itself.
“I think the hardest part for me has been feeling that distance between you and your neighbors, between you and your fellow citizens. That distance can darken your soul.
“Now we have a president who says he wishes nothing but ill, upon those who he disagrees with. That’s not the country I want to live in.
“From the beginning, America was born out of disagreement. It’s an argument. It’s supposed to be an ongoing, blessed, sacred argument about what course the country should take to form that more perfect union. We can argue about these things, while still recognizing our common humanity, our dignity, and yes our unity.
“The most heart-breaking example of this was Renée Good’s last words. She rolled down the window. And she looked at the man who only minutes later would kill her, would take her life, and she said to him, ‘I’m not mad at you. I’m not mad at you.’
“God bless her.
“When you go home tonight, hold your loved ones close. And in the morning, do as Renée did, find a way to take aggressive, peaceful action to defend our country’s ideals.
“And as the great civil rights leader John Lewis said, go on out and get into some `good trouble.’
“Say something! Do something!” Springsteen then exclaims, adding with a touch of self-mockery, “SING something! That’s all I do.”
“If you feel helpless, hopeless, angry, frustrated, betrayed, I understand. That’s why we’re here tonight.. We needed to see and feel your strength and your hope. And we needed to bring you some hope and some faith and some strength.
“I hope we did that tonight.”
