Bruce Springsteen’s Donald Trump Critiques Earn Him A New Top 10 Bestseller

Bruce Springsteen kicked off the latest leg of his global tour in mid-May, bringing his show to the United Kingdom. The rocker launched the trek under the simple name Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band 2023-2025 Tour, but after a brief hiatus, the musician renamed the run the Land of Hope and Dreams Tour.

Springsteen taped his opening night performance in Manchester on May 14 and recently surprise-released an EP featuring half a dozen tracks from that concert. That set has quickly become a bestseller in the United Kingdom, as attendees seek to relive the experience, while others are drawn in not only by the star’s name, but by a bit of controversy.

Land of Hope and Dreams Debuts

The appropriately-titled Land of Hope and Dreams EP opens this week at No. 8 on the Official Album Downloads chart. It becomes a fast top 10 bestseller after less than a full tracking frame.

Springsteen earns his fourteenth top 10 on the Official Album Downloads tally with Land of Hope and Dreams. Most of the collections he’s placed on the roster have reached the uppermost region, with a total of 22 projects making it to the list.

Another Top 10 for Bruce Springsteen

The new EP marks Springsteen’s first placement on the Official Album Downloads list in just over a year. His compilation The Best Of arrived in early May 2024. Before that, he last scored a new top 10 several years ago when Only the Strong Survive opened and peaked at No. 2 in November 2022.

Political Comments Cause Controversy

Part of what has fueled the success of Land of Hope and Dreams is that it includes not only music, but also commentary delivered during the May 14 concert. At the show, Springsteen criticized American President Donald Trump in very blunt terms. Some people love what he said, while others have shunned the musician.

His rebuke drew a direct response from Trump, who called the musician “highly overrated and dumb.” Springsteen doesn’t appear fazed by the insult. In fact, he’s leaned into the controversy by making his comments a public part of the EP’s content, ensuring they are preserved and widely heard.