Bruce Springsteen’s comeback at Kia Forum is no victory lap. It’s a battle against Trump

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Just before 10:30 PM on Tuesday night—almost three hours into his concert at Inglewood’s Kia Forum with 18 fellow musicians—76-year-old Bruce Springsteen admitted to the audience that he hadn’t originally planned to be performing.

He explained that this concert wasn’t originally scheduled. The E Street Band was there because they needed the energy and positivity from the audience, and they hoped to give some back as well.

It wasn’t impossible to believe him.

Many expected Bruce Springsteen to relax and enjoy the rewards of his extensive tour, which concluded last summer with a large compilation album and a major movie about his life. However, he says the actions of a president he describes as corrupt, incompetent, racist, reckless, and treasonous, along with those of his administration, motivated him to get back to work.

He acknowledged those difficult emotions, saying, “I understand what it’s like to feel helpless, hopeless, betrayed, frustrated, or angry—I’ve definitely been there myself.”

The Land of Hope & Dreams tour was quickly put together, with concerts across the U.S. starting last week in Minneapolis – the same city where federal immigration agents killed two American citizens in January. The tour will conclude on May 27th with a large stadium performance in Washington, D.C.

During his concert on Tuesday, Bruce Springsteen stated that the current administration is damaging the core principles of the United States. This was the opening night of a two-night performance at the Forum.

Before discussing the show itself, it’s important to recognize that the performer is taking a risk. He has the benefit of his wealth and fame, and he’s largely playing to an already supportive audience in every city the band tours.

But what other musician on Springsteen’s level is speaking out the way he is right now?

On Tuesday, he debuted a new protest song called “Streets of Minneapolis,” which specifically names Alex Pretti and Renée Good, and powerfully describes the events surrounding their deaths. He then had the band perform the energetic folk-rock song with great passion.

Springsteen sang, “It’s our blood and bones / And these whistles and phones / Against Miller and Noem’s lies,” a line that seemingly prompted President Trump to call for a boycott of the singer. Trump described Springsteen online as an aging performer who’d had unsuccessful plastic surgery. However, Springsteen likely wasn’t bothered by the insult.

Despite any potential downsides of his speaking out, it was impressive to see how smoothly Springsteen wove his prepared remarks into Tuesday’s concert, especially in today’s world of politics being treated as entertainment. He skillfully used the E Street Band’s instrumental breaks to discuss topics like NATO and USAID, and he knew exactly when to encourage the audience to chant “ICE out.”

Springsteen wasn’t just sharing his own thoughts; he was also giving his fans a chance to release their own worries through energetic singalongs of songs like “Born in the U.S.A.,” “No Surrender,” “The Promised Land,” and “Out in the Street.”

While the concert was fueled by anger, the overall feeling was actually joy. This was true even during the most forceful songs, like their versions of Edwin Starr’s “War” and The Clash’s “Clampdown.”

Bruce Springsteen’s show featured a special guest, Tom Morello from Rage Against the Machine, who added extra energy to songs like “Badlands” and “Death to My Hometown.” “Murder Incorporated” became a raw and powerful rock performance, and Nils Lofgren’s guitar solo on “Youngstown” echoed his work with Neil Young’s Crazy Horse. Patti Scialfa, Springsteen’s wife, who recently shared her cancer diagnosis in 2024, did not perform with the band on Tuesday.

Midway through the concert, Springsteen performed “American Skin (41 Shots),” a song he wrote in the early 2000s about police violence against Black people, inspired by the killing of Amadou Diallo by New York City police. He then played “Long Walk Home,” calling it a prayer for the nation.

Hearing those songs one after another really made me consider how much debate there’s been over the past twenty-five years about what it truly means to be American. It feels like our national identity is constantly being questioned and redefined.

Most people who aren’t die-hard Bruce Springsteen fans would agree that he played a lot of newer songs during the show, like “House of a Thousand Guitars,” “My City of Ruins,” and “Wrecking Ball.”

Despite sometimes struggling with public speaking, he still has a good sense of what an audience wants. He said with a smile, “It has to be done,” as the band started playing “Hungry Heart” – one of the few classic pop songs he performed that didn’t quite fit with the rest of the evening’s theme.

As the concert neared its end, Springsteen launched into a high-energy encore, playing “Born to Run,” “Bobby Jean,” and “Dancing in the Dark” one after another. Drenched in sweat, he then sat down and expressed his gratitude to representatives from the Immigrant Defenders Law Center for being in the audience. Actor Henry Winkler was also present at the show.

Then he offered one final homily before closing with Bob Dylan’s “Chimes of Freedom.”

“Things are tough right now, but we’ll get through this,” he said. “We’re Americans, and people always say we eventually do the right thing – after we’ve exhausted all other options.” He shook his head, seeming to be thinking through everything in his mind.

“F—!”

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2026-04-08 22:31