From the moment Springsteen stepped under the Manchester lights, the show felt less like a concert and more like a warning flare. Between songs, he spoke about an America he believes is being twisted away from its promises, accusing Trump’s administration of shredding alliances, mocking workers’ pain, and flirting with authoritarian strongmen. He framed rock ’n’ roll as a last, defiant language of dissent, insisting that art still has the power to shame the powerful and rally the frightened.

Trump’s blistering reply only deepened the divide. By ridiculing Springsteen’s looks, intelligence, and politics, he turned a political disagreement into a bare-knuckled brawl over what kind of country America wants to be. Yet Springsteen, who once called Trump “the most dangerous candidate” of his lifetime, shows no sign of backing down. As his European tour rolls on and a new archival album looms, he seems intent on singing, and fighting, until the final encore.