Jonathan Cain has had enough of Bruce Springsteen turning the stage into a political soapbox.
The longtime Journey keyboardist unloaded on “The Boss” after Springsteen used his latest tour to take fresh shots at President Donald Trump, blasting the rock icon as an “annoying, bitter old man” who should get back to making music instead of lecturing fans about politics.
Cain, 76, made his feelings crystal clear during an appearance on the Complete Disaster Network podcast, where he said he no longer recognizes the Democratic Party he once supported.
“I used to be a Democrat back in the old days, but I couldn’t go there anymore,” Cain said. “I’m a diehard conservative.”
Then he turned his attention directly to Springsteen.
“And guys like Bruce Springsteen should shut up,” Cain said. “You know, really, honestly, shut up, Bruce.”
Cain also lumped Springsteen in with another outspoken Trump critic, actor Robert De Niro, saying many Americans are tired of celebrities using their fame to preach politics.
“Him and… who’s the other one? Robert De Niro. I mean, who cares, guys? Do your art. I try to keep politics out of my music,” Cain said.
The Journey star, who is married to evangelist Paula White-Cain, a spiritual adviser to Trump, said he does not use the stage to push his own beliefs on fans.
“Now, people say, ‘Well, you’re a Christian, and you’re conservative,’ and I’m like, ‘So what?’ I don’t preach it on stage. I don’t spend 10 minutes talking about it,” Cain said.
But Springsteen’s recent remarks appear to have pushed him over the edge.
“And Bruce, I mean, what the heck?” Cain continued. “I used to like him, and now he’s just annoying. He’s an annoying, bitter old man. I mean, stop it. Really. You were born in the USA, weren’t you, dude? So act like it.”
Cain even took a swipe at Springsteen’s classic “Born in the U.S.A.,” arguing that many fans miss the darker meaning behind the patriotic-sounding anthem.
“Even that song, if you look at the lyrics, I mean, it’s kind of a diss toward our country,” Cain said.
While Cain slammed celebrity political grandstanding, he proudly defended his own patriotism. The musician pointed to his single “Winds of Freedom,” which includes the lyrics, “We’d fight to make a stand,” and said the track is not about partisan politics but love of country.
“I’m releasing this patriotic song because I’m a diehard patriot, like Ted Nugent, who’s my friend,” Cain said. “We’re a couple of patriots.”
Cain said he and Nugent share a deep love for America, the flag, and the values they were raised with.
“We love our flag, and we love our nation, and we grew up that way,” he said.
He also praised Kid Rock, another outspoken pro-America entertainer who has never been shy about standing with Trump and conservative causes.
“Me and Kid Rock, we’re probably on an island,” Cain said. “There’s a few of us, and I proudly stand there with my flag on that island. And if anybody’s got a problem with me, America and Jesus, then bring it.”
Cain’s fiery comments came after Springsteen repeatedly hammered Trump during his Land of Hope and Dreams tour.
On April 7, during the opening night of the Los Angeles leg of the tour, Springsteen told the crowd that the America he has written about for decades was now “in the hands of a corrupt, incompetent, racist, reckless, and treasonous administration.”
The crowd cheered as Springsteen urged fans to choose “hope over fear, democracy over authoritarianism, the rule of law over lawlessness… truth over lies, unity over division, and peace over war.”
Springsteen had made similar remarks earlier on the tour in Minneapolis, where he again blasted the Trump administration from the stage.
Trump, never one to sit quietly while being attacked, fired back on Truth Social, calling Springsteen a “bad and very boring singer” and accusing him of suffering from “Trump Derangement Syndrome.”
The president also mocked Springsteen’s appearance, writing that the rocker looked “like a dried-up prune” and calling him a “total loser” who “spews hate” against a president who won the election.
For Cain, the issue appears simple: fans buy concert tickets to hear the songs they love, not to be lectured by wealthy celebrities about how to think.
And in his view, Springsteen has crossed that line one too many times.
Discover more from Red News Nation
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
Agreed. Springstein is a washed-up relic trying to feel influential. Pitifully bitter old prune!
Bruce Springsteen preaches hate and that’s clear and simple! He is ok with abortion, well everything the BIBLE stands against! But the road to Hell is very wide and the road to Heaven is very narrow! So let Brucie stand on the wide popular side to sale tickets but ask Yourself this one question Bruce! What would have happened if JESUS CHRIST WAS ABORTED? Now tell Me abortion is ok and that JESUS is ok with it????
I have never heard,, such a whing bitch, of a washed =up, burned out, pathetic, cry=baby, loser, like this clown. No one cares what u, have to piss, and moan about. STFU and play asshole.
While I like some of his music, I totally despise the little rat basturd and his hatred. The draft dodging slug, needs to be dropped in the middle of Iran with a U. S. Uniform on, and let them deal with him.
Thank you Mr. Cain, I really appreciate you telling Mr. Springsteen most of don’t give a dam what Bruce Springsteen has to say about the President of the United States. I can assure you if Mr. Springsteen was in trouble in som not so friendly country to Americans he sure would be hoping that the President would be doing something to get him back home.