The 2025 American Music Honors, introduced by the Bruce Springsteen Archives & Middle for American Music at Monmouth College in West Lengthy Department, New Jersey, gathered legends of rock, nation, soul and Americana Saturday evening for a night of memorable performances and heartfelt tributes. However by the point visitor of honor Bruce Springsteen took the rostrum on the Pollak Theatre, even he had sufficient of himself.
“If I hear my identify once more, I’m going to fucking throw up,” Springsteen joked. “Let’s speak about fucking another person.”
With that, the highlight shifted to the night’s honorees: Smokey Robinson, Emmylou Harris, Tom Morello, John Fogerty and Joe Ely. Every was celebrated by a standout lineup of presenters and performers together with Springsteen, Patti Scialfa, Steve Van Zandt, and Nils Lofgren. The evening, hosted by Brian Williams, additionally featured a shock efficiency from 2024’s honoree Jackson Browne. Browne joined Springsteen, Morello and the home band — The Disciples of Soul beneath the route of Marc Ribler— for a raucous encore of “Take It Simple,” the Eagles basic Ribler co-wrote with Glenn Frey.
Ely, the Texas troubadour and progressive nation pioneer, was acknowledged by Springsteen, who spoke reverently of his longtime buddy, who couldn’t attend as a consequence of well being points. Springsteen reminisced about his 30-plus 12 months friendship with Ely, recalling a wild evening in Dublin with Ely and Jerry Lee Lewis. Ed Grey accepted Ely’s award on his behalf. Springsteen then returned to the stage with the Disciples of Soul for a fiery rendition of “All Simply to Get to You.”
Lofgren inducted Morello with a tribute highlighting Morello’s mix of musical brilliance and political activism. “Tom melds types and genres like no one else,” Lofgren stated. “He loves and combines all of them in a soul soup that’s all his personal.”
Morello delivered a passionate acceptance speech referring to justice, activism, and humor, calling himself the “solely Ivy League, Star Trek-loving nerd on this planet’s greatest political rock-rap band.”
“It’s an honor to be right here on the final massive awards occasion earlier than they throw us all in jail,” Morello stated. “All music, for my part, is political. There has by no means been a profitable social motion on this nation that didn’t have a terrific soundtrack.”
Morello cited “We Shall Overcome” and Hendrix’s rendition of “The Star-Spangled Banner,” additional including that “one or two Rage In opposition to the Machine songs had been heard pumping within the streets at anti-Trump demonstrations final weekend,” drawing applause. Morello and Springsteen adopted with a searing efficiency of “The Ghost of Tom Joad.” Robinson later joked that Morello had his vote if he ever ran for workplace.
Scialfa gave a heat introduction for Harris, praising her chart-topping success and distinctive voice. “She’s bought all of it — and that hair. It’s exhausting to get a track to No. 1. I’m chatting with my husband,” Sclialfa stated, referencing how husband Springsteen has famously by no means had a Quantity One-charting track.
Harris accepted the award with grace and humility, recalling performing with Gram Parsons earlier than becoming a member of Scialfa on the haunting “Purple Dust Lady.” “I simply really feel virtually unreal to be on this firm,” Harris stated. “I simply keep in mind myself as a 16-year-old sitting in my room listening to a radio present, enjoying all the folks music from 1964 to ’65, and it’s exhausting to consider that I’m standing right here amongst all these different honorees.”
In a candy second, Harris requested for a sip of tea for her dry throat, then used the second to reward Springsteen’s “Nebraska” as inspiration for her songwriting periods within the ’80s.
Taking the stage once more, Springsteen launched Fogerty with excessive reward, calling him “the Hank Williams of our era.” Itemizing off Fogerty’s hits — together with “Who’ll Cease the Rain?” — Springsteen confessed that “I’ve by no means had a No. 1 hit. Individuals ask what songs I want I’d written. My reply? John Fogerty’s complete catalog.”
In his speech, Fogerty spoke of singing in church and forming Creedence Clearwater Revival. He advised the gang that he “wasn’t ready for the grasping half” of the music business, recalling his notorious decades-long battle to take again possession of his catalog. “The worst half was I didn’t personal my very own songs,” he stated, thanking his spouse Julie for serving to him get them again in 2023. “You ladies already know this, however behind each man is a good girl.”
He and Springsteen launched into “Unhealthy Moon Rising,” sending the gang right into a frenzy.
Robinson was the ultimate inductee, launched by Van Zandt, who gave a deep dive into Robinson’s affect from “Store Round” with The Miracles to his solo work and songwriting for others.
“I’ve singer heroes, songwriter heroes, track arranger heroes, and music producer heroes, and when you’ve all of them in the identical man, you get Smokey Robinson,” Van Zandt stated. “One can clearly join a dozen of my songs to his affect.”
Robinson stored his speech quick and humble earlier than becoming a member of Van Zandt for a spirited duet of “Tears of a Clown.”
“I’m honored to be a member of your American Music Honors, Bruce,” Robinson stated.
The encore noticed Springsteen, Van Zandt, and Robinson bounce into “Going to a Go-Go,” earlier than Browne returned for “Take It Simple” with Lofgren on accordion. Fogerty closed with “Proud Mary” and “Lucky Son.”
Springsteen’s personal “Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out” had him deep into the gang, igniting the room. The evening concluded with a stirring, full-cast rendition of Woody Guthrie’s “This Land is Your Land,” led by Morello and that includes the not often sung, once-censored closing verse. Darlene Love and Nora Guthrie, Woody Guthrie’s daughter, joined in.
Notable faces within the viewers included photographers Danny Clinch, Pam Springsteen, and Rob DeMartin. former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, director Thom Zimny, songwriter Steve Forbert and former Knicks participant and U.S. senator Invoice Bradley. Extra audio system included Monmouth College President Dr. Patrick Leahy, New Jersey Lt. Governor Tahesha Approach, and Bob Santelli, government director of the Springsteen Archives.
The Springsteen Archives, presently housed on the Monmouth campus, celebrates Springsteen’s legacy whereas honoring American greats like Woody Guthrie, Robert Johnson and Frank Sinatra. A brand new constructing is predicted to open in summer time 2026.
