Wednesday, March 28, 2012

The Boss Pays Homage to Trayvon Martin



Florida, the state currently under National media siege and scrutiny after an unarmed teenager, Trayvon Martin was shot and killed by a neighborhood watch member George Zimmerman, in what Zimmerman claims was self-defense. The killing has sparked outrage since Zimmerman was never arrested.

Last Friday in Tampa, while Bruce Springsteen and the E-Street Band were on tour, the Boss broke out a rare song, "American Skin (41 Shots)." A song he wrote for murdered, New York City resident Amadou Diallo, who in 1999 was shot by four different police officers as he reached into his pocket to pull out his wallet, while the officer's claimed he was pulling out a gun. 41 shots were fired in total at the unarmed Diallo. Springsteen performed the song for the first time at his reunion gigs with the E-Street band in 2000.

Here in this video, Springsteen pays a 9-minute tribute to Martin, who died in similar conditions.