Intro to "War"
"Good evening Minnesota. Welcome Minneapolis, Saint Paul Welcome to the Land of Hope and Dreams American Tour. I want to begin tonight with a prayer for our men and women in service overseas, we pray for their safe return. 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. 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 have written about for 50 years, that’s been a beacon of hope and liberty around the world, is currently in the hands of a corrupt, incompetent, racist, reckless and treasonous administration. 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, unity over division, and peace over war."
Intro to "Streets Of Minneapolis"
"This past winter, federal troops brought death and terror to the streets of Minneapolis, but they picked the wrong town. The power and solidarity of the people of Minneapolis and Minnesota was an inspiration tot he entire country. Your strength and your commitment told us … this is still America, and this will not stand. Minnesota you gave us hope, you gave us courage. And for those who gave their lives, Rene Good, mother of three, brutally murdered, and Alex Pretti, VA nurse, executed by ICE, shot in the back and left to die in the street without even the decency of our lawless government investigating their deaths. Their bravery, their sacrifice, and their names will not be forgotten. This is Streets Of Minneapolis."
Intro to "Long Walk Home"
"This is a prayer for our country."
Intro to "My City Of Ruins"
"Now…. here in the States we are living through some very dark times, our American values that have sustained us for 250 years are being challenged as never before. We’ve got our young men and women’s lives at risk in an unconstitutional and illegal war. This is happening now.
There are immigrants being held in detention centers around the country and being deported without due process of law to alien countries and foreign gulags. This is happening now.
Our Justice Department has completely abdicated its independence, and our attorney general, Pam Bondi, takes her marching orders straight from a corrupt White House. She prosecutes our president’s perceived enemies, covers up for his misdeeds and protects his powerful friends. This is happening now.
The richest men in America have abandoned the world’s poorest children through death and disease, through their dismantling of USAID. This is happening now.
We are abandoning NATO and the world order that’s kept us safe and at global peace for 80 years. This is happening now.
We threaten our neighbors and our allies whose sons and daughters have fought alongside us in American wars with the predatory annexation of their land. 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. This is happening now.
While working Americans struggle, our president and his family enrich themselves by billions of dollars trading on the people’s office in corruption unmatched in American history. This is happening now.
This White House is destroying the American idea and our reputation around the world. To many, we are no longer looked upon as an often imperfect but strong defender of democracy standing for the global good. We are no longer the land of the free and the home of the brave. We are now, to many, America the reckless, unpredictable, predatory rogue nation. That is this administration’s and this president’s legacy. This is happening now.
Honesty, honor, humility, compassion, thoughtfulness, morality, true strength, and decency … don’t let anybody tell you that these things don’t matter anymore. They do. They are at the heart, they ar at the heart of the kind of men and women we are, the kind of citizens we are, the kind of country we’ll be leaving to our children. So many of our elected leaders have 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."
"Are you with us?" (Repeated several times)
Intro to "Purple Rain"
"For the maestro."
Intro to "Chimes Of Freedom"
"Easy, boys. Thank you, thank you for being with us tonight! Good night Minneapolis, and Minnesota. We appreciate your long-standing support for our band. Go easier, boys. We have some friends with us in the building tonight. You will see the Advocates for Human Rights. The Advocates for Human Rights implementing international human rights standards to promote civil society, to reinforce the rule of law, and provide free legal services for low-income asylum seekers, unaccompanied children, and ICE detainees.
Yes, yeah, these are the hard times, but, uh, we'll make it through… We're gonna make it through… We're the Americans. And I think, I know for me, the hardest part about all of this is feeling the distance between your neighbors, your fellow citizens, and that distance… well, it can darken your soul. Now, we have a leader who says he wishes nothing but ill upon the people he disagrees with and who disagree with him. Well, I don't feel that way. America, from the beginning, was born out of disagreement, was built on disagreement. We can argue about what course we thought the country should take, while recognizing our common humanity, our dignity, and yes, our unity.
Now, I go back to thinking about Renée Good’s last words before she died, to the man who she was protesting against, the man who would take her life. She said, “That’s fine, dude, I’m not mad at you. I’m not mad.” God bless her.
So tonight, when you go home, hold your loved ones close. And tomorrow, do as Renée did, find a way to take aggressive, peaceful action to defend our country’s ideals. And as the great civil rights leader John Lewis said, “Go out and get into some good trouble.” Say something! Do something! Help! Sing something! If you’re feeling helpless, hopeless, betrayed, frustrated, angry… I know I’ve been. That’s why The E Street Band is here tonight. This is a tour that was not planned. We’re here tonight because we need to feel your hope, and your strength. And we want to bring some hope and some strength for you. I hope we did that. All I can say is God bless Alex Pretti, God bless Renée Good, God bless you, and God bless America."
After "Chimes Of Freedom"
"Thank you Minneapolis… Saint Paul, Minnesota. The E Street Band loves you!"
