Bette Midler faces barrage of criticism for lame performance of old Woody Guthrie song

Bette Midler.

Broadway and Hollywood icon Bette Midler on Sunday night performed at an event billed as a celebration of the First Amendment in New York City that took place at the same time President Trump was celebrating his 80th birthday at the White House with a UFC event. Midler faced a barrage of criticism on social media over the performance of a reimagined protest song from the 1940s.

The performance took place at an event called Rise Up, Sing Out: A Concert for the First Amendment, which was organized and hosted by Jane Fonda, who delivered a speech that made numerous accusations about the Trump administration violating the First Amendment without citing any specific examples or evidence.

Other speakers included Julia Roberts, Robert DeNiro,Joy Reid, the drag queen Peppermint and several others, who contributed to an evening spent airing grievances about Trump administration policies. 

But what really caught people's attention on social media was Midler's performance, which was uninspired, out-of-touch and positively cringeworthy. Midler, 80, told the audience she changed the lyrics of an old-time protest song that was released by Woody Guthrie in 1940, according to Fox News, "to fit our time." The result was "All You Fascists Bound To Lose," with Midler pronouncing would "fight" any advancing fascists "at the gate."

Earlier this spring, Middler talked about why she was reviving the 86-year-old song. "I was talking to Jane Fonda the other day, and she said, ‘We need an anthem,'" Midler told Rolling Stone, Fox News reported. "So I looked back at [some] catalogs and an old Woody Guthrie song stuck in my head."

Many of the reactions to Midler's performance centered on how liberals continue to do things that alienate regular people, which drives increasing numbers of longtime Democrats out of the party altogether. Some questioned the timing of the event, which seemed to be a misguided attempt to counter-program Trump's event at the White House.

Others pointed out that Midler is Jewish, but is aligning herself with a party that has been frequently adopting anti-Semitic rhetoric. Watch a clip of the performance below.