In nearly three hours at PPG Paints Arena, Bruce Springsteen turned his Land of Hope & Dreams launch into a full-throttle mix of politics and rock power—welcoming Tom Morello, spotlighting E Street Band performers, and sending the crowd out with “Chimes of Fre
When Bruce Springsteen stepped into Pittsburgh’s PPG Paints Arena on Tuesday night. it didn’t feel like a typical start. The Rock and Roll Hall of Famer opened with an earnest—though clearly scripted—speech about “dangerous times for America. ” then went after the current administration. pushing a message of hope and a defense of American ideals. democracy. and the Constitution.
The crowd didn’t just get a speech. They got a direction for the entire night. Almost three hours into the show on the group’s Land of Hope & Dreams American tour. Springsteen returned again and again to the same urgent theme—choosing hope over fear. democracy over authoritarianism. and resistance over complacency.
“Tonight 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 unbridled corruption. resistance over complacency. truth over lies. unity over division and peace over war. ” Springsteen said. The band answered that last word by launching into a spirited cover of “War,” made popular by Edwin Starr.
From there, the show swung between defiance and classic anthems, and it kept stopping at political pressure points. “Born in the U.S.A.”—which he didn’t treat like a simple anthem—was next. followed by a brief guitar tradeoff between Springsteen and special guest Tom Morello. Morello. best known for his time in Rage Against the Machine. joined the E Street Band for a dozen of the show’s 27 songs.
Morello’s presence wasn’t just musical. It sharpened the night’s edge. After “Death to My Hometown. ” a Celtic-tinged protest song that included a heavy accordion influence. Morello shared lead vocals with Springsteen on a cover of The Clash’s “Clampdown.” Then came a small lyric tweak that landed like a jab: after Springsteen sang “in these days of evil presidentes. ” Morello changed the next line to “but lately one or two will hopefully pay their due.”.
The playlist felt curated to match the tour’s launch themes. “No Surrender” and “The Promised Land” carried resilience. “Land of Hope and Dreams” pushed optimism. The band still worked through working-class anthems like “Youngstown” and “Badlands,” and it anchored the evening with reflections on Sept. 11, including “The Rising” and “Long Walk Home,” with the choir brought to the front.
Still, the politics stayed present—sometimes in the background, sometimes front and center. “American Skin (41 Shots)” came as a melancholic indictment, decrying the 1999 fatal police shooting of Amadou Diallo in New York City. That song erupted after a pair of solos from Morello. Later. the 2026 anti-ICE song “Streets of Minneapolis” brought the crowd chanting “ICE out now!” several times before ending somberly with photos of Renee Good and Alexi Pretti on the big screens.
Springsteen has never exactly kept politics out of the music. In 2016, he was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Barack Obama. In 2021, he received the Woody Guthrie Prize, described as the prize for artists who speak out for social justice. That stance extended to the band itself: guitarist Steven Van Zandt used a yellow and blue guitar on “No Surrender” in solidarity with Ukraine.
Even when the music moved into something lighter, the message didn’t disappear. On the spare “House of a Thousand Guitars,” Springsteen sang lines that the crowd cheered—“the criminal clown has stolen the throne”—and he played the song solo.
Beyond the speeches and the headlines in song form. the night also worked like a spotlight parade for the people behind the sound. Along with Springsteen. the E Street Band lineup for the show included Steven Van Zandt. Nils Lofgren. Max Weinberg. Garry Tallent. and Roy Bittan. plus Soozie Tyrell on violin and vocals. Charles Giordano on accordion and organ. and Jake Clemons on saxophone. The show also featured the four-member E Street Horns and the five-member E Street Choir—so when Morello joined on songs. there were 19 performers on stage.
For much of the set, each player got their moment to cut through. Van Zandt delivered a solo on “Murder Incorporated. ” then faced Springsteen in a face-to-face vocal exchange on songs like “Two Hearts” and “No Surrender.” Lofgren spun guitar solos. especially on “Youngstown” and “Because the Night.” Weinberg blasted away at his drum set near the end of “Born in the U.S.A.” and “Badlands.” Clemons’ sax solos punctuated songs like “Hungry Heart” and “The Promised Land.” Tyrell’s violin featured prominently in “American Land.” The horns and choir groups were each spotlighted on “My City of Ruins.”.
Morello’s biggest moment arrived on “The Ghost of Tom Joad.” The song—covered by Rage Against the Machine in the late 1990s—brought Morello back for shared lead vocals again. and then into a solo lasting more than two minutes. The solo carried shades of Rage’s “Guerrilla Radio.” Morello appeared to be wearing a No. 21 shirt from the Roberto Clemente Museum.
The show ended by leaning into America as both a feeling and an argument. The five-song encore began with “American Land. ” and Springsteen called it “an immigrant song.” The rest of the stage—everyone except Weinberg—lined up across the floor for the Irish jig/rocker groove that would feel at home on a Dropkick Murphys album. Then came a rousing version of “Born to Run. ” followed by “Dancing in the Dark. ” which included a brief glimpse of the shimmy recognizable from his 1984 music video.
Springsteen introduced the band, then shifted the show into crowd-level intimacy. “Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out” saw him walk into the crowd, shaking hands and pausing for a selfie while singing. With undertones of a gospel organ sound. he offered one more speech before closing with a cover of Bob Dylan’s “Chimes of Freedom.”.
“Thank you for supporting our band through all these years. It’s always a pleasure coming to Pittsburgh. Through good good times, through hard times. Hell, the E Street Band was built for hard times, and we will make it through these,” he said.
Not everything the audience hoped for made it onto the setlist. With a career spanning more than 50 years. the show ran nearly three hours—but it still couldn’t include every favorite. Notable omissions included “Thunder Road. ” “The River. ” “Atlantic City. ” “Glory Days” and “Rosalita (Come Out Tonight).” There was also no appearance from Pittsburgh rock icon Joe Grushecky. a longtime friend of Springsteen who had played on “The Promised Land” in January at the Light of Day WinterFest in New Jersey.
The night’s practical details reflected the tour’s scale, too. The merch tables offered T-shirts for Springsteen and his band as well as Morello for $50 each. There was also a “Land of Hope & Dreams” flag with “No Kings” in place of stars for $90, along with posters, totes, buttons, and patches.
Springsteen’s Pittsburgh footprint is familiar. In 2024, he played a pair of concerts at PPG Paints Arena, with shows on Aug. 15 and Aug. 18. He also played in Pittsburgh on May 19 in 2009.
His next steps are already scheduled: his next concert is May 22 at Rocket Arena in Cleveland, and he’s also making an appearance for the penultimate show of “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” on Wednesday.
The full setlist for Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band in Pittsburgh included:
War (The Temptations cover)
Born in the U.S.A. Death to My Hometown
Clampdown (The Clash cover)
No Surrender
Darkness on the Edge of Town
Streets of Minneapolis
The Promised Land
Two Hearts
Hungry Heart
Youngstown
Murder Incorporated
American Skin (41 Shots)
Long Walk Home
House of a Thousand Guitars
My City of Ruins
Because the Night (Patti Smith Group cover)
Wrecking Ball
The Rising
The Ghost of Tom Joad
Badlands
Land of Hope and Dreams.
Encore
American Land
Born to Run
Dancing in the Dark
Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out
Chimes of Freedom (Bob Dylan cover)
Bruce Springsteen E Street Band Tom Morello Pittsburgh PPG Paints Arena Land of Hope & Dreams American Skin (41 Shots) Amadou Diallo Streets of Minneapolis ICE out now Chimes of Freedom Presidential Medal of Freedom Woody Guthrie Prize