Springsteen on Broadway, protesters wasting their time (Opinion)

Apparently, Bruce Springsteen hasn't made enough money telling his story on Broadway. Not with the previous gross of over $113 million for 236 shows at the Walter Kerr Theater, nor the $20 million-plus that Netflix paid to stream "Springsteen On Broadway." God bless him.

Saturday began another limited run at the St. James Theatre in New York through Sept. 4 with the opening night proceeds going to charities both in New York and New Jersey.

The show was attended by all the beautiful vaccinated people. Gov. Murphy was there as were “Little” Steven Van Zandt and U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg with his husband, Chasten Buttigieg, as reported by Theaterly, and a sold-out house of vaccinated fans according to the rules set by the theatre and the Boss.

Meanwhile, outside the theatre just like they did for the Foo Fighters concert last week, were the anti-vaxxers protesting the show. They held signs that said "unmasked, unvaxxed, unafraid,” “no vax passports,” and “Bruce Springsteen is for segregation on Broadway.”

I'm sure they felt like they were making a difference. But are they really?

How many people do you think changed their mind about the vaccination policy after seeing the demonstration? How many are willing to fight for the right to shell out hundreds if not thousands of dollars to see a show that they can get with a Netflix subscription?

Bruce's fans are pretty much going to do whatever Bruce tells them to do. He is the "hero of the working man," even though as he says in his show, "I've never held an honest job in my entire life."

What sucks is that I agree that the unvaccinated are the new target of segregation and prejudice. I don't understand why those that got the COVID shots should care who else did if they're protected from the virus. But in today's world, it's not about what they choose to do, it's about making sure that you do it, too.

As far as what could happen with the vaccination policy for future shows, I think if the theatre believes they can sell them out to only those who got vaccinated, they'll do it and for those shows that they're not sure of, you'll see the policy relaxed.

I'm all for protesting if you really think you can make a difference but picketing Bruce's show on a hot Saturday night wasn't going to do that. Although it will give the protesters a story to tell their friends and relatives.

If you really want to protest what's going on both in New Jersey and the country, make sure you do it Tuesday, Nov. 2 at the polls. That's where you can truly make your voice count and be heard.

The post above reflects the thoughts and observations of New Jersey 101.5 talk show host Steve Trevelise. Any opinions expressed are Steve's own. Steve Trevelise is on New Jersey 101.5 Monday-Thursday from 7pm-11pm. Follow him on Twitter @realstevetrev.

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