Live performance and controversy
The song was debuted on June 4, 2000 at the Philips Arena in Atlanta as part of the Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band Reunion Tour concert, the band' last concert before a ten date residency at New York City's Madison Square Garden. The song garnered immediate attention, with music critics describing the song in detail and bootleg recordings being the subject of Internet leaks. [10]
In the days before the New York concerts, a major controversy arose when rumors circulated that the band would perform the song in New York. As such, both the Presidents of the Patrolmen's Benevolent Association and the City's Police Commissioner called for a boycott of Springsteen's shows. [10] The president of New York State's Fraternal Order of Police personally denounced Springsteen, describing him as a "dirtbag" and a "faggot". [7]
The Mayor of New York city, Rudy Giuliani, who had praised the officers involved in the Diallo shooting, condemned Springsteen during a rally on June 12, and publicly requested that he not play the song in New York. [11] Giuliani seemingly referenced the acquittal of the four officers earlier that year, stating that "there are still people trying to create the impression that the police officers are guilty, and they are going to feel strongly about that." The comments the Mayor and various police groups led to some police officers refusing to provide security for the band and a rally of hundreds of police officers against the songs performance. [10] Despite this, the band performed the song throughout the ten dates, with Springsteen later acknowledging that "there was some booing". [9]
Reaction
Despite the calls to boycott the shows, all ten concerts at Madison Square Garden would sell-out. [12] While the criticism and accusations of the song being anti-police continued, the song was praised by others. Springsteen maintained that the accusations were misinterpreting the song and that its message was not anti-police but anti-brutality. Notably, the mother of Amadou Diallo, Kadiatou Diallo praised the song. Stating that it was a sign people cared about her son which restored her faith in society. [10] Later that year, Springsteen was given the Humanitarian Community Service Award by the NAACP. [13]
Springsteen has stated that the negative response of some police officers to the performance would last for years, stating that "We took a lot of heat from the police for several years after that. There were some police officers giving us the New Jersey state bird, which I always felt was a result of not listening to it." [9] Some journalists linked the continuing negative response to Springsteen's arrest on a reckless driving charge, after a police officer witnessed him drink a shot of tequila before getting on his motorcycle. [14]
Later performances
In later performances, Springsteen has dedicated the song to victims of violent killings. [7] In response to the killing of Trayvon Martin, Springsteen would again perform the song as part of the Wrecking Ball Tour. [15] [16] [17] Notably, Springsteen performed the song just three days after the man who had fatally shot Trayvon Martin was acquitted of second-degree murder, at his concert in Thomond Park, Limerick, Ireland. Springsteen introduced the song by saying "I want to send this one out as a letter back home. For justice for Trayvon Martin". [18] [19]
"That song is almost eight minutes long. That's how long it took George Floyd to die with a Minneapolis officer's knee buried into his neck. That's a long time. That's how long he begged for help and said he couldn't breathe. The arresting officer's response was nothing but silence and weight. Then he had no pulse. And still, it went on." [10]
Springsteen, dedicating the song to Floyd on his Sirius XM radio show
In the wake of the killing of Freddie Gray, Springsteen again played the song during the 2016 River Tour, most notably in Baltimore where he dedicating the performance to Gray. [7] [20] In June 2020, during a special live E Street Radio Sirius XM radio concert, Springsteen opened his set by playing ‘American Skin (41 Shots)’ in response to the murders of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor. [10] On April 7, 2024 Tom Morello once again joined Springsteen to perform a nearly 8 minute version the song, in a live performance at the Kia Forum in Los Angeles. This was the first live performance of the song by Bruce Springsteen and The E Street Band since their 2017 tour. [21]
