N.J. bar cancels Springsteen cover band over Bruce's anti-Trump comments: 'Won't stand for his bulls---'

[ificandream]

Last edited Fri May 23, 2025, 12:08 PM - Edit history (1)

Source: NJ.com

By Jeremy Schneider NJ Advance Media For NJ.com

A Jersey Shore bar and restaurant canceled a Bruce Springsteen cover band's upcoming performance following Springsteen's recent comments criticizing President Donald Trump.

No Surrender, a nine-piece rock band from New Jersey that has played Springsteen and classic rock covers for more than 20 years, was set to perform at Riv's Toms River Hub in Toms River on May 30.

Shortly after Springsteen kicked off his European tour with harsh words about the Trump administration on May 14, bandleader Brad Hobicorn started receiving concerned text messages from bar owner Tony Rivoli, Hobicorn told NJ Advance Media Thursday morning.

On Sunday, Rivoli texted Hobicorn to say the gig was canceled, saying it was "too risky at the moment," citing his restaurant's conservative customer base.

Read more: https://www.nj.com/entertainment/2025/05/nj-bar-cancels-springsteen-cover-band-over-bruces-anti-trump-comments-wont-stand-for-his-bulls-.html

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You'll note that this is a Bruce cover band that offered NOT to play Bruce music, but they were still canceled by the venue.

NJ-NY folks, keep away from this place.

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Add 5/23/25: Just looked at the reviews on Trip Adviser. Not surprisingly, the recent reviews are very negative and some mention this incident. But here's one from Christian B in 2023, also very negative, but for another reason. This current incident isn't the first time this owner has been a problem for customers.

"Went there to go get food and was kicked out for smelling like marijuana and when I presented a medical marijuana card, I was told that they didn’t care I still had to leave."

------------------------

[GB_RN]

1. Yeah...

Cancelling an event by a COVER band is gonna teach that liberal, Commie pinko, Bruce Springsteen a lesson he’ll never forget. Oh, wait…🙄🤦‍♂️

[InAbLuEsTaTe]

102. I say cancel that NJ bar.

[msongs]

2. when your customer base is reich wing alcoholics ya gotta be careful nt

[Chemical Bill]

6. Especially when...

none of them have ever listened to the words he sings.

[yardwork]

31. I mean, really?

Did the owner of the club know anything about Bruce prior to booking the cover band?

[SouthBayDem]

62. He probably does, but he wants those sweet sweet Internet likes.

There's so much performative grandstanding based on junk thought on the right, and social media enables that crap.

[NJCher]

64. He's been a dick about r-w politics

Around there for a long time. I don’t even go to that area and I’ve heard about him.

[Initech]

68. We got both kinds of music - country and western!

[pandr32]

91. That was such an awesome scene.

When they broke into the 'Rawhide' theme and also 'Stand By Your Man'. I laughed watching the transformation of the bottle throwing brutes. It was as if they had all been shot with tranquilizer arrows. We could use that in Congress.

[Initech]

93. Definitely true!

Love that movie!

[Blues Heron]

3. Such little snowflakes

[Lovie777]

4. I guess the wealthy have a new place to enjoy music in NJ........

[walkingman]

5. Wow, so they have dumb-asses in Jersey too? I guess not just a Texas thing.

[ificandream]

7. I lived there for a couple of years back in the '60s. And they did back then.

Not much has changed. Glad we got out of there when we did.

[3Hotdogs]

13. Google a map of N.J. Rt 287 runs the width of the state and connects with Rt 78.

South of those highways, the population is maggot. Trump 24 signs are still on display. I recall a pro-Trump parade of pick-up trucks at the Flemington traffic circle in '2020. The parade was about 20 minutes long.


North of those highways is where the largest percent of people live. They vote Democratic.

[JustAnotherGen]

19. I remember it too

They came down my street in the Borough and looked pissed at my 13 signs/flags for Biden Harris.

Also - I flipped them off!

[windje]

17. South Jersey may as well be Alabama

[3Hotdogs]

22. To add, Salem County is south of the Mason-Dixon Line. The line was the defect border between the North and South.

[TimeToGo]

48. Not particularly relevant here

Study the history of the KKK in the 1920s for instance.

[soldierant]

40. Every state has dumb asses.

Every city, every town, and every unincorporated area has dumb asses. However, the same is tru on non-dumb asses.

[bucolic_frolic]

8. Cancellation clause

[Chasstev365]

9. Profiles in Cowardice

[mdbl]

10. It's good to know where the weirdo maga bars are

That way I don't accidentally go into one.

[Basso8vb]

11. What a stupid dick.

[dchill]

12. They'll have to get a Ted Nugent cover band, then.

[Norrrm]

18. Or Kid Rock.

[mercuryblues]

75. The way kid rock's

Career is going, he'd appear personally, for 1:2 the going rate.

[generalbetrayus]

20. People will quickly get tired of hearing "Cat Scratch Fever" over and over again.

[BidenRocks]

47. They're not tired of

Lee Greenwood yet!
Go figger.

[Oopsie Daisy]

14. Petulant babies. Boo-fucking-hoo!

The tribute-band will survive.

[Initech]

15. This country is totally broken right now.

[unblock]

16. since the bar owner is an idiot, have a different band member call back in 5 minutes,

say you're a band called "no boss" and that you play all kinds of music except springsteen.

sub out a member or two. or not. point is, you know he's got an opening that night....

on gig night, either

a) play springsteen anyway because screw that bar owner;
b) avoid springsteen but sneak in a cover of manfred mann's "blinded by the light" and the pointer sister's "fire" and patti smith's "because the night". "oh, are those springsteen songs? we had no idea!";
c) ghost them entirely because screw the bar owner; or
d) play it the way the bar owner wants because a 9-member band needs every gig it can get.

[hadEnuf]

39. I vote for telling the magat bar owner to go screw himself.

Trump will have most of it's patrons unemployed soon anyway so why waste their time?

Besides, look at the bullshit Trump talked about Springsteen. They shouldn't set foot in that bar even if the owner wanted them. Fuck him.

[Jack Valentino]

55. Bruce fans should flood their bar with bad reviews on YELP :D

[Crowman2009]

105. Be sure to add: only allows Cowboys games on the TV during gameday.

That'll keep people from going ever again!

[JustAnotherGen]

21. I'm glad they shared it

Now folks know!

Sharing with a friend who owns a vineyard that has live music. I'll bet she bites them.

[progressoid]

23. StOp ThE cAnCeL CuLtUrE!!11!!

Oh, wait...

Never mind.

[Norrrm]

24. He had already promoted it as a Bruce Springsteen cover band?

It's not been a secret who Bruce favors.

[bromeando]

25. Maga bar

There are plenty of bars at the Jersey shore. No need for patriots to support this maga bar.

[Bengus81]

78. Another idiot just like Musk and Mike Pillow who KILLED half of his customer base in one stupid move

Fuck that guy and his Trump NAZI patrons.

[Karasu]

26. The owner is such a dumbfuck. How did it take him until these most recent comments to discover that Springsteen isn't

on his fucking team?

[RobinA]

89. The MAGATs

in Springsteen's fan base have been incredibily slow, I mean we're talking DECADES slow, at getting with the program on Springsteen's politics. It has always amazed me how clueless they were.

[radicalleft]

92. To be fair...

Lieberman thought "Born in the USA" was a patriotic song...

[Karasu]

100. LOL!!! I remember that!

[Evolve Dammit]

27. What sissies. I hope they get a drop in customers big time.

[twodogsbarking]

28. I am hoping Bruce and Taylor do a concert broadcast the world over.

Mexico might even pay for that.

[Demobrat]

29. Probably better for the band members even if it costs them.

Some drunk asshole would probably shoot them.

[Mysterian]

30. Ahhhhhh, trumpers are such wise businessmen

Watch this shithole bar go under like one of rump's casinos.

[FakeNoose]

32. I'm guessing the Kid Rock cover bands are all available

Go get 'em!

[LymphocyteLover]

80. LMAO!

[hlthe2b]

33. Geebus. One wonders how someone(s) so ignorant can even feed themselves.

Cancelling a Springsteen COVER BAND? Good gawd.

[Figarosmom]

34. So the club owner proves

How stupid MAGA is by thinking a cover band is an extension of the covered artist.

[mcar]

35. Tom's River is very close to Freehold

where Bruce and his family live.

There's one bar that will be going out of business soon. FAFO

[MissLilyBart]

53. Springsteen does not live in Freehold

and I do.

He lives 15-20 minutes away in rural and upscale Colts Neck, on a large farm property. Freehold Borough, where he grew up, is a small town, a lot more urban and downmarket.

Toms River is about 30 miles to the south, and not what we'd consider 'very close' by at all.

[mcar]

54. I stand corrected

I knew he was from Freehold and have family who lived in Jackson for decades.

Close enough, in any case.

[Iamscrewed]

36. Magots

Simpleton ignorant asinine fools.

[Jit423]

37. Good bye bar. There aren't enough MAGA customers with jobs to keep you open, especially when their SS gets cut. nt

[LoisB]

38. Tom's River - I am not the least bit surprised.

[regnaD kciN]

63. The same town that is trying to take over the local Episcopal Church via eminent domain...

...to prevent them from opening a homeless shelter on the property? Sounds just about white...I mean right.

[LW1977]

101. Tom Joad's River?

[relayerbob]

41. Has a pretty case for breach of contract

Hope he does so and publicizes it loudly and locally.

[COL Mustard]

42. I hope The Boss hears about this.

I bet he would make them whole.

[Iggo]

43. Why did he hire them in the first place? I'd love to hear him say it out loud.

[Trueblue Texan]

44. I think they should do a go fund me to cover the funds they lost ...

[NJCher]

65. I think

They should file a Small Claims case for $24 filing fee. The bar has to pay the fee if he loses. They could collect for all 9 musicians.

[rickford66]

45. Ala Dixie Chicks

[Abolishinist]

46. Toms River is a township and coastal town located on the Jersey Shore in Ocean County.

2024 Election Results for Ocean County

Harris 105,789 31.30%
fRump 227,232 67.22%

[Wicked Blue]

97. Ocean County is the most republican county in NJ

and this particular bar has a right-wing reputation, according to a young friend of mine

[AdamGG]

49. It would be a shame if this bar's Google/Yelp/Facebook reviews

got shithammered with one star reviews.

If the band offered to play no Springsteen covers as a concession to this doofus and he still couldn't accept that, then he deserves what he gets.

[GoneOffShore]

69. The bar is getting hammered on Reddit.

And the Trip Advisor reviews are doing the same.
Not the first time that the owner has been a dick.

[moonshinegnomie]

50. dissing the boss in jersey is moronic

it would be like texas dissing willie nelson

[mwmisses4289]

59. Actually, quite a number of Texans have.

Sadly, a lot of texans are dumber than the clay soil that gets stuck to their footwear.

[Freddie]

51. I assume there was a contract involved

They probably have to pay the band anyway.

[Polybius]

56. A lot of small places do verbal agreements only

They pay the band in cash to avoid taxes.

[Walleye]

52. Isn't this the thing they hate. Cancel culture?

[mwmisses4289]

60. Only if they think it's being done to them.

Otherwise, cancel away!

[Sane1]

57. Fuck this guy! Boycott this place!

He could always see if Kid Rock is available to play, but I think he's on kitchen duty since the ICE Gestapo was threatening to come and check the staff's papers.

[Blue Owl]

58. To fill in, they will have the Ted Nugent cover band Pants Crap Fever

[UnderThisLaw]

61. The owner has quite a history

https://patch.com/new-jersey/tomsriver/toms-river-eatery-apologizes-old-sign-mocking-arrest-death

[proud patriot]

67. So now we know

it wasn't a hacker .

[orleans]

70. interesting backstory from the link

saw this pic at link, clicked on it and got a fb page from may 2020 that said:

We’re all trying to do our best to help small businesses during this time but let’s make sure we’re helping the ones that deserve it. Besides their family serving shit food to the public since they first opened, being Anti-Vax and sharing “plandemic” propaganda since we’ve been quarantined, the Rivolis first went public as garbage human beings in 2016 by exploiting the death of Eric Garner and are not worth your time or money during this pandemic.

They’ve since relocated to Howell but they also own Riv's Toms River Hub. See less

[proud patriot]

66. The boss will see this

I don't think this story ends here .

[róisín_dubh]

71. I hate these type of places.

My mom lives in Toms River, so I spend a ton of time there when I'm in the US. To say I can't stand the area (besides the beaches) is an understatement and I cannot wait until she moves. Most of Ocean and Monmouth Counties are cesspits of wannabe rednecks with money.

[johnnyfins]

72. The band has alresdy rebooked

At another club.

It is absolutely hysterical that this club owner (Riv's) is afaraid of his own customers.

He is getting torched online. Had to shut off comments on FB and the website is DOWN.

[Snoopy 7]

73. guess

I guess someone's business is going to suffer. So far all the "u-woke" businesses who have gone anti-woke have gone out of business, let's keep an eye open...

[twodogsbarking]

74. I think the bar's business is in the past.

[dem4decades]

76. Bruce should play at the bar across the street, fuck that guy.

[Renew Deal]

77. Springsteen has publicly endorsed every Democrat since at least Obama

So not sure why this guy just noticed it.

[BlueKota]

79. It's too bad the band didn't have a cancelation

fee in a contract. Like if whomever books them cancels a week before the gig was scheduled to occur the bar owner still must pay 50 percent of the agreed upon fee.

That way at least the asshole would pay for being an asshole.

[Canada Kid]

81. Trump Redneck bar

Patrons of this place should avoid it forever. Leave the redneck assholes to drink themselves to death. Probably won't survive for very long without half of it's regular clients.

[ECL213]

82. In other news, the Newport Music Hall in Columbus, Ohio...

has cancelled a schedule performance by Mini Kiss due to the owner's disagreement with Paul Stanley's recently stated views that Detroit is Rock City.

[NNadir]

83. That part of New Jersey is pretty much Oklahoma by the sea.

[MacKasey]

86. You are absolutely correct!

New Jersey is like 3 different states, the North, Central and Southern.

[Rocknation]

84. Bruce made the comments, not the band. And as Steve wrote in his final sentence

it's the customers' call to make, not the venue's.

People who do not wish to see the band on account of something that BRUCE said -- not THEM -- should not be deprived of the right to take their business elsewhere (though venue owners should keep in mind that bands can take their business elsewhere, too).

If Riv's owner REALLY hated Bruce Springsteen's hating Trump so much, why did he hire the cover band in the first place? He blames and punishes the band for what Bruce said, but was willing to take the money of any CUSTOMER who hates Trump but likes Bruce? That's not a moral patriotic stand, that's a grifting hypocritical double standard -- I mean, he MUST have been aware of how much Bruce "liked" New Jersey governor Chris Christie!

Well, the band not only got a replacement gig for that night, they will be sharing the bill with a band who have played at Riv's at least twice!


Rocknation

[Zambero]

85. But true conservatives insist that they are against cancel culture!

So this whole story must be "fake news", right?

[FadedMullet]

94. Bingo! Best comment yet.

[poozwah]

87. appropriate

in this case, the word “bar” is most appropriate. in place of the cover band the owner should have kid rock do a set of his greatest hits.

[SpankMe]

88. Go to Spotify

Search for "No Surrender" and stream a few of their songs from beginning to end. This might give the band a few bucks for their trouble if a few hundred - or thousand of us - stream them a little.

[ificandream]

90. Just added another incident at that place that happened in 2023. I'd definitely stay away from there.

[Mblaze]

95. It's not really obsessive Trump worship

Unless they take it all the way.

[Jimvanhise]

96. SO WHAT?

The only people who should be concerned about this is the band that was fired. This sounds like a press release sent out by the bar to get publicity and the media bought into it.

[Jrsygrl96]

98. They are re-booked!

The Headliner Oasis in Neptune, NJ has booked “No Surrender” for May 30.

Not so funny story - the Jersey Shore has been part of my entire life! In the late 70’s my stomping grounds were Ocean Grove, Bradley Beach and Asbury Park. Spent many a night at the Stone Pony and the Headliner. In the summer of 1979 we decided to see the Rocky Horror Picture Show over the Headiner bar. Sure enough, Bruce showed up at the Headliner.

Until this incident, I didn’t even know the Headliner survived all these years. Think I’ll have to make a visit on the 30th!

[kimbutgar]

99. Something tells me this business might be closed this time next year

As musicians boycott and people stopping going to it !

This decision will come back to bite them in the a$$ !

[Ritabert]

103. Another place for me to boycott

[SeattleVet]

104. Yelp has locked down the reviews for this place, but they had a ton of 1-stars well before this fiasco.

I guess their Cinco de Mayo thing was full of a bunch of racist crap, too, including a woman in a serape and sombrero sporting a 'DEPORT ILEGALS' (sic) sticker.

Many reviews state that the tacos were as tasteless as their politics.