Orel Family

In April, 2016, Bruce Springsteen canceled a concert in Greensboro, North Carolina. He issued a statement explaining why:  North Carolina just passed HB2, which the media  are referring to as the 'bathroom' law. HB2... 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." Pivoting to refer to people fighting against these measures, Springsteen added, "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... 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. Yesterday...

Earlier today, Bruce Springsteen canceled an upcoming show in Greensboro, North Carolina. This is hardly the first time he's canceled a scheduled concert, not even on relatively short notice (the show was scheduled two days from now). Just 10 weeks ago, he postponed a show in New York just hours before the scheduled start time. In 2009, he canceled a show in Kansas City after some fans had already arrived at the arena for the show. In 1992, I traveled to California to see a pair of Springsteen shows in Mountain View, and they were both postponed, just a day before the first show. Of course, the circumstances were different each time. The New York show was postponed due to a major snow storm. The Kansas City show was canceled due to the death of one of Bruce's cousins who was also part of the crew for that show. The California shows were canceled due to illness. This time, it's different. This time, Bruce is choosing not to play the show. He's choosing not to play...