Bruce Springsteen reunited with his friend and fellow Rock & Roll Hall of Famer Tom Morello in Minneapolis on Friday (Jan. 30) to deliver his first live performance of “Streets of Minneapolis” at the legendary First Avenue club, the venue where Prince filmed much of Purple Rain.
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On Wednesday, Springsteen released the anti-ICE protest song that pointedly addresses the killings of protesters Renee Good and Alex Pretti by ICE officers over the past three weeks in Minneapolis. Also on Wednesday, Morello announced “A Concert of Solidarity & Resistance to Defend Minnesota!” for Jan. 30 with Rise Against, Al Di Meola, Ike Reilly and Very Special Guest, which got rumors flying that Springsteen might show up.
All the proceeds from the show, which started at noon Central Standard Time, are going to the families of Good and Pretti.
In the clip, Morello introduces Springsteen, calling him “my good friend and fellow freedom fighter.” Springsteen strides out with an acoustic guitar and harmonica, explaining that he wrote the song and recorded it the next day and sent it to Morello. “Now I know that Tom is an excitable man,” he says. “I say, ‘Tom, what do you think? It’s kind of soap boxy.’” He says that Morello responded that “nuance is wonderful, but sometimes you have to kick them in the teeth.’”
Springsteen then launched into the defiant song that called out “Trump’s federalist thugs” and declares, “We’ll take our stand for this land and the stranger in our midst.” The crowd roars in approval as he sings, “We’ll remember the names of those who died on the streets of Minneapolis.”
“I believe that the future of democracy in this country will be decided right here on the streets of Minneapolis,” declared Morello, who joins Springsteen and other artists–including Billie Eilish, FINNEAS, Bon Iver, Dave Matthews, Olivia Rodrigo and Billy Bragg–who have spoken out against the heavy-handed tactics used by ICE agents, not only in Minneapolis, but elsewhere in the country.
