When Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band opened their Land of Hopes and Dreams American Tour in Minneapolis on Tuesday (March 31), it was bound to be an emotionally charged night. Coming two months after ICE agents shot and killed two U.S. citizens in Minneapolis within the space of three weeks—which spurred Springsteen to write the protest anthem “Streets of Minneapolis”—and just days after St. Paul, Minnesota, played host to the country’s flagship No Kings Rally, Springsteen’s show contained multitudes. At times, it felt like a salute to the resistance, which has coalesced in the Twin Cities, and a rallying cry to keep the faith in the face of federal aggression and feckless leaders; in other moments, it felt somber, elegiac; and sometimes, it just felt like a damn fine rock concert by one of the art form’s finest practitioners.
Few rock stars have maintained a touring presence at Springsteen’s level of excellence, and no one else of his caliber has been as outspoken about the situation in Minnesota—though shoutout to Tom Morello (who was a special guest during numerous songs on opening night and will play throughout the tour) and Brandi Carlile for holding fundraiser concerts in Minneapolis earlier this year…