Bruce Springsteen’s Tony Awards performance upset some Broadway fans on Twitter

Following an introduction from Robert De Niro in which the actor cursed President Donald Trump, New Jersey's own Bruce Springsteen took the stage at Sunday night's Tony Awards ceremony for a performance that drew less-than-favorable responses from some viewers on Twitter.

"F— Trump. It's no longer 'Down with Trump.' It's Just 'F— Trump," DeNiro said to cheers on Sunday prior to introducing Springsteen. He added that Springsteen, of Freehold, New Jersey, is "always fighting for, in your own words, truth, transparency, and integrity in government."

"Boy, do we need that now. So, congratulations on your Tony for 'Springsteen on Broadway,' or as I like to call it, 'Jersey Boy,'" De Niro added.

>> READ MORE: 'Springsteen on Broadway' review

Springsteen then took the stage for a solo performance of "My Hometown" from his hit Broadway show, Springsteen on Broadway, which earned the Boss a Special Tony Award on Sunday. The track previously appeared on 1984's Born in the USA.

"Here we lived in the shadow of the steeple," The Boss said of Freehold, "where the holy rubber meets the road, all crookedly blessed in God's mercy, in the heart-stopping, pants-dropping, race-rioting, freaking, soul-shaking, redneck, love-and-fear-making, heartbreaking town of Freehold, New Jersey."

The performance, however, wasn't exactly well-received by some Tony Awards viewers on Twitter. Several users complained that the song, which ran about six minutes, ran too long and cut into acceptance speeches, while others took issue with Springsteen's appearing onstage at all.

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Actor Neil Patrick Harris, for example, ribbed Springsteen for using a teleprompter:

Others disliked the performance for Springsteen's apparent mumbling of the song's lyrics:

For others still, the Boss' performance was just long and boring:

Several viewers also disliked having Springsteen, a straight, white male, perform during Pride Month, which celebrates gay culture:

While Springsteen took home just one Tony for his Broadway run, hit show The Band's Visit conquered the evening with 10 awards, including one for best new musical. Aside from Springsteen, Andrew Lloyd Weber, Chita Rivera, and John Leguizamo also took home Special Tony Awards.

"Bruce Springsteen was born to run. I was born in Queens, so I had to run," Leguizamo said on Sunday. "And I ran all the way to Broadway, yo."

Springsteen, meanwhile thanked manager Jon Landau and wife Patti Scialfa, as well as the Broadway community at large, during his award acceptance earlier in the evening.

"Thank you for making me feel so welcome on the block," he said. "Being part of the Broadway community has been a great thrill and an honor and one of the most exciting things I have ever experienced."

Springsteen on Broadway is currently scheduled to run at the Walter Kerr Theatre through mid-December.