Bruce Springsteen hits back at London gig silencing

Bruce Springsteen has poked fun at the organisers who cut short his London gig on Saturday.

Taking to the stage in Dublin, the star flipped a switch on a huge prop power generator and said: "Before we were so rudely interrupted..."

He then launched into the last minute of Twist And Shout, the Beatles' song cut short at his Hyde Park concert.

It was one of a number of digs the star made about his London show during the three-and-a-half hour concert.

At the Hard Rock Calling event in Hyde Park, Springsteen exceeded the time limit set by organisers, who pulled the plug on his set.

He had welcomed Sir Paul McCartney on stage for renditions of the Beatles' I Saw Her Standing There and Twist and Shout, but their microphones were turned off before they could thank the crowd.

Maurice Savage, who was at the RDS, said Springsteen told fans there was no curfew in Ireland "to wild applause".

After opening with Twist And Shout, his second song of the night was a cover of I Fought The Law.

Springsteen also held up a sign which read "Only the Boss says when to pull the plug" while wheeling on a huge on/off switch before playing Dancing in the Dark.

Towards the end of the show, a man dressed as a London police officer came on stage and tried to arrest the musician.

Chris Donaghue tweeted: "Played up the curfew thing all night. Great gig!!!"

"The Boss was awesome," posted Matt Cooper, adding, "Did he milk the Hyde Park debacle!"

Dublin City Council chiefs didn't escape the light-hearted digs. Springsteen and his band were fined an estimated 50,000 euros (£39,246) for breaching their curfew at two shows in July 2009.

"We're not sure when the curfew is tonight. Do you really have curfews in Ireland?" he said of the 11pm cut-off point agreed between promoters and Dublin City Council Planning.

In addition to I Fought the Law, other songs played at the show included The River, Dancing In The Dark and My Hometown, the latter dedicated to U2 singer Bono.

Despite all the jokes about curfews, Springsteen ended the gig before 23:00 - well within the rules.