NEW YORK − Bruce Springsteen didn’t mince words at the premiere of his new biopic.
The outspoken rock icon was on hand Sunday, Sept. 28, for the New York Film Festival unveiling of “Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere,” a new drama starring Jeremy Allen White (“The Bear”) that traces the creation of the musician’s 1982 “Nebraska” album. Springsteen, 76, took the stage with the film’s cast and crew at the end of the screening, where he surprised the crowd with a solo acoustic performance of his emotional ballad “Land of Hope and Dreams.”
“These days, we have daily events reminding us of the fact that we’re living through these particularly dangerous times,” Springsteen said as he introduced the song. “I spent my life on the road. I’ve been moving around the world as kind of a musical ambassador for America: trying to measure the distance between American reality, where we’ve often fallen short of our ideals and the American dream.”
But as “bad as it feels right now, for a lot of folks out there, she continues to be a land of hope and dreams,” he added. “Not of fear or divisiveness or government censorship or hatred. That America is worth fighting for. So it’s in that spirit, I brought along my lifelong weapon of choice: the guitar.”
The New York premiere of the movie (in theaters Oct. 24) comes two weeks after the murder of conservative activist Charlie Kirk. Jimmy Kimmel’s controversial remarks about Kirk’s killing prompted ABC to temporarily suspend his late-night TV show, which has prompted widespread concerns around free speech.
Springsteen told the audience to “stay strong” as he left the stage, earning a standing ovation and chants of “Bruuuce!” throughout the elated Alice Tully Hall at Lincoln Center.
Before the performance, Springsteen hugged and thanked White for putting his “whole heart and soul into the part. You did such a wonderful job – and for playing a much better-looking version of me. I’m really thankful for that.”
The musician also shared his gratitude for Jeremy Strong, who portrays his attentive manager Jon Landau, as well as his onscreen parents.
“Stephen Graham, for being the living embodiment of my late father, who had a very difficult life but was a good-hearted man,” Springsteen said. “Gaby Hoffmann, for her wonderful portrayal of my mom. They’re all gone now, so it’s nice to have this piece of film.”
Before Springsteen took the microphone, writer/director Scott Cooper shared a story about how his family lost their home in the Palisades Fire in California earlier this year.
Cooper’s wife and kids were staying at a hotel when “Bruce said to me, ‘Scott, get them out of the hotel. Take them to my house,’ ” Cooper recalls. “Which we did, and we stayed there until we got on our feet. Because that’s who Bruce Springsteen is. He’s everything and more than you expect.”