Springsteen Plays To The Crowd In Kennedyana--aka Massachusetts

Preaching to the choir just about sums up the latest anti-Bush tirade by "The Boss":

MANSFIELD, Massachusetts (Reuters) - Branching off from his rock'n' roll roots, Bruce Springsteen kicked off his summer U.S. tour on Saturday with songs made famous by folk musician and activist Pete Seeger and strong political overtones.

Backed by a raucous 18-piece band, Springsteen played folk tunes including "We Shall Overcome," an anthem of the U.S. civil rights movement and "Bring Them Home," an anti-war song dating to the Vietnam War era.

During a break between songs, he offered harsh words for the administration of President George W. Bush and its handling of last year's devastating Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans, which killed more than 1,500 people in Louisiana alone.

"I've never seen anything like it in any American city," Springsteen said of the flooding and destruction. Referring to Bush, whom he called "President Bystander" in a performance in New Orleans last month, Springsteen added, "He managed to gut the only agency, through political cronyism, that could help people at a time like this."

Many of the fans at an arena in Mansfield, about 30 miles

south of Boston, said they were happy to hear his thoughts on politics, although they were not sure if he had changed many minds.

"If it gets people informed about the issues, I think that's good," said Julie Tambascio, 39, of Boston.