Bruce Springsteen believes the US is “on edge” and has never been more “critically challenged” than now
Ahead of beginning his US tour, Bruce Springsteen has spoken about the state of the United States under Donald Trump’s presidency and said it is a “crucial moment” for the country.
Springsteen, who has been one of the most vocal critics of Trump throughout his second term in the Oval Office, is set to perform at a No Kings rally in St Paul, Minnesota, on March 28th.
Following the rally, Springsteen will be taking his Land of Hope and Dreams tour, which will see him protest against the current regime, across the US, which he chose to start in Minneapolis and end in Washington.
Ahead of the No Kings rally, Springsteen spoke with the Minnesota Star Tribune and said of the cultural importance of the tour amid current political circumstances, stating, “The E Street Band is built for hard times. It always was. These are the moments when I think we can be of real value and real worth to the community.”
He then conceded of the current climate, “I don’t know of another time when the country has been as critically challenged and our basic ideas and values as critically challenged as they are right now.”
Springsteen continued, “I’d have to go back to 1968 when I was 18 years old to another moment when it felt like the country was so on edge and like it felt there was simply so much at stake as far as who we are and the country we want to be and the people we want to be. It’s a critical, critical moment.”
‘The Boss’ also reflected on his last visit to Minnesota, which saw him debut his protest anthem ‘Streets of Minneapolis’, written in the wake of ICE agents killing Alex Pretti and Renee Good in January, sharing, “Being in Minneapolis [in January] goes way up to the top of the list as far as meaningful shows I’ve played.”
He also opened up on the songwriting process for ‘Streets of Minneapolis’, sharing that his wife was in bed so he “went in the bathroom and wrote the music so I wouldn’t wake her up”.
A day later, it was recorded, and the day after that, it was shared with the world. Springsteen explained, “It was just one of those things that I was so outraged at what was occurring, it just came spilling out.”
The No Kings rally will also see legendary singer-songwriter and Trump critic Joan Baez take to the stage in St Paul, as well as folk singer Maggie Rogers and Oscar-winner Jane Fonda.
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