Springsteen closes Sept. 11 inspired tour in NY

NEW YORK Oct 3 - Rock'n'roll superstar Bruce Springsteen wraps up his worldwide ``The Rising'' tour on a political note this weekend in New York, where the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks provided inspiration for his latest songs.

Springsteen wove strong criticism of the administration of President George W. Bush into the first of the final three shows at Shea Stadium on Wednesday night, playing a recording of Bush talking about weapons of mass destruction, questioning America's motives for the war in Iraq and calling for Bush's defeat as he seeks re-election next year.

``It is time to impeach the president and put in somebody that knows what they're doing,'' the musician, known as ``The Boss,'' told the crowd.

Heading into the hit ``Born in the U.S.A.,'' he said: ``The question of whether we were misled into the war in Iraq isn't a liberal or conservative or Republican or Democratic question, it's an American one.

``Demanding accountability from our leaders is our responsibility, our job as citizens,'' he said.

The impact his message made in the vast open-air baseball stadium, where some 50,000 people sat, was mixed. True believers clapped harder, while more casual fans chatted or wandered in search of cold beer as Springsteen paused to speak or play his quieter tunes.

Hard-core fans - such as the 50 Britons who arrived by charter plane to catch the three-show series - were thrilled.

``Bruce is a working-class hero,'' said Martin Seemley, a hospital biologist from Sheffield, England, who paid about US$2,000 for the trip. ``It's just Bruce mania.''

Springsteen and the E Street Band kicked off ``The Rising'' tour in the summer of 2002, traveled around the United States, Canada, Europe and Australia and sold more than 3 million tickets.

Paying homage to New York and the victims of the attack on the World Trade Centre, they opened with ``Souls of the Departed'' and the title song from ``The Rising,'' a collection of songs inspired by the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, before heading into a string of favorites including ``Johnny 99'' and ``Kitty's Back.''

Springsteen, 54, closed the exuberant three-hour show - during ``which he skidded across the stage a la Chuck Berry - with ``Dancing in the Dark.''

The second show in New York is scheduled for Friday night, with closing night on Saturday. - Reuters