At the Tribeca Film Festival on June 13, 2026, Bruce Springsteen publicly apologized to Bono for once blocking his beloved 2007 song “Girls in Their Summer Clothes” from being used in a Gap advertisement tied to Bono’s Variety’s report on Springsteen’s RED campaign regret, admitting before the crowd: “I should have f—ing done it!”
The candid moment came as the evening’s centrepiece — Bono presenting Springsteen with the Harry Belafonte Voices for Social Justice Award — turned into an unexpectedly personal exchange between two rock legends. Bono recalled approaching Springsteen about the commercial years ago, pitching the song with characteristic ardour: “Bruce, this song ‘Girls in Their Summer Clothes,’ this is like one of the great pop songs ever. Would you think about using it for a commercial?” Springsteen turned him down flat at the time.
Years later, the rejection still stings — but now Springsteen is the one doing the regretting. According to The Hollywood Reporter’s coverage of the Tribeca ceremony, Springsteen explained his change of heart: “People would hear it like a hit, you know?” The Gap spot would have raised funds for Bono’s (RED) initiative, which channels commercial partnerships into HIV/AIDS research and treatment.
“Girls in Their Summer Clothes,” from Springsteen’s 2007 album Magic, is widely regarded as one of his most irresistible pop compositions — a Wall of Sound-influenced portrait of urban loneliness that Springsteen himself has cited as a personal favourite. The revelation that he once had the chance to give it a massive commercial platform and declined now reads, in his own words, as a missed opportunity.
The evening at Tribeca was otherwise a celebration. Patti Smith performed “People Have the Power,” with both Springsteen and Bono joining her as backing vocalists — a spontaneous-feeling moment that underlined the night’s themes of music as civic conscience. Springsteen closed the ceremony with an acoustic rendition of “Land of Hope and Dreams.”
The Harry Belafonte Voices for Social Justice Award is among the most resonant honours in Tribeca’s portfolio, given to artists whose work extends beyond entertainment into activism. Springsteen’s receipt of it placed him in a lineage directly tied to the late Belafonte, whose lifelong commitment to civil rights informed every dimension of his career.
The festival has been a hub of celebrity activity this week. Katy Perry and Justin Trudeau walked the Tribeca red carpet together earlier in the week, ahead of Perry’s Lifetime’s Tour Paris leg, while Madonna unveiled her Confessions II documentary at Tribeca, featuring Sabrina Carpenter and Benedict Cumberbatch in surprising supporting roles.
