The Meadowlands Tailgate Party 2014

The B Street Band, a Bruce Springsteen tribute band, will not play the Garden State Inaugural Ball. (Alex Remnick/The Star-Ledger)

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BELMAR -- Bruce Springsteen's music will not soundtrack Donald Trump's inaugural celebrations after all.

The B Street Band, a long-running Boss tribute act based in Belmar, announced Monday it will not play the Garden State Inaugural Ball in Washington Thursday, after a weekend of intense criticism and thousands of emails from around the world.

"It's like we were in a hurricane," keyboardist Will Forte told NJ.com Monday. "And we realized what was most important to us was being grateful and respectful to Bruce. The last thing we want is for it to seem like we are being disingenuous to him and E Street."

The band now deals with the legal consequences of breaking a contract with the bipartisan event, held by the New Jersey State Society, but Forte added: "that still wasn't as big as my worry that we were being disrespectful to Bruce."

In an earlier statement provided to the Springsteen fan blog Backstreets.com, Forte emphasized the band's reverence for Springsteen as the group's reason for withdrawing.

"Our decision is based SOLELY on the respect and gratitude we have for Bruce and the E Street Band," Forte told the website. "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 was met with a media deluge last Thursday, when news broke that they would be playing the event, ostensibly connecting them to Trump. The ball is held quadrennially, regardless of who takes office.

Forte initially defended the gig, saying the band had signed a contract to play in 2013 and planned to honor it.

But the backlash proved to be too much from Springsteen's fans, who in comments sections across New York Times, Rolling Stone and NJ.com stories online labeled the group (in much harsher terms) an unfitting extension of Springsteen's music and values.

Springsteen has publicly called Trump a "moron" to Rolling Stone and earlier this month admitted to Marc Maron's "WTF" podcast that he is fearful for America under Trump's rule.

The New Jersey State Society released a statement Monday regarding B Street's cancellation: "We are very disappointed but we understand the decision based on all the questions and attention this has brought to the B Street Band. Our New Jersey State Society mission has always been to bring people together in a congenial, nonpartisan way. In New Jersey, we are always stronger than the storm."

The band's decision comes on the heels of a similar about-face from Broadway noble Jennifer Holliday, who also withdrew from an inauguration performance, citing loyalty to her fans after a firestorm on social media.

As for Trump's inauguration Friday, what we know so far is that teen opera singer and "America's Got Talent" star Jackie Evancho will sing the National Anthem. Elton John, Andrea Bocelli, Celine Dion, and Garth Brooks have all turned down the gig.

Bobby Olivier may be reached at bolivier@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @BobbyOlivier. Find NJ.com on Facebook.