Bruce Springsteen kicked off his 2026 tour last night with a powerful performance in Minneapolis, Minnesota, which included a lengthy statement aimed at President Trump’s administration.
The show began with a cover of the Temptations‘ counterculture-era song “War,” prefacing the song as “a prayer for our men and women in service overseas — we pray for their safe return,” and dedicating the show to “celebration and defense of American ideals” (via Variety). For much of the show, he was joined by Tom Morello, who recently rescheduled his own solo tour to take part in Springsteen’s.
While the 27-song set list covered a number of Springsteen’s popular hits — “Hungry Heart,” “Because the Night,” etc. — it also included a number of his most politically-minded tracks, like “American Skin (41 Shots),” “Long Walk Home,” “Death to My Hometown” and more.
Around the mid-show mark, Springsteen, who had appeared at last weekend’s “No Kings” rally in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area, took a few minutes to speak to the audience about the current political climate.
“We are living through some very dark times,” he said. “Our American values that have sustained us for 250 years are being challenged as never before. We’ve got our young men and women’s lives at risk in an unconstitutional and illegal war. This is happening now.
“There are immigrants being held in detention centers around the country and being deported without due process of law to alien countries and foreign gulags. This is happening now.
“Our Justice Department has completely abdicated its independence, and our attorney general, Pam Bondi, takes her marching orders straight from a corrupt White House. She prosecutes our president’s perceived enemies, covers up for his misdeeds and protects his powerful friends. This is happening now.
“The richest men in America have abandoned the world’s poorest children through death and disease, through their dismantling of USAID. This is happening now.
“We are abandoning NATO and the world order that’s kept us safe and at global peace for 80 years. This is happening now.
“We threaten our neighbors and our allies whose sons and daughters have fought alongside us in American wars with the predatory annexation of their land. This is happening now.
“Our museums are being told to whitewash American history of any unpleasant or inconvenient facts, like the full history of the brutality of slavery. You want to talk about snowflakes? We have a president who can’t handle the truth. This is happening now.
READ MORE: Bruce Springsteen’s 10 Strongest Political Songs
“While working Americans struggle, our president and his family enrich themselves by billions of dollars trading on the people’s office in corruption unmatched in American history. This is happening now.
“This White House is destroying the American idea and our reputation around the world. 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.
“Honesty, honor, humility, compassion, thoughtfulness, morality, true strength, and decency — don’t let anybody tell you that these things don’t matter anymore. They do. They are at the heart of the kind of men and women we are, the kind of citizens we are, the kind of country we’ll be leaving to our children. So many of our elected leaders have failed us that this American tragedy can only be stopped by the American people. So join us and let’s fight for the America that we love.
“Are you with us?”
During the encore, Springsteen pulled out covers of two Minnesota-born musicians, Prince (“Purple Rain“) and Bob Dylan (“Chimes of Freedom”).
You can view a complete set list below, along with video, including the first two songs of the set, which were live streamed via Springsteen’s team.
From here, the Boss and his E Street Band will bring the Land of Hope and Dreams tour across North America to cities including New York, Philadelphia, Chicago and many more. At present, the last date is scheduled for May 27 in Washington, D.C.
Springsteen’s Newest Song: ‘Streets of Minneapolis’
Springsteen’s choice to launch the tour in Minneapolis was presumably a purposeful one. In January of this year, he released “Streets of Minneapolis,” a title that nodded to his 1993 song “Streets of Philadelphia.” On Monday night in Minneapolis, he played it live for the first time with the E Street Band, which you can also watch below.
This track was a response to then-recent killings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti in Minneapolis at the hands of United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection agents. The entire project was completed within just a few days.
“I wrote this song on Saturday, recorded it yesterday and released it to you today in response to the state terror being visited on the city of Minneapolis,” Springsteen wrote on Facebook then. “It’s dedicated to the people of Minneapolis, our innocent immigrant neighbors and in memory of Alex Pretti and Renee Good. Stay free, Bruce Springsteen.”
Watch Bruce Springsteen Perform ‘War’ and ‘Born in the U.S.A.’ at 2026 Tour Launch
Watch Bruce Springsteen Perform ‘Streets of Minneapolis’ at 2026 Tour Launch
Watch Bruce Springsteen Perform Prince’s ‘Purple Rain’ at 2026 Tour Launch
Watch Bruce Springsteen Perform Bob Dylan’s ‘Chimes of Freedom’ at 2026 Tour Launch
Bruce Springsteen – March 31, 2026, Minneapolis, Minnesota Set List
1. “War” (The Temptations cover) (with Tom Morello) (first time since 2003)
2. “Born in the U.S.A.” (with Tom Morello)
3. “Death to My Hometown” (with Tom Morello)
4. “No Surrender”
5. “Darkness on the Edge of Town”
6. “Streets of Minneapolis” (first time with The E Street Band)
7. “The Promised Land”
8. “Out in the Street”
9. “Hungry Heart”
10. “Youngstown”
11. “Murder Incorporated”
12. “American Skin (41 Shots)” (with Tom Morello)
13. “Long Walk Home” (with Tom Morello) (introduced as “a prayer for my country”)
14. “House of a Thousand Guitars” (solo acoustic)
15. “My City of Ruins”
16. “Because the Night” (Patti Smith Group cover)
17. “Wrecking Ball”
18. “The Rising”
19. “The Ghost of Tom Joad” (with Tom Morello)
20. “Badlands” (with Tom Morello)
21. “Land of Hope and Dreams” (with Tom Morello)
Encore:
22. “Born to Run”
23. “Bobby Jean”
24. “Dancing in the Dark”
25. “Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out” (with Tom Morello)
26. “Purple Rain” (Prince cover) (with Tom Morello) (first time since 2016)
27. “Chimes of Freedom” (Bob Dylan cover) (with Tom Morello)
Bruce Springsteen Albums Ranked
From scrappy Dylan disciple to one of the leading singer-songwriters of his generation, the Boss’ catalog includes both big and small statements of purpose.
Gallery Credit: Michael Gallucci
