Bruce Springsteen Preaches Hope, Defiance At Tour Opener

As expected, Bruce Springsteen came out raging against the American political machine last night (March 31) at the kickoff of the E Street Band’s Land of Hope and Dreams tour in Minneapolis, during which he debuted a full band version of his protest song about the two local citizens shot to death by I.C.E. agents, “Streets of Minneapolis.”

The Boss uttered a long, anti-Donald Trump preamble before opening with the first performance of Edwin Starr’s “War” since 2003. “This White House is destroying the American idea and our reputation around the world,” he said. “To many, we are no longer looked upon as an often imperfect but strong defender of democracy standing for the global good. We are no longer the land of the free and the home of the brave. We are now, to many, America the reckless, unpredictable, predatory rogue nation. That is this administration’s and this president’s legacy. This is happening now.”

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Musically, the set list didn’t stray all that far from recent E Street Band tours, with favorites such as “Darkness on the Edge of Town,” “The Promised Land,” “Hungry Heart” and “Badlands” contrasted by the highly political “American Skin (41 Shots),” a solo acoustic “House of a Thousand Guitars” and a show-closing cover of Bob Dylan’s “Chimes of Freedom.”

Rage Against the Machine guitarist Tom Morello played on 11 of the 27 songs, including a cover of local legend Prince’s “Purple Rain” for the first time in a decade. Springsteen dedicated the performance to Prince as “the maestro.”

“If you’re feeling helpless, hopeless, betrayed, frustrated, angry, I know. I mean, that’s why the E Street Band is here tonight,” Springsteen said at one point. “This is a tour that was not planned. We’re here tonight because we need to feel your hope and your strength, and we want to bring some hope and some strength for you. I hope we did that. All I can say is, god bless Alex Pretti, god bless Renee Good, god bless you and god bless America.”

The Land of Hope and Dreams tour runs through May 27 in Washington, D.C.

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