Bruce Springsteen made the trip to Minneapolis on Friday (Jan. 30) to appear as the “very special guest” promised for Tom Morello’s benefit for families of ICE-related shooting victims.
The sold-out A Concert of Solidarity & Resistance to Defend Minnesota! was announced just two days prior to the event happening at legendary Minneapolis music venue First Avenue. In a post on Facebook on Jan. 28, Morello said the event will raise money for the families of Renee Good and Alex Pretti.
The 37-year-old Good was shot and killed by a United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent on Jan. 7 in Minneapolis. Pretti, also 37, was shot and killed by multiple United States Customs and Border Protection agents on Jan. 24 in the city.
The initial lineup included Morello members of Chicago punk band Rise Against, singer/songwriter Ike Reilly and flamenco/jazz fusion guitarist Al Di Meola.
Morello also promised a “very special guest” in the announcement, which turned out to be Springsteen.
Just hours before Morello announced the benefit on Jan. 28, Springsteen released “Streets of Minneapolis,” a song that serves as his response to the killings of Good and Pretti.
Springsteen told the crowd at First Avenue on Friday that he sent the song to Morello to ask if he thought it was too “soapboxy.”
“He said ‘nuance is great, but sometimes you have to kick them in the teeth,” Springsteen said before launching into the song.
Bruce Springsteen, “Streets of Minneapolis”
Morello and others who performed at the event later joined Springsteen on stage to close out the show. The former Rage Against the Machine guitarist encouraged the crowd to exit the venue and peacefully join the protest in the streets outside.