Bruce Springsteen performed “Streets of Minneapolis” at the flagship No Kings rally in St. Paul, Minnesota on Saturday (March 28).
The singer addressed an estimated crowd of more than 200,000 people outside the Minnesota State Capitol and delivered the third live performance of the protest anthem since its January release.
Introduced to the stage by Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, Springsteen spoke at length before playing the song, honouring the state’s resistance to the Trump administration’s Operation Metro Surge immigration enforcement campaign.
“This past winter, federal troops brought death and terror to the streets of Minneapolis, but they picked the wrong city,” he told the crowd.
“The power and the solidarity of the people of Minneapolis and Minnesota was an inspiration to the entire country. Your strength and your commitment told us that this is still America, and this reactionary nightmare — and these invasions of American cities — will not stand. You gave us hope, you gave us courage.”
He went on to name the two Minneapolis residents killed by ICE agents during the operation.
“Renee Good, mother of three, brutally murdered. Alex Pretti, VA nurse, executed by ICE. Shot in the back and left to die in the street without even the decency of our lawless government investigating their deaths. Their bravery, their sacrifice, and their names will not be forgotten.”
The crowd then chanted “ICE out now” as Springsteen launched into the song.
Springsteen wrote and recorded “Streets of Minneapolis” in the immediate aftermath of the shootings, releasing it within days.
He debuted the song live on January 30 at a benefit concert at Minneapolis’ First Avenue, and performed it a second time earlier this week at Democracy Now!’s 30th anniversary event in New York.
Saturday’s St. Paul performance marked the third. “There are certain moments where you’re in the right place at the right time and something deeply meaningful occurs that is bigger than the band,” Springsteen told the Minnesota Star Tribune of the First Avenue show.
“Being in Minneapolis goes way up to the top of the list as far as meaningful shows I’ve played.”
The No Kings rally — the third round of nationwide protests against the Trump administration — drew millions of participants across more than 3,100 registered events in all 50 states.
The St. Paul event served as the national flagship, with a bill that also included Maggie Rogers, Joan Baez, Senator Bernie Sanders, Jane Fonda and Tom Morello, among others.
In Dallas, clashes erupted between No Kings marchers and counter-protesters. The White House dismissed the demonstrations as “Trump Derangement Therapy Sessions.”
The St. Paul appearance comes days before Springsteen and the E Street Band launch their Land of Hope and Dreams tour, opening Tuesday (March 31) at Minneapolis’ Target Center with Rage Against the Machine’s Tom Morello joining for every date.
The tour runs through a May 27 finale in Washington, D.C. “The tour is going to be political and very topical about what’s going on in the country,” Springsteen told the Star Tribune.
“Minneapolis and St. Paul, that was the place I wanted to begin it, and I wanted to end it in Washington.” Announcing the tour, Springsteen wrote that fans were living through “dark, disturbing and dangerous times” but declared: “The cavalry is coming.”
