The Shock Performance That Had the World Talking: Bono, Bruce Springsteen, and an Unexpected Message to President
“There’s only one Boss in America.”
Those words, spoken by Bono on Jimmy Kimmel’s show, were meant as a cheeky show of solidarity with his friend Bruce Springsteen. But no one—absolutely no one—could have predicted what would happen just a few nights later.
It started as a typical charity concert, organized under the banner of Bono’s ONE Campaign, bringing together artists from around the globe to raise money for AIDS relief and other humanitarian causes. The location? Madison Square Garden. The audience? Packed with celebrities, diplomats, and 20,000 fans lucky enough to snag a ticket.
What wasn’t on the program—what wasn’t even whispered backstage—was that this would become the most politically charged and shocking performance of Bono and Bruce Springsteen’s careers.
The Build-Up: A Brewing Spat with Trump
Just days earlier, Donald Trump had posted an all-caps tirade on his Truth Social platform, calling for an investigation into celebrities who had endorsed Kamala Harris.
“HOW MUCH DID KAMALA HARRIS PAY BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN FOR HIS POOR PERFORMANCE DURING HER CAMPAIGN?” Trump thundered. He accused Bono, Beyoncé, Oprah, and others of accepting “illegal campaign contributions.”
Bono, in his trademark cool, had dismissed the claims.
“To be in the company of Bruce Springsteen, Beyoncé, and Oprah? I’d play tambourine in that band,” he quipped on Kimmel.
He also made it clear: “U2 has never been paid or played a show for any candidate. Ever.”
Still, the words lingered. The insult burned.
And then came the night of the concert.
Bono was scheduled to perform a solo acoustic set, followed by a brief appearance by Springsteen to close the night. Simple enough.
But when Bono stepped up to the mic, something was… different.
He began with One—a crowd favorite. But midway through the second verse, he stopped.
“I wasn’t planning to say this,” he said, voice tight with emotion. “But some things need to be said… and sung.”
The lights dimmed. The crowd murmured.
“I’d like to invite my brother Bruce up here. We’re going to do something special tonight.”
Bruce Springsteen appeared, guitar in hand, wearing a simple black t-shirt that read:
“ONLY ONE BOSS” in bold white letters.
Without any introduction, the two launched into a blistering version of Born in the U.S.A., but this was no patriotic sing-along. The tone was angry, urgent—an anthem reclaimed.
Then came the twist. As the final chords faded, Bono leaned in and whispered something to Bruce.
Suddenly, they shifted into a cover of This Land Is Your Land, the old protest song by Woody Guthrie—except they rewrote the final verses live, on stage.
“This land is your land… but not for hate,
Not for greed, not for walls at the gate…
From the deserts of Texas to New York town,
No one man can tear us down.”
The arena fell silent—then thundered with applause.
As the cheers echoed, Bono addressed the crowd:
“We are not paid to be here tonight. We are not paid to speak our truth. We are here because silence helps no one.”
