Bruce Springsteen is not backing down. He knew his Land of Hope and Dreams Tour wouldn’t be for everyone, and he was perfectly willing to accept that.
In a new interview with Rolling Stone, the rock icon opened up about the political message behind his recent Land of Hope and Dreams Tour, his decision to release the accompanying concert film in installments and why he has no regrets about the potential of receiving backlash or alienating fans over his views.
“I’m old now and I do what I want to do,” Springsteen told Rolling Stone. “This was the show I wanted to make, the story I wanted to tell.”
That philosophy was at the center of the 20-date U.S. run, which kicked off March 31 in Minneapolis and wrapped May 30 in Philadelphia. The tour followed Springsteen’s January release of “Streets in Minneapolis,” which was a protest song written in response to the death of Reneé Good and Alex Pretti during confrontation with federal immigration authorities.
The resulting shows leaned heavily into Springsteen’s politically charged catalog. The set included his classic hit “Born in the U.S.A.,” “Death to My Hometown,” “Long Walk Home” and “Youngstown,” while Edwin Starr‘s “War” opened the concert and Bob Dylan‘s “Chimes of Freedom” closed it. Springsteen also gave a speech criticizing the Trump administration before jamming right in to the music.
For Springsteen, the point wasn’t to persuade anyone. Instead, he said the tour somewhat allowed him to bring decades of music into conversation with the current political climate.
“It was the state of the nation for 2026,” he explained.
That also meant confronting the complicated history of “Born in the U.S.A.,” a song Springsteen said he had rarely performed in the U.S. in recent years because of the way its message has been misunderstood. Placed between “War” and “Death to My Hometown,” he felt the song could be re-contextualized for the moment.
And he knows that approach won’t please everyone.
When asked about the possibility of losing fans who support Donald Trump, Springsteen essentially shrugged. He said he has spent his career making the records and shows he wants to make, then finding the audience for them.
“I’m sure there were people, and I’ve read things where people were vehement about the content of the show,” he said. “And that’s just the way the chips fall.”
Springsteen also weighed in on upcoming midterm elections, saying he hopes Democrats can regain control of the House and Senate. He’ll make at least one more political-adjacent appearance before the midterms, joining Tom Morellos for a show in Washington, D.C. next month.
Meanwhile, Springsteen is bringing the Land of Hope and Dreams tour to screens. The first seven songs from the Philadelphia performance are already streaming on YouTube as Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band: Land of Hope and Dreams American Tour (Philadelphia Freedom Cut), with the remaining concert set to come in additional installments.
As for what comes next musically for Springsteen, he says he has two albums in the works — including one completed record and another he hopes to finish and release first. He’s also open to more touring, although he doesn’t envision returning to the massive 140-show E Street Band runs of the past.
Watch the Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band: Land of Hope and Dreams American Tour (Philadelphia Freedom Cut) below.
