Bruce Springsteen at the Democracy Now! celebration.
Bruce Springsteen made a surprise appearance at a 30th anniversary celebration for the Democracy Now! organization that took place at Riverside Church in Manhattan, March 23. He sang “Streets of Minneapolis” and joined Patti Smith, Michael Stipe and others for the event-closing performance of Smith’s “People Have the Power.” You can watch his performance, and the finale, at the 2:13 mark below.
Springsteen said before performing “Streets of Minneapolis”: “This past winter, the federal troops brought death and terror to the streets of Minneapolis. They picked the wrong city. Because the power and the solidarity of the people of Minneapolis was an inspiration to the entire country. Their strength and their commitment told us that this is still America and the reactionary nightmare and the invasion of an American city will not stand. Their strength gave us hope. It gave us courage. And for those who gave their lives — Renee Good, mother of three, brutally murdered, Alex Pretti, VA nurse, executed, shot in the back by ICE in the street, left to die — their bravery, their sacrifice, their names will not be forgotten.”
Also at the show, Stipe performed “No Time for Love Like Now” (around the 1:03 mark) and Smith (around the 1:41 mark) read a passage from her book “Bread of Angels” and sang her anti-war song “Peaceable Kingdom” with its co-writer, Tony Shanahan, on guitar and backing vocals, and her daughter, Jesse Smith, on piano.
Springsteen will kick off a tour with The E Street Band in Minneapolis on March 31; he and the band have been rehearsing at The Ocean Grove Youth Temple. And on March 28, he will sing “Streets of Minneapolis” at a No Kings rally at The Minnesota Capitol in St. Paul.
“You want to try to meet the moment,” he told the Minneapolis Star Tribune. “The No Kings movement is of great import right now.
“When you have the opportunity to sing something where the timing is essential and if you have something powerful to sing, it elevates the moment, it elevates your job to another level. And I’m always in search of that.”
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