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Bruce Springsteen seems determined to use his newly launched tour as a fiery rebuke of the Trump administration. Just days ago, the New Jersey rocker announced he was rebranding the outing as the “Land of Hope and Dreams Tour,” and during Wednesday’s kickoff show in Manchester, England, he delivered several pointed speeches targeting Trump and his administration’s actions during its early months.
In his first remarks of the night, delivered before even a single note was played, Springsteen said, “The mighty E Street Band is here tonight to call upon the righteous power of art, of music, of rock and roll, in dangerous times. In my home, the America I love, the America I’ve written about, and has been a beacon of hope and liberty for 250 years, is currently in the hands of a corrupt, incompetent, and treasonous administration. Tonight, we ask all who believe in democracy and the best of our American experience to rise with us, raise your voices against the authoritarianism, and let freedom ring.” From there, Springsteen and the E Street Band launched into back-to-back performances of “Land of Hope and Dreams” and “Death to My Hometown.”
Later, Springsteen delivered another set of poignant remarks. “There’s some very weird, strange, and dangerous shit going on out there,” he said prior to performing “My City of Ruins.” “In America, they are persecuting people for using their right to free speech and voicing their dissent. This is happening now. In America, the richest men are taking satisfaction in abandoning the world’s poorest children to sickness and death. This is happening now.”
“And in my country, they are taking sadistic pleasure in the pain that they inflict on loyal American workers, they are rolling back historic civil rights legislation that led to a more just and moral society. They are abandoning our great allies and siding with dictators against those struggling for their freedom.”
The setlist was also littered with some of Springsteen’s most politically-charged material, as he featured songs such as “Rainmaker,” “Murder Incorporated,” and “Youngstown.” To close the show, he opted for a cover of Bob Dylan’s “Chimes of Freedom,” which Springsteen himself hadn’t performed live since 1988.
Springsteen’s “Land of Hope and Dreams Tour” currently consists of dates across the UK and Europe running through early July — but it seems primed for a North American leg.
Wow #BruceSpringsteen Bruce Springsteen just battered Trump unbelievable moment at start of Manchester tour pic.twitter.com/JYfL4G5KQE
— DORTIE (@TonyDortie) May 14, 2025
Before singing of his city of ruin, Bruce Springsteen preaches of what is happening back home. He pulls no punches in a harsh sermon. This is part one of two on May 14, 2025 in Manchester. Papa preach. pic.twitter.com/TIZwERP37S
— The Unspin Room (@UnspinRoom) May 14, 2025
Setlist:
Land of Hope and Dreams
Death to My Hometown
Lonesome Day
My Love Will Not Let You Down
Rainmaker (live debut)
Darkness on the Edge of Town
The Promised Land
Hungry Heart
My Hometown
Youngstown
Murder Incorporated (first time since 2017)
Long Walk Home
House of a Thousand Guitars
My City of Ruins
Letter to You
Because the Night
Human Touch
Wrecking Ball
The Rising
Badlands
Thunder Road
Encore:
Born in the U.S.A.
Born to Run
Bobby Jean
Dancing in the Dark
Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out
Chimes of Freedom (Bob Dylan cover) (first time since 1988)
English (US) · 