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When Bono entered the BMCC Tribeca Performing Arts Center in New York on June 13 to hear Bruce Springsteen Harry Belafonte Voices for Social Justice Award To present it, he began his speech by jumping back to 1975. He was 15 at the time.
“I was well on my way to getting really good at being no good – but then Bruce Springsteen released ‘Born to Run’ in August and part of me stopped running,” said Bono, previously introduced by Jane Rosenthal and Robert De Niro. “In November, Patti Smith released ‘Horses.’ Wow. The following February, I saw Robert De Niro as Travis Bickle in ‘Taxi Driver.’ That still blows me away to this day.”
Springsteen’s path into Bono’s orbit began when he joined U2 on stage at a Philadelphia concert on the Joshua Tree tour in 1987 and played “Stand By Me.” The beginning of a close friendship: Bono inducted Springsteen into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1999, Bruce returned the favor in 2005, both repeatedly showed up at each other’s concerts – and now this award in front of a sold-out crowd at the Tribeca Film Festival.
Bono about America
“American music rang the bells of freedom in Europe, Africa and Asia,” Bono said. “Ray Charles was America, Johnny Cash was America, Aretha Franklin was America, Harry Belafonte was America. Bruce Springsteen is America. Bruce made poetry out of people’s voices and set that poetry to music. We honor him tonight as a musician and poet, as an activist and patriot.”
He further explained that Bruce never went the route of the likes of Mick Jagger, David Bowie, Bob Dylan or John Lennon and took on a film role. “We honor him as a songster who also made cinema all along,” he said. “Listen to me for a second. ‘Screen door slams/Mary’s dress sways’, ‘Men walking along the railroad tracks/Going somewhere and there’s no going back/Highway patrol choppers coming up over the ridge/Hot soup on a campfire under the bridge’ – Establishing Shots. ‘I saw her standing on her front lawn, just a twirlin’ her baton/Me and her went for a ride, sir/And ten innocent people died.’ This is the introduction to ‘Nebraska’, but this is Terrence Malick. A thoroughly cinematic character.”
This quintessentially cinematic figure took the stage to loud roars of “Bruuuuce” and sat down next to Bono for a brief conversation that touched on the legacy of Harry Belafonte, the lessons learned from each other and the tense political situation in America. Right at the beginning, Bono asked him how the country could get back together again.
Springsteen on cleavage
“I never experienced such a divisive time in 1968 or the late ’60s,” Springsteen said. “America is, as I said on tour, a sacred argument. It’s not about people always agreeing – the country was born in disagreement. It’s a ‘sacred argument’ that you’re supposed to have every day with your fellow citizens and your representatives. That’s simply a part of the country that’s embedded in the country itself. The key is to have this argument while recognizing each other’s shared humanity and dignity – and that’s exactly what’s lacking right now, obviously from the top of our government down.”
Bono later recalled his attempt to get Springsteen to place his 2007 song “Girls in Their Summer Clothes” in a Gap ad as part of his (RED) campaign. Springsteen declined at the time – but still regrets it to this day. “That was a big mistake,” Springsteen said. “I should have said yes. You have these songs that have become personal favorites, but the audience doesn’t care about them. That’s one of them. I love that song. Damn, I still think back to it: ‘Bono asked me to put that in a TV commercial. I damn well should have done it. People would have taken it like a hit.’ I have to apologize.”
Patti Smith and her performance
After the conversation ended, Patti Smith came on stage with her longtime band member Tony Shanahan. “Tony and I want to congratulate Bruce,” she said. “Also, a salute to the Tribeca Film Festival and to the legacy of Harry Belafonte. The most heartbreaking price that war, disease, greed, bigotry takes – all of those things – the greatest price is paid by children. We want to offer this song and dedicate it to children worldwide. And perhaps their suffering will be transformed into a kind of joy.”
As Bono and Springsteen watched from the side of the stage, they performed Smith’s 2004 song “Peaceable Kingdom.” Many in the audience were expecting “Because the Night” afterward – after all, Springsteen had mostly written the song in 1977, Patti Smith finished it, made it a hit in 1978, and the two have performed it together many times over the years; Bono has also sung it with Springsteen. Instead, they chose “People Have the Power.” Bono initially stood off stage and seemed to have no plans to join – but Smith called him back. It didn’t take long before a technician rushed over and handed him a microphone.
Springsteen’s final solo
The show ended with Springsteen alone on stage, acoustic guitar in hand. “I’m going to sing this for the wonderful Pam Belafonte,” he said, “and for my wonderful wife.” What followed was a slow, tender version of “Land of Hope and Dreams.” Springsteen wrote the song in 1999 in a much more peaceful world, but it has become an anthem of optimism and inspiration amid the turmoil of the 21st century. A perfect ending.