Watch Bruce Springsteen receive the National Medal of Arts from President Joe Biden

Bruce Springsteen and President Joe Biden shaking hands
(Image credit: PBS NewsHour)

In a brief ceremony in the East Room of The White House, Bruce Springsteen has been awarded the National Medal of Arts by President Joe Biden.

Springsteen was awarded the medal, "For his extraordinary contributions to the American songbook, and for being 'The Boss'." 

Springsteen's introduction continued, "One of our greatest performers and storytellers, Bruce Springsteen's music celebrates our triumphs, heals our wounds and gives us hope, capturing the unyielding spirit of what it means to be American."

Other recipients of this year's medals included soul singer Gladys Knight, Puerto Rican musician José Feliciano, Seinfeld/Veep actor Julia Louis-Dreyfus, and comedian, actor and author Mindy Kaling.

Footage of Springsteen receiving his medal can be viewed at 32'48" in the clip below. Springsteen previously received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Barack Obama in 2016. 

Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band's US tour continues, and will climax with a New Jersey show at the Prudential Center in Newark on April 14, before heading to Europe for a run of European stadium shows. The tour is scheduled to kick off at the Olympic Stadium in Barcelona on April 28, 2023, and wrap up at the Monza Racing Circuit in Italy on July 25. Tickets are on sale now

Bruce Springsteen Tour 2023

Mar 23: Buffalo Keybank Center, NY
Mar 25: Greensboro Coliseum, NC
Mar 27: Washington Capital One Area, DC
Mar 29: Detroit Little Caesars Arena, MI
Apr 01: New York Madison Square Garden, NY
Apr 03: Brooklyn Barclays Center, NY
Apr 05: Cleveland Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse, OH
Apr 07: Baltimore CFG Bank Arena, MD
Apr 09: Belmont Park USB Arena, NY
Apr 11: Belmont Park USB Arena, NY
Apr 14: Newark Prudential Center, NJ

Apr 28: Barcelona Estadi Olímpic, Spain
May 05: Dublin RDS Arena , Ireland
May 07: Dublin RDS Arena, Ireland
May 13: Paris La Défense Arena, France
May 18: Ferrara, Parco Urbano G. Bassani, Italy
May 21: Rome Circo Massimo, Italy
May 25: Amsterdam Johan Cruijff ArenA, The Netherlands
Jun 11: Landgraaf Megaland, The Netherlands
Jun 13: Zurich, Stadion Letzigrund Switzerland
Jun 21: Düsseldorf Merkur Spiel Arena, Germany
Jun 24: Gothenburg Ullevi, Sweden
Jun 26: Gothenburg Ullevi, Sweden
Jun 30: Oslo Voldsløkka, Norway
Jul 11: Copenhagen Parken, Denmark
Jul 13: Copenhagen Parken, Denmark
Jul 15: Hamburg Volksparkstadion, Germany
Jul 18: Vienna Ernst Happel Stadion, Austria
Jul 23: Munich Olympiastadion, Germany
Jul 25: Monza Prato della Gerascia, Autodromo di Monza, Italy

Fraser Lewry

Online Editor at Louder/Classic Rock magazine since 2014. 38 years in music industry, online for 25. Also bylines for: Metal Hammer, Prog Magazine, The Word Magazine, The Guardian, The New Statesman, Saga, Music365. Former Head of Music at Xfm Radio, A&R at Fiction Records, early blogger, ex-roadie, published author. Once appeared in a Cure video dressed as a cowboy, and thinks any situation can be improved by the introduction of cats. Favourite Serbian trumpeter: Dejan Petrović.