B-Street Band pull out of Trump's inauguration gala 'out of respect for Bruce Springsteen'

A self-proclaimed Bruce Springsteen tribute band has decided not to perform at President-elect Donald Trump's gala ahead of his inauguration. The B-Street Band were booked to perform at the Garden State Inaugural Gala, the pre-inauguration ball taking place in Washington DC before the formal inauguration on 20 January.

According to reports, the band – which has performed covers of Springsteen and his E Street Band since the 1980s – backed out of the gig after receiving numerous emails from the public over their scheduled appearance.

The music group said in a statement that their decision "is based solely on the respect and gratitude we have for Bruce and the E Street Band".

"With deepest apologies to our fans and the New Jersey Inaugural Ball committee, the B Street Band is withdrawing from performing at this year's inauguration Gala. Bruce's music has been the foundation of our livelihood. The B Street Band would not exist without the talents of Bruce and our E Street brothers," the band said in a statement.

In the run-up to the November 2016 presidential election, Springsteen had repeatedly criticised Trump and also called the business tycoon a "moron" in an interview with Rolling Stone magazine.

The Born in the USA singer, who was supporting Hillary Clinton, had appeared at a rally in support of the Democrat days before the election.

However, the 67-year-old has not commented on the latest development, but his bandmate Stevie Van Zandt lauded B-Street's decision.

Zandt said in a Twitter message: "Nice guys. Met them. I wouldn't say right or wrong. Up to them. But it's naive to think one can separate Art and Politics. Art IS Politics."

Earlier, actress Jennifer Holliday also dropped out of Trump's inauguration event, citing an online article that cast the performance as a "betrayal" of her gay and lesbian fans.