Bruce Springsteen brings 'hope and strength,' honors Prince at concert

Melissa Ruggieri, USA TODAYWed, April 1, 2026 at 12:31 PM UTC

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MINNEAPOLIS – He was there in the 1980s to defend war veterans with "Born in the U.S.A."

He was there in the 1990s to spotlight the hardships of poverty with "The Ghost of Tom Joad."

He was there in the 2000s to soothe our souls after the unthinkable tragedy of Sept. 11 with "The Rising."

And now, Bruce Springsteen is there again, the staunchest voice in music condemning the actions of the Trump administration; writing a song – "Streets of Minneapolis" – to honor the lives of Renee Good and Alex Pretti, who were killed by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents; playing No Kings rallies in the city; and starting a tour there as a bold statement.

"They picked the wrong town," Springsteen said from the stage of the Target Center about ICE. "The power and solidarity of Minneapolis, of Minnesota, is an inspiration to the entire country."

Tom Morello and Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band perform during Land of Hope & Dreams American Tour at Target Center on March 31, 2026, in Minneapolis.

Anyone who didn't know the purpose of the quickly arranged Land of Hope & Dreams American Tour was educated moments after the houselights dropped at the March 31 kickoff.

Springsteen, 76, asked for prayers for the "men and women overseas and … their safe return." He urged the sold-out to the rafters crowd to "choose hope over fear" and use the "righteous power of art and music." And then he struck a darker tone, telling the crowd, "We live in dangerous times," before condemning the "corrupt, incompetent, racist … treasonous" administration of President Donald Trump.

With that, the E Street Band slammed into Edwin Starr's 1970 protest anthem, "War," a bank of red lights augmenting the potency of the lyrics and Max Weinberg's snare dropping the exclamation points in the song. Pairing the cover – one of a handful of surprises during the concert – with "Born in the U.S.A." landed the intended musical uppercut with Springsteen's voice a muscle sheathed in gruffness.

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Springsteen sends serious message

The purposeful show, which clocked in at a tick under three hours and featured the 17-piece E Street Band and guitarist Tom Morello alongside Springsteen, is a dichotomous design. Even Springsteen's clothes – black work shirt and lived-in jeans paired with a natty vest and tie – exhibited a contrast.

Somberness, as well as anger and sadness, color the majority of the songs plucked from Springsteen's vast catalog to underscore the reason for this 20-date tour.

"Streets of Minneapolis" arrived for the first time with the E Street Band, a rich arrangement anchored by Roy Bittan's piano and Soozie Tyrell's fiddle. The mention of Good and Pretti in the lyrics triggered a roar of cheers from the crowd, already dotting the arena with phones lights.

It wouldn't be the only tribute to the host city on this night.

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Bruce Springsteen, Steven Van Zandt & The E Street Band perform during Land of Hope & Dreams American Tour at Target Center on March 31, 2026, in Minneapolis.

Other songs spotlighted over the years but not regularly performed until recently included "Youngstown," featuring a screaming guitar solo from Nils Lofgren and Springsteen, his face shrouded in crimson lighting, speak-singing the solemn lyrics.

Likewise "American Skin (41 Shots)," the track Springsteen wrote about the 1999 shooting death of student Amadou Diallo by the NYPD, that still resonates today. Morello uncorked an exorcism of a solo as Springsteen and the band intoned the gripping chorus "41 shots / you can get killed just for living in your American skin."

"My City of Ruins" was prefaced by a Springsteen homily cataloging many of the Trump administration's actions (dismantling USAID, leaving NATO, angering European allies, "whitewashing" American history in museums).

"You wanna talk about snowflakes? We have a president who can't handle the truth," Springsteen shouted before the song, an aural sea of horn bleats and gospel-ized vocals.

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Jake Clemons, left, shares a moment with Bruce Springsteen during opening night of The Land of Hope and Dreams American Tour at Target Center on March 31, 2026, in Minneapolis.Springsteen paid tribute to 'maestro' Prince

But the weighty undertones of the show were well-balanced with comparatively lighthearted selections that provided an escape from the intensity.

During "Out in the Street," Springsteen strolled the back of the stage to acknowledge the fans with a rear view, smiling and waving, while his trip around the stage during an easy-swinging "Hungry Heart" led him to lean into Weinberg and hold out his mic so the drummer could sing along with the chorus.

A lights-up encore stretch allowed fans to unleash their own constrained frustrations with "Dancing in the Dark," that peppy anthem of middle-age malaise that motivated Steven Van Zandt, clad in hues of purple and black, to bust a few moves behind his guitar.

The always-exhilarating "Born to Run" and fan favorite "Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out" – highlighted by a searing Jake Clemons sax solo as images of his deceased uncle Clarence played on the video screens and a typically legendary introduction of band members – turned the arena into an expanse of airborne fists.

But the wave of palpable surprise that rippled through the crowd as the stage lighting turned purple made the occasion of the E Street Band covering a Prince song even more gratifying.

"For the maestro!" Springsteen said, looking upward as he initiated "Purple Rain" with a lyrical delivery more rugged and flat than Prince's soulful croon. But the song, which Springsteen previously performed in 2016, shimmered on stage with Lofgren and Morello trading guitar solos and Springsteen finding his upper register to provoke a lump-in-throat moment.

Springsteen ended the night with a hopeful message as he sat on the stage before a rousing version of Bob Dylan's "Chimes of Freedom" and said, "These are hard times. But we'll make it through." He quoted the late civil rights activist John Lewis, telling the crowd to "go out and get in some good trouble" and shared a sincere sentiment that he and the band "wanted to bring some hope and strength to you."

After a final bow with the E Streeters, Springsteen gave Clemons a tight hug and a warm smile before trotting down the stage steps, hand waving behind him, and into the light.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Bruce Springsteen tour opener condemns Trump, chooses 'hope over fear'

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