Bruce Springsteen lashes out at bankers in Berlin show [View all]

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Last edited Thu May 31, 2012, 12:00 AM - Edit history (1)

Rocker Bruce Springsteen touched on a nerve of widespread discontent with the financiers and bankers at a Berlin concert on Wednesday, railing against them as "greedy thieves" and "robber barons."

Springsteen, a singer-songwriter dubbed "The Boss" who has long championed populist causes, played to a sold-out crowd at Berlin's Olympic Stadium, singing from his album "Wrecking Ball" and speaking about tough economic times that have put people out of work worldwide and led to debt crises in Greece and other countries.

"In America, a lot of people have lost their jobs," said Springsteen, 62, who performed for three hours to some 58,000 fans in the packed stadium that hosted the 1936 Olympics and the 2006 World Cup final.

"But also in Europe and in Berlin, times are tough," he added, speaking in fluent German. "This song is for all those who are struggling." He then introduced "Jack of All Trades", a withering attack on bankers that includes the lyrics: "The banker man grows fat, working man grows thin."

http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/05/31/entertainment-us-brucespringsteen-berlin-idUSBRE84U00N20120531

Springsteen slams 'greedy' bankers during concert
http://entertainment.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/05/30/11972974-springsteen-slams-greedy-bankers-during-concert?lite