US rock icon Bruce Springsteen spoke out in defense of America as a "land of hope and dreams" and against "hatred" during a surprise appearance at the New York premiere of his new biopic.
The 76-year-old rocker, known to his fans as The Boss, and who is a fierce critic of US President Donald Trump, said he brought his "lifelong weapon of choice," the acoustic guitar, to the stage at the Sunday screening of "Springsteen: Deliver me from Nowhere."
"These days...we have daily events reminding us of the fact that we're living through these particularly dangerous times," Springsteen told the audience at Lincoln Center before performing a solo ballad of his song, "Land of Hope and Dreams."
Strumming a few chords on his guitar, Springsteen said he had spent his life on the road "as kind of a musical ambassador for America...trying to measure the distance between American reality, where we've often fallen short of our ideals, and the American dream."
Despite seeing his country being battered "as she feels right now," the 20-time Grammy Award winner added, "she continues to be a land of hope and dreams, not of fear or divisiveness or government censorship or hatred -- that America is worth fighting for."
Trump, who returned to power in January, has regularly attacked Springsteen, dismissing the star as "very overrated." The president has also criticized other artists who have spoken out against him, such as pop superstars Beyonce and Taylor Swift.
"Springsteen: Deliver from Nowhere," a feature film directed by Scott Cooper, focuses on the creation of the album "Nebraska" (1982), considered one of Springsteen's major works.
Springsteen is played by Jeremy Allen White, star of the hit TV series "The Bear." The film is scheduled to be released in US cinemas on October 24.
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