Article Contributed by Shore Fire Media
Published on 2026-04-05
Photo: Courtesy of Bruce Springsteen
Bruce Springsteen and The E Street Band delivered an unforgettable opening night of their Land of Hope and Dreams American Tour in Minneapolis earlier this week — praised as “one of the most inspiring rock concerts ever” by Rolling Stone and “arguably the most deeply impactful performance Springsteen has given” by the Minnesota Star Tribune. Kicking off the night with their first performance of “War” in 23 years, into a rare stateside “Born In The U.S.A.” — the set was praised by The New York Times for highlighting that “Springsteen has a rare talent for capturing cultural flash points … and, in 2026, he has tapped the zeitgeist.”
Watch Springsteen and The E Street Band perform “War” and “Born In The U.S.A.” from their tour opener in Minneapolis, Minnesota — which was livestreamed for the first time ever, in partnership with nugs:
https://www.youtube.com/live/2EN2kOjTx_Q
Said Springsteen as he took the stage: “I want to begin the night with a prayer for our men and women in the service overseas, we pray for their safe return. The mighty E Street Band is here tonight to call upon the righteous power of art, of music, of rock ‘n’ roll in dangerous times. We are here in celebration and defense of our American ideals: democracy, our constitution, and our sacred American promise. The America that I love, the America that I’ve written about for 50 years that’s been a beacon of hope and liberty around the world is currently in the hands of a corrupt, incompetent, racist, reckless, and treasonous administration. 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, unity over division, and peace over WAR.”
Other highlights included the full-band live debut of “Streets Of Minneapolis” — which the St. Paul Pioneer Press called “a stirring moment in an evening full of them” — and a tribute to Prince in his hometown with “Purple Rain,” deemed a “lump-in-throat moment” by USA Today. Tom Morello joined the band for eleven songs throughout the night, including topical tracks like “The Ghost Of Tom Joad,” “American Skin (41 Shots)” and “Long Walk Home.” At the conclusion of the show, Billboard noted that “no musical artist at Bruce Springsteen’s level of commercial success, artistic endurance and renown has been as outspoken as he has.”
The Land of Hope and Dreams American Tour comes on the heels of Springsteen releasing “Streets Of Minneapolis” in January 2026, written in response to the murders of Alex Pretti and Renee Good. He debuted the song live at the city’s Defend Minnesota! benefit later that month, and returned to the Twin Cities to perform the song for over 100,000 as part of the nationwide No Kings protests this past weekend. The Land of Hope and Dreams American Tour will continue for 19 more shows across the country, and conclude on May 27 with an outdoor finale at Nationals Park in Washington, D.C.
For tour dates and ticket information, visit brucespringsteen.net.
Musicians on stage included The E Street Band's Roy Bittan (piano, synthesizer), Nils Lofgren (guitar, vocals), Garry Tallent (bass guitar), Stevie Van Zandt (guitar, vocals) and Max Weinberg (drums); with Soozie Tyrell (violin, guitar, vocals), Jake Clemons (saxophone) and Charlie Giordano (organ, keyboards, accordion). They were joined by The E Street Horns (Barry Danielian, Eddie Manion, Ozzie Melendez, Curt Ramm), The E Street Choir (Lisa Lowell, Michelle Moore, Ada Dyer, Curtis King) and Anthony Almonte (percussion, vocals). Special guest Tom Morello will continue to perform on stage with Bruce Springsteen and The E Street Band for select songs on every date of the Land of Hope and Dreams American Tour.
LAND OF HOPE AND DREAMS TOUR — OPENING NIGHT SETLIST (MARCH 31, MINNEAPOLIS, MN):
"War"
"Born In The U.S.A."
"Death To My Hometown"
"No Surrender"
"Darkness On The Edge Of Town"
"Streets Of Minneapolis"
"The Promised Land"
"Out In The Street"
"Hungry Heart"
"Youngstown"
"Murder Incorporated"
"American Skin (41 Shots)"
"Long Walk Home"
"House Of A Thousand Guitars"
"My City Of Ruins"
"Because The Night"
"Wrecking Ball"
"The Rising"
"The Ghost Of Tom Joad"
"Badlands"
"Land Of Hope And Dreams"
"Born To Run"
"Bobby Jean"
"Dancing In The Dark"
"Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out"
"Purple Rain"
"Chimes Of Freedom"
UPCOMING 2026 LAND OF HOPE AND DREAMS AMERICAN TOUR DATES
Friday, April 3 - Portland, OR - Moda Center
Tuesday, April 7 - Inglewood, CA - Kia Forum
Thursday, April 9 - Inglewood, CA - Kia Forum
Monday, April 13 - San Francisco, CA - Chase Center
Thursday, April 16 - Phoenix, AZ - Mortgage Matchup Center
Monday, April 20 - Newark, NJ - Prudential Center
Thursday, April 23 - Sunrise, FL - Amerant Bank Arena
Sunday, April 26 - Austin, TX - Moody Center
Wednesday, April 29 - Chicago, IL - United Center
Saturday, May 2 - Atlanta, GA - State Farm Arena
Tuesday, May 5 - Belmont Park, NY - UBS Arena
Friday, May 8 - Philadelphia, PA - Xfinity Mobile Arena
Monday, May 11 - New York, NY - Madison Square Garden
Thursday, May 14 - Brooklyn, NY - Barclays Center
Saturday, May 16 - New York, NY - Madison Square Garden
Tuesday, May 19 - Pittsburgh, PA - PPG Paints Arena
Friday, May 22 - Cleveland, OH - Rocket Arena
Sunday, May 24 - Boston, MA - TD Garden
Wednesday, May 27 - Washington, D.C. - Nationals Park
