In a powerful and unexpected moment for music and activism, Bruce Springsteen made a surprise appearance this afternoon (Jan. 30) in Minneapolis, debuting his poignant new protest song, "Streets of Minneapolis." The Boss joined forces with Rage Against the Machine guitarist Tom Morello at a daytime benefit concert organized for the families of Renee Good and Alex Pretti, two protestors slain during recent events in the city.
Springsteen's performance at the 1,550-capacity First Avenue marked the live debut of "Streets of Minneapolis," a track reportedly penned just last Saturday. Following this, he delivered an electric, guitar-solo-filled rendition of his 1995 classic, "The Ghost of Tom Joad," backed by Morello and other musicians.
The new song features Springsteen's most explicit criticism yet of the Donald Trump administration, directly condemning "federal thugs" for the deaths of Pretti and Good. He passionately vowed, "we’ll remember the names of those who died on the streets of Minneapolis."
The 76-year-old rock legend sang, "Citizens stood for justice / Their voices ringing through the night," and painted a stark picture of the tragedy: "And there were bloody footprints / Where mercy should have stood / And two dead left to die on snow-filled streets / Alex Pretti and Renee Good."
The Roar of Resistance: Springsteen's Enduring Activism
Bruce Springsteen's impromptu performance and the immediate release of "Streets of Minneapolis" underscore his unwavering commitment to social justice and his historical role as a voice for the working class and the disenfranchised. This deeply personal and politically charged track represents a significant escalation in his public commentary, moving from broader critiques to a direct indictment of specific governmental actions and their tragic consequences.
This latest act places "Streets of Minneapolis" firmly in the tradition of his protest anthems like "Born in the U.S.A." (often misinterpreted, but a powerful commentary on Vietnam vets) and "The Ghost of Tom Joad," which explicitly addresses economic injustice and human rights. Unlike some of his earlier, more allegorical protest songs, "Streets of Minneapolis" leaves no room for ambiguity, naming victims and perpetrators with a directness rarely seen in his recent work.
Tom Morello, a longtime collaborator with Springsteen, has consistently championed similar causes throughout his career, notably with Rage Against the Machine and Audioslave. His organization of the "Concert of Solidarity & Resistance To Defend Minnesota" and inclusion of artists like Rise Against and Ike Reilly, alongside jazz guitarist Al Di Meola, highlights a powerful cross-genre solidarity against what Morello termed "this terrible rising tide of state terror."
Morello articulated the event's purpose, telling the crowd, "This is a celebration of resistance, and that one day we’ll create a little bit of the world we want to see." He had previously announced the show by stating, "we are coming to Minneapolis where the people have heroically stood up against ICE, stood up against Trump, stood up against this terrible rising tide of state terror,. Where the people have stood up for their neighbors and themselves, for democracy and justice. Ain’t nobody coming to save us except us and it’s now or never."
The concert, announced just two days prior, concluded with a communal performance of John Lennon and Yoko Ono’s "Power to the People," followed by Prince’s "Let’s Go Crazy" blaring through the speakers, a fitting tribute to Minneapolis's own musical legend. The frequent collaboration between Springsteen and Morello, including Morello's past stints as an E Street Band guitarist, further solidifies their shared musical and political vision.
