Bruce Springsteen recently performed on April 16 in Phoenix. He then delivered a triple-decibel, guitar-fueled political protest against President Donald Trump that often felt akin to a revival.
Springsteen has often shared his political views in his songs, on stage, and in interviews, but his Land of Hope and Dreams tour is a powerhouse denunciation to Trump. He opened the show with a prayer for “safe return” of American servicemembers who are now engaged in the president’s Middle Eastern conflict.
“The mighty E Street Band is here tonight to call upon the righteous power of art, of music, of rock and roll in dangerous times,” Springsteen told the crowd in his opening address.
“We are here in celebration of and defense of our American ideals, democracy, our Constitution and our sacred American promise.”
“The America that I love, the America that has been a beacon for hope and liberty all around the world, is currently in the hands of a corrupt, incompetent, racist, reckless and treasonous administration,” he continued.
“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, truth over lies, unity over division and peace over …” — punctuating his speech by leading the E Street Band into an explosive cover of Edwin Starr’s “War.”
Springsteen followed with “Born in the USA,” as the 27-song, nearly three-hour set at a sold-out Mortgage Matchup Center was underway.
He noted at one point that the E Street Band was “built for hard times,” but it was also built to last: four of the members onstage Thursday night had been playing with Springsteen off and on for more than half a century, including guitarist “Little” Steven Van Zandt, bass player Garry Tallent, keyboardist Roy Bittan and drummer Max Weinberger.
They were supported Thursday by a dozen other musicians, including a percussion section, backup vocalists and a horn section led by Jake Clemons, who joined the band after his uncle Clarence Clemons – the sax-playing Big Man – died following a stroke in 2011.
Frequent Springsteen collaborator Tom Morello of Rage Against the Machine joined the band off and on throughout the night, lending sizzling licks to songs such as “The Ghost of the Tom Joad” and a cover of The Clash’s “Clampdown.”
The crowd then held their cell phone flashlights above and chanted “ICE Out Now” during the performance of “Streets of Minneapolis,” a song honoring Minneapolis mother Renee Good and VA nurse Alex Pretti, both killed by immigration agents in January.
“They picked the wrong city,” Springsteen said as he introduced the song. “The power and the solidarity of the people of Minnesota was an inspiration to the entire country. Their strength and their commitment told us that this is still America and this will not stand.”
He said Good and Pretti were “executed by ICE and left to die in the street without even the decency of our lawless government investigating their deaths.”
The show wasn’t all politics. Springsteen worked in plenty of hard-rocking warhorses, including “Dancing the Dark”, “Hungry Heart” and “Born to Run.”
Ahead of “Wrecking Ball,” Springsteen took a moment to reminisce about the early days of his career.
“I’ve got a long history here in Phoenix,” he told the crowd. He recalled an October stay at a Holiday Inn near Sky Harbor Airport with a spectacular view of Camelback Mountain in the 1970s, where he enjoyed the warm weather while listening to the World Series on the radio and occasionally jumping into a kidney-shaped pool to cool down.
He also recalled the Celebrity Theatre, a Tempe venue with a round stage that spins 360 degrees during performances.
“It had a stage that went round and round,” he said. “Is it still there?” Springsteen played the venue twice in 1974, when he wasn’t yet a rock legend.
After the crowd roared in the affirmative, he sounded astonished. “F*ck. That little stage is still going round and round?”
