Tom Morello and the moment politics hit the stage in Minneapolis
In Minneapolis on Tuesday, Bruce Springsteen looked out at the crowd and warned, “We live in dangerous times. ” Behind the lights and the roar, the night carried the weight of a tour he has described as “very political” — and it soon pulled Tom Morello into the wider story as Springsteen talked about writing “Streets of Minneapolis” and seeking feedback on its bluntness.
What set off the political flashpoint in Minneapolis?
Springsteen opened his new U. S. tour in Minneapolis and used the stage as a place for direct political speech. He condemned President Donald Trump by telling the crowd that America is currently “in the hands of a corrupt, incompetent, racist, reckless, and treasonous administration. ” He also addressed the emotional atmosphere in the arena, telling fans: “If you’re feeling helpless, hopeless, betrayed, frustrated, angry, I know. I mean, that’s why the E Street Band is here tonight. ”
The Minneapolis start was not incidental. Springsteen said he wanted Minneapolis and St. Paul as the beginning point and Washington, D. C., as the ending point. He framed the tour as “political and very topical about what’s going on in the country, ” and he described the run’s endpoint as deliberate: “Minneapolis and St. Paul, that was the place I wanted to begin it, and I wanted to end it in Washington. ”
How did Donald Trump respond, and what did he say?
President Donald Trump responded with a series of attacks on Truth Social on Thursday, including a post calling Springsteen a “bad and very boring singer… who looks like a dried up prune who has suffered greatly from the work of a really bad plastic surgeon. ” Trump also wrote that Springsteen was suffering from “a horrible and incurable case of Trump Derangement Syndrome, sometimes referred to as TDS. ”
Later Thursday evening, Trump wrote: “Is Bruce Springsteen going to sue his plastic surgeon?” He also urged a boycott of Springsteen’s shows, posting: “MAGA SHOULD BOYCOTT HIS OVERPRICED CONCERTS, WHICH SUCK… SAVE YOUR HARD EARNED MONEY. AMERICA IS BACK!!!”
Trump’s remarks landed after Springsteen’s Minneapolis statements, and after Springsteen performed during a “No Kings” protest against Trump in St. Paul last week.
Where does tom morello fit into Springsteen’s Minneapolis story?
In a phone interview conducted from New York City, Springsteen discussed the writing of “Streets of Minneapolis, ” a song he said came quickly after witnessing events in Minneapolis on television. He described working late at home so as not to wake his wife, Patti Scialfa: she went to bed, he said, and he “went in the bathroom and wrote the music. ” He said they recorded it a day later and released it the day after that, adding that he was “so outraged at what was occurring, it just came spilling out. ”
Springsteen also explained why he reached out to his friend tom morello for feedback. He said the song was “a little more directly topical” than his usual approach, which he described as more nuanced even in political material. He recalled tom morello’s advice in plain terms: “Nuance is wonderful and sometimes you have to kick them in the teeth. ” Springsteen characterized “Streets of Minneapolis” as one of those times when directness mattered.
Springsteen said that the live premiere of “Streets of Minneapolis” at First Avenue on Jan. 30, during what he described as the height of the Trump administration’s Operation Metro Surge, was among the most meaningful performances he has ever given. He spoke of those rare concerts when “something deeply meaningful occurs that is bigger than the band, ” and said Minneapolis in January went “way up to the top of the list. ”
What happens next on the tour and at the No Kings rally?
Springsteen is set to appear at a No Kings rally in St. Paul on Saturday, March 28, alongside singers Joan Baez and Maggie Rogers, plus actor and activist Jane Fonda and others. He planned to offer his third live performance of “Streets of Minneapolis” there, after playing it at First Avenue and again on Monday at a 30th anniversary celebration in New York City.
The tour itself is scheduled to begin March 31 and end 19 shows later on May 27 in Washington, D. C. Springsteen has said there are limited tickets remaining for the Land of Hope and Dreams American tour.
Back in Minneapolis, the message he delivered to fans was not only confrontational but also communal, a promise of mutual strength. “We need to feel your hope and your strength, ” he said from the stage, “and we want to bring some hope and some strength for you. ” He closed the moment with a blessing that tied the city’s pain to a national idea: “God bless Alex Pretti, God bless Renee Good, God bless you, and God bless America. ”
In the end, the stage in Minneapolis became more than a tour stop — it became a place where art, anger, and strategy met in real time, with tom morello’s blunt counsel echoing inside a song that Springsteen said he could not hold back.
