A Night of Hope, Music, and Political Passion
Bruce Springsteen doesn’t need to risk alienating a small but vocal fraction of his fanbase by taking a stand against what he sees as a clear and present danger to the future of America, a land he clearly loves with every fiber of his being. But he does it anyway because that’s just how much he cares about the things that truly matter. That’s an admirable trait that Springsteen has embodied for the longest time.
And if the way the crowd responded to his most impassioned speeches taking Donald Trump to task at what appeared to be a sold-out Mortgage Matchup Center on Thursday, April 16, when the Land of Hope & Dreams American Tour hit downtown Phoenix, are any indication? I would say the fans who packed that massive sports arena to the rafters were not wishing he would “just shut up and play guitar,” although they did appear to like that, too.
Political Statements and Musical Power
He hadn’t even played guitar before setting the tone for Thursday’s concert with the first of several political broadsides. “Now, 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,” he testified. “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 all around the world, is currently in the hands of a corrupt, incompetent, racist, reckless and treasonous administration.”
That last line drew a roar of approval, Springsteen pausing long enough to soak it in.
A Powerful Opening with “War”
“Tonight,” he then continued, “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 unrivaled corruption, resistance over complacency, truth over lies, unity over division and peace over … war!” As he hit that last word, Springsteen & The E Street Band launched into “War,” a Motown classic that became a huge, chart-topping hit for Edwin Starr in 1970 that made its first appearance on a Springsteen setlist back in 1985. A live recording by the E Street Band became a hit in 1986 and Springsteen has revived it on the Land of Hope & Dreams Tour for the first time since 2003, when the Iraq War was the backdrop, in response to what he later called “an unwise and illegal war” instigated by Trump in Iran.
It’s such a hard-hitting song (and so timely), it proved to be a perfect introduction to the show, Springsteen shouting the lyrics with soulful intensity at the helm of a 19-member E Street Band whose ranks were fleshed out with the added firepower of a new recruit, Tom Morello of Rage Against the Machine, who dipped in and out of the set as needed.
A Massive Ensemble
The E Street Band is 19 members strong with 4 guitarists now. I can’t say I’ve ever seen the E Street Band and thought, “What this band needs is more guitarists.” Or even more people on stage. But here we are. And it was glorious, Morello bringing out the best in the other guitarists as they traded leads and took turns in the spotlight, each guitarist bringing something different to the table.
Scottsdale’s own Nils Lofgren is a dazzling lead guitarist, spinning in circles on one leg — his signature move — while letting loose with a jaw-dropping solo on “Youngstown” and tearing it up with passion on “Because the Night.” Springsteen’s solos are scrappier fare, squeezing out sparks on his Tele in dynamic leads that bristle with real urgency. You could feel Morello coaxing something truly special out of Springsteen as they traded off leads on “The Ghost of Tom Joad.”
Little Steven was consistently inspired but that solo he managed on “Murder Incorporated” may have been his most exhilarating moment of the night. It chimed, it twanged, it tapped into the essence of the American garage-rock he adores and it just kept getting more electrifying as it went along. Morello is a more experimental player, filtering his solos through a pedal board loaded with special effects. On “American Skin (41 Shots),” his solo sounded like he couldn’t quite decide if he was channeling Jeff Beck or Jimi Hendrix so he split the difference. It was epic.
A Deep Talent Pool
The talent in the E Street Band runs deep, from longtime members Max Weinberg on drums, Garry Tallent on bass and Roy Bittan on piano, synthesizers and accordion to Charles Giordano on organ, Soozie Tyrell on violin and Jake Clemons on saxophone, honoring the memory of his uncle, Clarence Clemons, in style. They’re also touring with the four-piece E Street Horns and a five-piece E Street Choir. Having 19 musicians on stage allows for an extreme dynamic range that makes the peaks and valleys in the songs’ arrangements that much more effective.
A Setlist Designed for Troubled Times
Springsteen’s vocals did the rest, delivering the rockers with the soulful urgency required and making the most of restraint on a breathtaking solo acoustic rendition of “House of a Thousand Guitars.” Everything he sang he did so with conviction and a clear sense of purpose that made it feel like he was recommitting to the songs.
The setlist was brilliantly curated to meet these troubled times head-on, as “War” gave way to an anthemic “Born in the U.S.A.,” an anti-war protest song viewing war through the eyes of a down-and-out Vietnam veteran, which in turn gave way to “Death to My Hometown,” in which the singer takes aim as “the greedy thieves who came around/ And ate the flesh of everything they found.”
An incendiary cover of The Clash’s “Clampdown” featured Springsteen alternating verses with Morello, his bandmates stopping on a dime to call attention to the lyric, “In these days of evil presidente” — a line he seemed to take great satisfaction in delivering.
“No Surrender” emerged as an anthem of resistance as The Boss and Little Steven shared a mic, “blood brothers in the stormy night with a vow to defend/ No retreat, baby, no surrender.”
A Message of Hope and Resistance
The economic inequality and despair at the heart of “Darkness on the Edge” also suited the overarching theme of the performance, Springsteen drawing particular attention to the line, “Now, some folks are born into a good life/ And other folks, they get it anyway, anyhow.”
‘Streets of Minneapolis’ fueled a chant of ‘ICE out now’
Another lengthy monologue preceded “Streets of Minneapolis,” a decidedly topical folk song reminiscent of Bob Dylan’s early protest folk. He spoke of ICE bringing “death and terror to the streets of Minneapolis.” But they “picked the wrong town,” he said. “The power and the solidarity of the people of Minnesota was an inspiration to the entire country. Their strength and their commitment told us that this is still America and this will not stand. They gave us hope. They gave us courage.”
Renee Good and Alex Pretti, Springsteen said, “were executed by ICE and left to die in the street without even the decency of our lawless government investigating their death. Their bravery, their sacrifice and their names will not be forgotten.” As the song built to a climax, Springsteen led the audience in chanting “ICE out now!”
A Joyful Conclusion
As often as the conversation would return to what Springsteen summed up at the top of the show as “these dangerous times,” the prevailing mood was ultimately hopeful, a sense of optimism shining through in his delivery of “And I believe in a promised land.” That unshakeable faith in the healing power of rock ‘n’ roll that’s been a hallmark of his concerts all along was undiminished. And the joy he and the members of the E Street Band so clearly find in creating a towering wall of sound together in the name of rock ‘n’ roll was beyond contagious.
Sharing the stage for just under three hours, they made their way through such crowd-pleasing classics as “Hungry Heart,” “Because the Night,” “Badlands,” “Born to Run” and “Dancing in the Dark,” all of which sounded amazing. A joyous “10 Avenue Freeze-Out” found him wandering through the audience and drawing our attention to the screen above the stage as images of Clarence Clemons and Danny Federici filled the screen.
Memories and Reflections
Springsteen shared fond memories of his early trips to Phoenix. The singer also shared fond memories of his early trips to Phoenix, the rotating stage of the historic Celebrity Theatre emerging as a running joke. “I loved Arizona, man,” he said. “After the tour, I used to come to Phoenix, back in 1976. I used to come to Phoenix and I would stay at the Holiday Inn outside the airport. It had a great view of Camelback Mountain. And I’d sit there in October. I always remember, it’s 90 degrees. I was listening to the World Series. They had a little kidney-shaped pool I would jump in every once in a while to stay cool.”
He has a long history here in Phoenix, he said. “This was one of the first places that we were really popular. We used ot come through here and play at a place … what was it called? It was a theatre where the stage would go around and around. Is it still there? Oh no. That (expletive) stage is still going around and around?!” He kept returning to his stated mission for this tour, though, whether solemnly shaking his head coming out of a chorus of “You can get killed just for living in your American skin,” setting up a gospel-flavored “Long Walk Home” as “a prayer for our country” or singing “The criminal clown has stolen the throne/ He steals what he can never own” in a solo acoustic performance of “House of a Thousand Guitars.”
A Speech Fueled by Conviction
It was after “House of a Thousand Guitars,” a little more than halfway through his set, that Springsteen took a seat on the stage to deliver another rousing speech about the purpose of this tour.
“We are currently living through troubled times,” he said. “Our American values that sustained us 250 years are being challenged as never before. Our young men and women’s live are at risk in an unwise and illegal war. This is happening now. There are immigrants being held in for-profit detention centers around the country, being deported without due process of law to alien countries and foreign prisons. This is happening now. Our justice department abdicating its independence takes its marching orders directly from a corrupt White House. They prosecute our president’s perceived enemies. They cover up for his misdeeds. And they protect his powerful friends. This is happening now. The richest men in America have abandoned the world’s poorest children to death and disease through the dismantling U.S. aid. This is happening now. We’re undermining NATO and the world order that kept us safe and at peace for 80 years. This is happening now. We threaten our good neighbors and our allies, Canada, the Netherlands. Their sons and their daughters fought alongside us in American wars. And we threatended them with the annexation of their lands. This is happening now. Our museums are being told to whitewash American history of any unpleasant or inconvenient facts, like the full history of the brutality of slavery. You want to talk about snowflakes? We have a president who can’t handle the truth.”
A Call to Action
“That snowflake line drew a roar of approval that just kept going until he finally returned to his litany of ways this president has turned us into a rogue nation, all before bringing his speech to a rousing conclusion with, “Honesty, honor, humility, truth, compassion, humanity, thoughtfulness, morality, true strength and decency. … Don’t let anybody tell you that these things don’t matter anymore. They do!” That drew another huge round of applause.
“They are at the heart of the kind of men and women we are, the kind of citizens we want to be and the kind of country we want to leave for our children,” he continued. “So many of our elected leaders failed us that this American tragedy can only be stopped by the American people. So join us and let’s fight for the America that we love.”
And with that, he launched into a powerful version of “My City of Ruins.”
A Message of Hope
Springsteen said, ‘The E Street Band was built for hard times’
As he was signing off for the night, Springsteen offered a message of hope. “These are hard times but the E Street Band was built for hard times,” he said. “And we’ll make it through. We are gonna make it through.”
He hadn’t planned to tour this year, he said. “The E Street Band is here with you tonight,” he said, “because we needed to feel your hope and your strength. And we needed to bring you some hope and some strength. And I hope that we did that tonight. God bless Alex Pretti. God bless Renee Good. God bless you. And God bless America.”
With that, the band launched into one of Dylan’s most enduring folk songs, a gospel-flavored “Chimes of Freedom” with Little Steven bringing the chime on a 12-string Rickenbacker, a breathtaking close to a transcendent night that spoke eloquently to the healing power of music as only Springsteen can.
The Full Setlist
The end result was everything a true fan could’ve wanted out of Springsteen at a time like this.
Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band setlist from Phoenix
These are the songs Bruce Springsteen & The E Street (with truly special guest guitarist Tom Morello) played at Mortgage Matchup Center when the Land of Hope & Dreams American Tour hit downtown Phoenix:
“War” (The Temptations cover; with Tom Morello)
“Born in the U.S.A.” (with Tom Morello)
“Death to My Hometown” (with Tom Morello)
“Clampdown” (The Clash cover; with Tom Morello)
“No Surrender”
“Darkness on the Edge of Town”
“Streets of Minneapolis”
“The Promised Land”
“Two Hearts” (with snippet of “It Takes Two” by Marvin Gaye/Kim Weston)
“Hungry Heart”
“Youngstown”
“Murder Incorporated”
“American Skin (41 Shots)” (with Tom Morello)
“Long Walk Home” (with Tom Morello)
“House of a Thousand Guitars” (solo acoustic)
“My City of Ruins” (with speech “This is happening now”)
“Because the Night” (Patti Smith Group cover)
“Wrecking Ball”
“The Rising”
“The Ghost of Tom Joad” (with Tom Morello)
“Badlands” (with Tom Morello)
“Land of Hope and Dreams” (with Tom Morello; with The Impressions’ “People Get Ready” snippet)
Encore
“American Land” (with Tom Morello)
“Born to Run”
“Dancing in the Dark” (with band introductions)
“Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out” (with Tom Morello; pictures of Clarence Clemons and Danny Federici on screen)
“Chimes of Freedom” (Bob Dylan cover, with Tom Morello)
