It goes without saying, but he certainly deserves the honor:

President Barack Obama will be on hand to celebrate the career of Bruce Springsteen at this year’s Kennedy Center Honors Gala on December 6th. Springsteen will be joined by fellow honorees actor Robert DeNiro, director Mel Brooks, jazz great Dave Brubeck and opera singer Grace Bumbry at the ceremony, which will air December 29th on CBS. “With his gritty and honest songs that speak to the everyman, Bruce Springsteen has always had his finger on the pulse of America,” the Kennedy Center wrote today in a statement.

Whoever wrote the aforementioned condescending statement about Springsteen's ability to relate to Hoi and Polloi despite being the toast of le elite will not be receiving any awards other than continuing to work for the Kennedy center, however.

Lookout, NYC midtown traffic:

Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band, U2, Paul Simon, Metallica, Eric Clapton, Aretha Franklin, Stevie Wonder, Crosby, Stills, Nash and Friends and Simon and Garfunkel are among the legendary artists confirmed for a landmark two-night concert event celebrating the 25th anniversary of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.

Sprawling across October 29th and 30th at New York’s Madison Square Garden, the shows will feature Hall of Fame acts sharing the stage with guests and collaborators, honoring their influences and essentially retracing the history of rock in the process. For example, Crosby, Stills and Nash will share the stage with California-based artists while Metallica will lead a hard rock portion of the concerts. Stevie Wonder and Aretha Franklin will also each front a soul revue with Paul Shaffer and the CBS Orchestra.

They're going to cram all these artists who could sell out Madison Square Garden in their own right into a 2 night event? Looking forward to the live stream. We'll keep you posted as acts get added.

The Boss is adding more American dates to his tour, and NOT COMING TO CALIFORNIA!!??!

Damn you, Springsteen. Damn you.

08/18 - Hartford, CT @ Comcast Theater
08/22 - Mansfield, MA @ Comcast Center
08/23 - Mansfield, MA @ Comcast Center
08/25 - Saratoga Springs, NY @ Saratoga Performing Arts Center
09/10 - Nashville, tn @ Sommet Center
09/12 - Tampa FL @ Sommett Center
09/13 - Ft. Lauderdale, FL @ Bank Atlantic Center
09/16 - Greenville, SC @ Bi-Lo Center
09/20 - Chicago, IL @ United Center
09/30 - E. Rutherford, NJ @ Giants Stadium
10/02 - E. Rutherford, NJ @ Giants Stadium
10/03 - E. Rutherford, NJ @ Giants Stadium
10/08 - E. Rutherford, NJ @ Giants Stadium
10/09 - E. Rutherford, NJ @ Giants Stadium
10/13 - Philadelphia, PA @ Spectrum
10/14 - Philadelphia, PA @ Spectrum
10/25 - St. Louis, MO @ Scottrade Center
10/26 - Kansas City, MO @ Sprint Center
11/02 - Washington, DC @ Verizon Center
11/03 - Charlotte, NC @ Time Warner Cable Arena
11/07 - New York, NY @ Madison Square Garden
11/08 - New York, NY @ Madison Square Garden
11/10 - Cleveland, OH @ Quicken Loans Arena
11/13 - Auburn Hills, MI @ Palace at Auburn Hills
11/15 - Milwaukee, WI @ Bradley Center