A Bruce Springsteen tribute band had their May 30 gig at Riv’s Toms River Hub canceled after the bar owner took issue with Springsteen’s recent political comments. The nine-piece band, No Surrender, was informed by owner Tony Rivoli that the show would be “too risky at the moment” due to his conservative clientele. Band leader Brad Hobicorn received concerned texts from Rivoli shortly after Springsteen’s comments criticizing President Trump went viral.
Rivoli allegedly canceled the show, which had been booked nine months in advance, citing the restaurant’s conservative customer base. In a text message to Hobicorn, Rivoli wrote, “Unfortunately it’s just too much money. I wanted to do the Springsteen tribute for that money, my social media team would have promoted it, we would have done well, but now because Bruce can’t keep his mouth shut, we’re screwed.”
Hobicorn offered to have the band play only classic-rock covers instead of Springsteen, but Rivoli balked at paying $2,500 for a classic-rock cover band.
In a message to the band’s bassist, Guy Fleming, Rivoli stated, “Whenever the national anthem plays, my bar stands and is in total silence, that’s our clientele.
Bar cancellation impacts tribute band
Toms River is red and won’t stand for his bull—.”
After Fleming posted about the situation on Facebook, Rivoli seemed to change his stance, insisting he never canceled the gig and had changed his mind.
However, the band decided it was too late for the bar owner to backtrack. “This is not political for us at all,” Hobicorn said. “We’re just a cover band that’s trying to make some money, and people rely on it financially.
We’re the ones really getting hurt.”
Rivoli maintained that the cover band could have played, but acknowledged that many of his customers may not have attended due to Springsteen’s comments. Instead of playing at Riv’s Toms River Hub, No Surrender has been booked to play at Headliner Oasis in Neptune Township on May 30. The incident highlights the ongoing political divide and its impact on local businesses and musicians.
