Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band launched their new Land of Hope and Dreams American tour last night (March 31) at the Target Center in Minneapolis, and having recently flagged up the fact that this new tour is going to be "political", Springsteen did not hold back on sharing his thoughts on Donald Trump's presidency.
Before a single note of music was played, and before the stage lights were illuminated, the 76-year-old New Jersey-born singer-songwriter stepped up to the mic in darkness and delivered an unambiguous manifesto for the 20-date campaign.
"I want to begin the night with a prayer for our men and women in the service overseas," he told his audience at the 20,00 capacity arena. "We pray for their safe return. The mighty E Street Band is here tonight to call upon the righteous power of art, of music, of rock 'n' roll, in dangerous times. We are here in celebration and defence of our American ideals, democracy, our Constitution, and our sacred American promise.
"The America that I love, the America that I’ve written about for 50 years, that's been a beacon of hope and liberty around the world, is currently in the hands of a corrupt, incompetent, racist, reckless, and treasonous administration.
"Tonight we ask all of you to join with us in choosing hope over fear, democracy over authoritarianism, the rule of law over lawlessness, ethics over unbridled corruption, resistance over complacency, unity over division, and peace over war."
As if this mission statement were not emphatic enough, Springsteen and his band, augmented for the tour by guest guitarist Tom Morello (Rage Against The Machine), launched his 27-song set with a cover of The Temptations / Edwin Starr's anti-Vietnam War protest song War.
Springsteen has since shared the set's introduction on his YouTube channel, which you can watch below.
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Ahead of the live debut of his own most recent protest song, Streets of Minneapolis, surprise-released in January, Springsteen passionately addressed his audience once more.
"This past winter, federal troops brought death and terror to the streets of Minneapolis," he began. "Well, they picked the wrong town. The power of solidarity, of the people of Minneapolis, was an inspiration to the entire country.
"Your strength and your commitment told us this is still America, and this will not stand," he continued. "Minnesota, you gave us hope. You gave us courage. And for those who gave their lives, Renee Good, mother of three, brutally murdered, and Alex Pretti, VA nurse, executed by ICE and left to die in the street without even the decency of our lawless government investigating their deaths. Their bravery, their sacrifice, and their names will not be forgotten."
Later in the set, Springsteen performed a solo version of House of a Thousand Guitars, from 2020's Letter To You. With its lyrical reference to a "criminal clown" who has "stolen the throne", the target of its ire did not need to be officially identified.
The set ended with selected covers, including a nod to a hometown hero in the shape of Purple Rain, before Springsteen signed off by honouring two US counter-cultural legends, with performances of Bob Dylan's Chimes of Freedom, and Woody Guthrie's This Land Is Your Land.
The tour continues on April 3 at the Moda Center in Portland, Oregon.
Announcing the run in February, Springsteen declared, "We will be rocking your town in celebration and in defence of America - American democracy, American freedom, our American Constitution and our sacred American dream - all of which are under attack by our wannabe king and his rogue government in Washington, D.C."
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