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April 27, 2026 "Good evening, Austin! It's great to be in Texaaaaaaaaas! Welcome to The Land of Hope and Dreams American Tour. We begin tonight with a prayer for our men and women in service overseas. We pray for their safe return. We also send out our prayers of thanks that [neither] our President, nor anyone in the Administration, nor anyone attending was injured in last night's incident at [The White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner.] We can disagree, we can be critical of those in power, and we can peacefully fight for our beliefs, but there is no place in any way, shape, or form for political violence of any kind in our beloved United States. The E Street Band is here tonight in celebration and defense of the American ideals and values that have sustained our country for 250 years: our democracy, our Constitution, our rule of law. I believe those ideals are being challenged right now by a radical Administration as never before. So 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!" -Bruce Springsteen, opening remarks at his April 26, 2026 concert in Austin, TX

(L-R) Monmouth University President Patrick Leahy and The Bruce Springsteen Center for American Music's Executive Director Robert Santelli at the University's April 21st preview screening of Thom Zimny's short "welcome" film for the Center, The Ties That Bind - photo by Lisa Iannucci; used w/ permission April 23, 2026 This past Tuesday, an invitation-only event was held at Monmouth University’s Pollak Theatre to debut Thom Zimny's “welcome” film, The Ties That Bind (not to be confused with Zimny's similarly titled 2015 documentary about the making of The River,) that will be on view to visitors at the the soon-to-be-opened Bruce Springsteen Center for American Music's new building, located a few minutes’ walk across campus. Directed by Zimny, who is Springsteen's longtime film/video/archival collaborator, The Ties That Bind was shown to an exclusive audience comprised only of Monmouth faculty, students and staff. After the screening there also was a brief Q & A with Monmouth's President Patrick Leahy and the Center’s Executive Director, Robert Santelli. The Bruce Springsteen Center for American Music's Executive Director Robert Santelli at the University's April 21st preview screening of Thom Zimny's short "welcome" film for the Center, The Ties That Bind - photo by Lisa Iannucci; used w/ permission The event began with an intro by Santelli, who provided a bit of background to the genesis of the Center, including the now-familiar story of how the idea was presented to Bruce, how he didn’t want it to just be about him but about American music, etc., and how Santelli and manager Jon Landau had driven to the campus, Bruce following on his motorcycle. They pointed to the spot where they envisioned it, Bruce ok’d it, and rode away. It was then that Santelli could begin to believe it would actually happen. “I guess we’re doing this,” he recalled saying to himself. The film, which runs about a half-hour, followed. Note: the film is not completely “done” yet; per comments by Santelli, Zimny has some final touches to add before they both would consider it “finished,” and attendees were requested not to film or take photos while the screening was in progress. Santelli said that they wanted to preserve the element of surprise as long as possible, thus the embargo. (Zimny, originally slated to be there, was in California, and Santelli joked that he’d be on the phone with him at 4:01 pm - i.e. immediately after the program’s conclusion - giving him the lowdown on audience reaction.) Without giving too much away, the concept is pretty simple: Bruce, clad in typical leather jacket and jeans, is seen in close-up as he cruises down the back roads of Monmouth County, New Jersey in his vintage black and white Corvette convertible. As he drives, he tells the story of rock and roll, his personal discovery of it, and its seismic impact on American culture. There is a wealth of archival footage interspersed throughout, both of the major artists he mentions, and of Bruce and the E Streeters. There are family photos and home movies, and images of Bruce in the Castiles, and later, onstage in the various iterations of his bands. He sets the stage for this journey in his hometown of Freehold, and later moves to Asbury Park, where he continues to cruise the streets and is later seated at a bar near the Stone Pony stage. We also see him seated in a booth at a local diner, flipping through the selection cards for the joint’s jukebox. This is a bit of a narrative device, as some of the songs that are mentioned are displayed as selections. He gives a brief overview of Asbury Park's musical history; the Black blues and R&B artists like Count Basie, who graced the stages of the West Side, and gives a brief rundown of the 1970 Asbury Park uprising and its effect on the city. “It’s still recovering,” he says. We don’t really see him walking around much; the narration is done while he’s seated, though there is some footage of him in a record store, leafing through the vinyl. (The sign outside the door says “Hometown Records,” FWIW.) But for all the music history, this is not the story of Asbury Park’s music scene per se; you won’t hear about Southside Johnny or how he met Clarence Clemons. Instead, Bruce tells you about rock and roll’s roots in gospel and folk, how out of that came blues and country and R&B and rock and roll and hip hop, and along the way, mentions major artists of each genre, who appear on the screen at full volume. The footage of the artists is mostly familiar stuff, and, as might be expected, runs heavy on the Elvis, Little Richard, and Chuck Berry. You hear how one trend led to another, how the music developed and changed, and there are dozens of familiar faces.There is a lot of jump-cutting, maybe in an effort to include certain things or to hold the audience's attention, but it can be jarring and occasionally distracting. The song selection is mostly what you’d expect, although inexplicably, The Eagles and The Doors get a mention while there is nary a word about The Band, only a brief shot of Bob Dylan, and nothing much at all about the major cultural shift that happened with the advent of punk rock. It’s heavy on the Black artists whom Bruce clearly favors, but the short shrift given Dylan in particular is a bit mystifying. Bruce keeps driving and talking, and you see footage and stills of him interspersed with the clips of the artists mentioned. And as the film winds to a close, he sums up and drives off, reinforcing the metaphor of rock and roll as a continuous, ever-changing ride down a two-lane blacktop. But don’t leave yet! As the “credits” roll (there are no actual credits placed there yet; remember, this is the “rough cut,”) there’s some spectacular color footage of Bruce and the band in their prime performing “Sweet Soul Music” to a packed house in a huge stadium circa 1988, backed by the Miami Horns. A muscular Bruce, clad in sleeveless black tee, belts “Spotlight on the Big Man/ don’t he look great?!”, and you see all the familiar faces - Max, Nils, Garry, Roy, Danny, even Richie “La Bamba” and Mark Pender - but no Steven (the reunion hadn’t happened yet) - and the whole thing ends with Bruce’s signature jump up with his guitar to end the song, as iconic as as that Fender, and something that longtime fans have no doubt seen more times than they can count. It’s great stuff, and if you were fortunate enough to have lived through that time period and experienced the band during that era, it makes you feel both nostalgic and incredibly fortunate to have been able to witness it live and in person. Those of us who were there know it was nothing but pure magic, and we will not see its like again. Fortunately, this complex, earthshaking, and uniquely American musical gumbo will live on and continue to be discovered and enjoyed by future generations - and in New Jersey, you will now be able to do that at the brand new Springsteen Center. The Bruce Springsteen Center for American Music opens June 7; timed tickets will be available soon via the Center’s website.

photo by John Cavanaugh - used with permission April 19, 2026 ...and American Music Past, and American Music Present. And its acronym is BSCAM . What a great night! Stay tuned for my full take (accompanied by plenty more photos, too.)

April 17, 2026 The latest issue of New Jersey Monthly features extensive coverage tied to this spring's opening of The Bruce Springsteen Center for American Music at Monmouth University 's new building, including a cover-story interview with Springsteen himself . In the interview with Jennifer Finn, Bruce shares his vision of what he's hoped the Center could become: "...something that was dedicated more to the overall story of American music... someplace that was an educational center, where the students could go to, and children from outside of the university. And it could be a place where people could come and begin to learn how the history of American music influences and affects the history of America itself. And then they’d have a spot for my stuff, if anybody was interested and wanted to go and see what made my own work and the influences that were very important to me when I was putting my own work together. "[If you look at] what was going on in…America from the ’70s through the second half of the 20th century to now, that was sort of the world that I was interested in documenting: the effects of postindustrialization on a large part of the American populace, and how it affected their lives…and continues to do so today. "I said, 'Well, it might be a place where you could go and see how my music was very deeply connected to the times.' And also, just someplace that was fun, [where] people could see some of the inspirations: how I came out of the Jersey Shore, and the effects the Jersey Shore had on my creative experience. And so…I said, 'Well, okay, let’s give it a try. Let’s do it.'" In addition to the interview, an accompanying feature by Finn explores the history of how the Center has come to exist, from the period starting in 2011 - when Monmouth University was first loaned the "fan-based collection of donated memorabilia" known as The Bruce Springsteen Special Collection (though unnamed in the New Jersey Monthly feature) - to present day and what is about to open to the public in early June. Interviewed for this feature were the Center's Executive Director, Bob Santelli, along with Director Eileen Chapman and Director of Curatorial Affairs Melissa Ziobro. (Incidentally, we're also proud to note that both of Finn's features are enhanced with some great images by Letters To You contributing photographer Mark Krajnak .) While relating his initial pitch-meeting with Jon Landau and Bruce Springsteen about the idea of a building at Monmouth U. devoted to Springsteen's archives, Santelli confirmed the same vision that Springsteen described in detail to Finn: "[H]e said, in so many words, ‘Bob, I’m honored; I appreciate that—but I don’t want it to be [all] about me.’ He said something to the effect of, ‘I’m a chapter in this ongoing story of American music. If you could broaden it so that I’m part of it, but we tell a bigger story, I’d be more comfortable with that.'" Click here to view or download a PDF of the complete magazine-layout version of these two New Jersey Monthly features. Click here to order a printed copy of New Jersey Monthly 's May 2026 issue, featuring these two articles. And finally, this is indeed a very good time for us at Letters To You to announce what we hope will be a "Friends"-ly amendment to all of the above. We think it's necessary and important to dig even deeper into the pre -2011 history behind The Bruce Springsteen Center for American Music at Monmouth University, to tell the full story of its genesis, or, as Bruce put it in his interview, "the way the whole thing happened in the beginning." Therefore, to help commemorate and celebrate the June 7, 2026 official opening of The Bruce Springsteen Center for American Music's new 30,000-square-foot building, we at Letters To You are helping to prepare for online publication the expanded, extensive, and proud history of The Friends Of The Bruce Springsteen Special Collection. Stay tuned!

April 14, 2026 Today The Bruce Springsteen Center for American Music at Monmouth University announced a multi-act, two-night concert event celebrating America’s 250th birthday. Called Music America: The Songs that Shaped Us, the concerts will take place on June 4 and 5 at the OceanFirst Bank Center on the Monmouth campus, just prior to the grand opening of the new Bruce Springsteen Center for American Music building on June 7.  This will be a major contribution to the national commemoration of America’s semiquincentennial, and the cornerstone of the Springsteen Center’s grand opening celebrations. Among the artists scheduled to perform over the two nights are Jon Bon Jovi, Jackson Browne, Rosanne Cash, Kenny Chesney, Gary Clark Jr., Dion, Dropkick Murphys, Shemekia Copeland, Valerie June, Keb’ Mo’, Nils Lofgren, Darlene Love, Public Enemy, David Sancious, Bruce Springsteen, Tony Trischka and Sister Sadie, Mavis Staples, Trombone Shorty and the New Breed Brass Band, Stevie Van Zandt, and Jimmie Vaughan.  The Disciples of Soul will serve as the house band. Each artist will perform landmark songs from American music history. Blues, bluegrass, rock, hip-hop, folk, jazz, country, and gospel are among the genres that will be represented. Narration will precede each performance, giving context to the artist, song, and genre celebrated. Additional artists will be announced in the coming weeks. “ Music America: The Songs that Shaped Us is a journey through American music history,” said Robert Santelli, executive director of the Springsteen Center and the concerts’ executive producer. “The concerts reflect everything the Bruce Springsteen Center for American Music stands for: the power of music to bring people together, the rich and diverse treasury of American music as a mirror of our national culture, and the inspiration to think about our shared history in these divisive times.” The concerts are a continuation of the Springsteen Center’s celebration of America’s semiquincentennial, which began in 2024 with the launch of the traveling exhibition, Music America : Iconic Objects from America’s Music History. Music America ... is currently on display at the Folk Americana Roots Hall of Fame in Boston. “We’re honored to bring together some of the most celebrated performers of our time for this once-in-a-lifetime event,” said Eileen Chapman, director of the Bruce Springsteen Center for American Music. “By uniting these artists on one stage, we’re creating an unforgettable experience that honors our past while inspiring the next generation who will shape our future.” Tickets for each concert will be sold separately. They will go on sale at noon on April 21 at springsteencenter.org . The Bruce Springsteen Center for American Music preserves the legacy of Bruce Springsteen and celebrates the history of American music and its diversity of artists and genres. As the home of the Bruce Springsteen Archives, the Center serves as the official repository for materials related to Springsteen and The E Street Band, including photographs, historic memorabilia, oral histories, and more. The Center also explores American music more broadly by producing exhibitions, concerts, and educational programming that interpret and honors the cultural impact of American music past, present, and future.

April 14, 2026 While Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band's Land of Hope & Dreams American Tour has taken off and continues rolling through fields where sunlight streams, our friend and occasional contributing photographer Gert Dewaelheyns, aka "BrucePix," has reached out to us with some additional good news. Gert is generously offering to all Letters To You readers a special free-shipping discount opportunity (by using the exclusive coupon code LETTERS2U ) on remaining copies of his beautiful hardcover photo-album book Springsteen & E Street Band Europe 2025: Land of Hope and Dreams Tour . The book offers ninety high-quality reproductions of Dewaelheyns' color and black-and-white photographs from seven European concerts in the 2025 Land of Hope & Dreams Tour , the first tour in which Bruce - backed by the mighty E Street Band - confronted "a treasonous administration" with " the righteous power of art, of music, of rock-and-roll in dangerous times." Below, check out a sampling of Gert's photos that are featured in Springsteen & E Street Band Europe 2025: Land of Hope and Dreams Tour : This free-shipping discount opportunity (by using the exclusive coupon code LETTERS2U ) is available to all Letters To You readers, no matter where they live, but it can especially save our U.S. readers some significant dough, since the current normal cost to ship Gert's book from Europe to the U.S. is actually slightly higher than the cost of the book itself. All interested readers also should act quickly before the book sells out, as only a small number of copies remain available to purchase. Click here to order your copies of Springsteen & E Street Band Europe 2025: Land of Hope and Dreams Tour by Gert Dewaelheyns. After you click the "Add to basket" button, be sure to enter in the coupon box the exclusive coupon code LETTERS2U and click "Apply coupon" to get your free-shipping discount. Again, this offer is only good while the few remaining copies of Gert's book are still available for purchase, so order now!

Minneapolis, MN, March 31, 2026 - photo by Kevin Mazur - used with permission April 13, 2026 Okay, so maybe the "incredible" (as per Bruce Springsteen on 3/31/26) singing voice of Mighty Max Weinberg - who turns 75 today - isn't as widely recognized as his percussive skills. Indeed, it is rare for Max to be given the greenlight to belt out a few choice notes at a Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band show, the most recent incident being just two weeks ago during "Hungry Heart" on the opening night of the Land of Hope & Dreams American Tour , as captured in the photo above. Perhaps The Mighty One won't make you soon forget singing drummers like Levon Helm and Don Henley. Nevertheless, Max sure can make those drums of his sing, swing, and rock. All good-natured kidding aside, Max Weinberg remains one of the all-time greatest drummers - as well as one of the all-time hardest-working drummers - in rock-and-roll, bringing that Big Beat night after night after night after night. Wanna know just how hard-working Max is? Plans are afoot already for a series of Max Weinberg's Jukebox gigs after the current Land of Hope & Dreams American Tour concludes. In fact, tickets are now available for a special Max Weinberg's Jukebox performance on Friday, June 12 at South Orange, NJ's Performing Arts Center . Max's camp also tells us that there soon will be many more Jukebox gigs announced for this coming summer and autumn. Check in regularly at Max's official Instagram page for all updates. So Happy 75th Birthday, Max, and thanks for consistently delivering on drums whatever is needed in the moment, be it big or small, pounding or supple. Whenever we hear that E Street drummer sound, we can feel our hearts begin to pound, and we love you for it. Best wishes for many more happy birthdays and drumming days ahead, too, good sir!

Chef Andre Fowles and Bruce Springsteen with copies of Fowles' recently published book My Jamaican Table: Vibrant Recipes from a Sun-Drenched Island , to which Springsteen wrote the foreword - photo via Patti Scialfa Springsteen's official Instagram page April 10, 2026 Andre Fowles' current gig as the personal chef for Bruce Springsteen and Patti Scialfa Springsteen is just the latest in his very impressive list of culinary achievements. Fowles also is a three-time championship winner of The Food Network's Chopped television competition, and continues serving as an international restaurant consultant for various establishments, including the upscale Miss Lily's , offering fine Jamaican food in its three locations: Jamaica, Dubai, and New York City, where Fowles formerly was its chef. Fowles recently published his first cookbook, as well. My Jamaican Table: Vibrant Recipes from a Sun-Drenched Island features a foreword by Bruce Springsteen. In it, Springsteen writes, "I've been around plenty of talented people in my lifetime, but what sets Andre apart are his humility and his love for what he does. You'd never guess he's a three-time Chopped champion because he's so down-to-earth. Andre brings this same grounded spirit to all of his efforts..." Indeed, while Fowles' first book provides many of his distinctive recipes, it also delivers many moving and inspiring insights derived from his humble beginnings growing up in a Kingston, Jamaica tenement yard. " My Jamaican Table ," writes Fowles, "is a culinary journey through the heart and soul of Jamaica. It's a collection of the flavors and the memories that have shaped my life. It was inspired by my grandmother's kitchen, where the scents of garlic and ginger were infused with laughter, love, and more than a few hard times." photo by Corrine Smith - used with permission Earlier this week, Chef Fowles was kind enough to grant a brief interview to Letters To You. We especially appreciate his doing so at this time, given how extra-busy we presume he probably is these days. After all, as he recently revealed to Rolling Stone , Fowles often can be found accompanying Springsteen on tour as his personal chef, in addition to cooking for the Springsteens at home. We also are super-thrilled that in our brief chat, Chef Fowles still managed to share a few extra-tasty and exclusive tidbits with us. Read it all below... LETTERS TO YOU: Chef Fowles, you're a highly respected, award-winning chef who has prepared meals for many famous people, presumably many of whom would be happy to write the foreword for your first cookbook. Could you please tell us some of the reasons why you selected Bruce Springsteen to write this special foreword? CHEF FOWLES: I’ve had the privilege of cooking for Bruce and Patti for over five years now, so having his words open this book is incredibly special to me. He’s connected with my food and culture on a really intimate level. We’ve shared stories, meals, and moments that go way beyond the plate. It just reminded me that it doesn’t matter who you are or where you’re from, food is the ultimate connector. So it felt like a no-brainer to have him write the foreword for my book. And it definitely didn’t hurt that he offered to do it.   LETTERS TO YOU: Are there any meals in My Jamaican Table that are particular favorites of Bruce's, Patti Scialfa's, and/or their family? CHEF FOWLES:  Curried lobster with coconut rice, and roti to dip into the sauce with some mango chutney and sweet plantains. It’s a lovely spread with both the spice from the curry and sweetness from the chutney and plantains. That is one dish I keep going back to that he really enjoys, and I’d say it’s his go-to. Both Bruce and Patti also really enjoy my grilled swordfish with mango salsa - a recipe found in My Jamaican Table.   LETTERS TO YOU: Are there any particular Springsteen and/or Scialfa records to which you like to listen while cooking and/or doing other things? If so, why are those records special to you? CHEF FOWLES:  “Because The Night” by Bruce Springsteen. Outside of his many hits, " Because the Night" is the song I keep going back to when I’m in the kitchen. It’s a great lover’s rock song that always gets my energy up.   LETTERS TO YOU: Finally, could you tell us a bit more about your work with The Rockhouse Foundation on Hurricane Melissa recovery efforts in Jamaica, how sales of My Jamaican Table  have supported those efforts, why the efforts are personally important to you, and how folks can help? CHEF FOWLES:  The Rockhouse Foundation works to raise money to help build schools on the West Coast of Jamaica for special-needs kids. It’s a wonderful organization, and I kicked off my pre-order campaign of My Jamaican Table by donating a portion of each preorder through the end of 2025 to their Hurricane Melissa Relief Fund. [ NOTE TO OUR READERS: Although pre-orders for My Jamaican Table have ended, you can click here to support directly The Rockhouse Foundation's Hurricane Melissa recovery efforts .] Click here to purchase your copies of My Jamaican Table: Vibrant Recipes from a Sun-Drenched Island , by Andre Fowles, with a foreword by Bruce Springsteen.

April 7, 2026 I'll admit that I was unsure about their successfully pulling off here in the U.S. a version of what they did last year in Europe, but I also learned a long time ago just how much and how often Bruce Springsteen and his various collaborators can still surprise you through the years. Indeed, just two gigs in (with the third happening tonight in Inglewood, CA, as this essay is being published,) it's already very clear that Springsteen and the E Street Band have succeeded overwhelmingly in bringing to the U.S. the perfect rock concert to help us endure and - more important - work to change our ongoing "hard times," as Bruce reiterates in his final major spoken-word piece at the end of the show. At that point in the evening, he also admits freely that their 2026 Land of Hope & Dreams American Tour   wasn't so much planned as born, out of sheer, desperate necessity. Apparently this past winter's ICE occupation of Minnesota, and especially the killing of protesters Renee Good and Alex Pretti in Minneapolis , is what spurred Springsteen into swift, decisive action. Not only did he write "Streets of Minneapolis" on the same day that Alex Pretti was killed, recording and releasing it just days later, and within the same month that Renee Good was murdered, but whatever else Springsteen might have been planning for Spring 2026 instead got replaced by the quick organization of a special 20-dates Spring 2026 tour with the E Street Band. photo by Rob DeMartin - used with permission I was fortunate to be able to attend and witness in person the opening night of this unique tour in Minneapolis. As one of the many - though unfortunately not all - U.S.-based Springsteen fans who remain extremely concerned about this second, deeper backslide into a Trump presidency, its administrative actions, and their current and future impact here and abroad, this is exactly the Springsteen/ESB concert I've wanted and needed to hear right now. It's a show that reiterates and validates the various truths about why this second-term Trump presidency is so toxic, while also offering catharsis, inspiration, hope, challenge... and, oh yeah, some much-needed fun, silliness, entertainment, laughter, and joy along the way, as well. (Hey, to paraphrase a famous if inaccurately attributed saying , if I can't laugh, applaud, groove, and enjoy stuff like Max Weinberg attempting to sing "Hungry Heart," I don't want to be part of your revolution.) The full setlist has been well-publicized already, of course, and I see no need to do that again here, especially if you're still trying to avoid any spoilers. I do want to note, however, just how well-constructed, focused, and purposeful this show is, not just in terms of the setlist, but also in regards to Bruce's spoken-word setpieces. Therefore, I'll focus on just what I consider to be some of the more significant examples of that. Anyone who watched the official Night One livestream of the first two songs played in Minneapolis last Tuesday already knows about that opening one-two gutpunch of "War" and "Born in the U.S.A." back-to-back. In the decade that preceded that moment, you could count on one hand how many times a full-band "Born in the U.S.A." had been performed in the United States, and "War" hadn't been regularly featured in any of Bruce's setlists for almost forty years. In fact, the last time "War" got played straight into "Born in the U.S.A." was on the 1988 Tunnel of Love Express Tour. Back then, it was a brilliant bit of setlist sequencing, making it harder to misinterpret the essential meaning behind the oft-misunderstood and oft-misportrayed "Born in the U.S.A.," and of course it works just as brilliantly now, while an insane Trump-initiated war with Iran rages on, and The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU)'s recent birthright-citizenship ad campaign has taken "Born in the U.S.A." in very different and unexpected directions. The 2026 version of "War" also revises Nils Lofgren's great 1985 guitar-intro to the song , which now also serves as the musical bed for Bruce's opening statement of purpose on the 2026 tour. That statement has been altered significantly from how Springsteen opened last year's European Land of Hope & Dreams Tour shows. This year he's added two more descriptors to his opening depiction of the Trump administration, now identifying it as "corrupt, incompetent, racist , reckless , and treasonous." Augmenting that and other parts of the show to address explicitly the racist aspects of the Trump agenda, as well as the recklessness of diving headlong into a brutal, unnecessary, and extremely dangerous war with Iran (along with the numerous well-documented militaristic attacks on U.S. citizens and others who oppose and protest the administration's agenda/actions,) is essential in conveying just how disastrous a path on which our country's political and social shifts over the past decade have led us. Not surprisingly, Bruce has skillfully continued to develop his spoken-word segments in the show to be even more "on-target" than they were last year. Nevertheless, and equally unsurprisingly, he continues to let the music itself do most of the heavy lifting, as it still does so well. New-for-this-tour highlights include the powerful full band version of "Streets of Minneapolis," the return of the E Street Band version of "American Skin (41 Shots)," which was performed only once in the past five years before this tour began, and the even rarer E Street Band version of "The Ghost of Tom Joad." The greatness of those three particular songs also has a lot to do with the tour's special guest, Tom Morello. Morello recently played a major role in encouraging Springsteen to stick with the explicit, non-subtle lyrical approach of "Streets of Minneapolis," and of course he was all over the underrated High Hopes album, including its studio versions of "American Skin" and "...Joad." So far Morello has been joining the band on about a third of the nightly setlist, including the three songs noted above. He remains a great addition to Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band's multi-guitar sonic awesomeness any time that he's onstage with them, both musically and politically. "Land of Hope And Dreams," the beautiful song that also provided the name for last year's and this year's anti-Trump tours, has been switched from the beginning of the show to the equally important closing-song slot of the main set. The switch hasn't diminished at all the song's enduring impact and importance. I also find it amusingly ironic that in the midst of all of the "no kings" references and iconography surrounding this tour, Bruce Springsteen is still singing "this train carries fools and kings... all aboard" at each and every show. On the other hand, carrying around the baggage of living under the reign of a fool and wannabe king is the show's essential theme, so maybe there's really nothing ironic about it after all. photo by Rob DeMartin - used with permission Given the relative brevity of the tour and its very well-planned, purposeful setlist structure, it seems unlikely that there will be many changes or song variations occurring on a regular basis. For the penultimate encore in Minneapolis, of course there was a great, appropriate, and moving one-off of "Purple Rain," performed for the first time since "The Maestro" Prince's death a decade ago. (And it looks probable that tonight's attendees in Inglewood will be treated to the first cover of The Clash's "Clampdown" since 2014.) above and below: "Purple Rain" in Minneapolis "for The Maestro" - photos by Shawn Poole But it's the tour's standard show-closer - with Bruce and the band covering another song by another Minnesota musical master, Bob Dylan's "Chimes of Freedom" as arranged by some of his greatest interpreters, The Byrds - that truly brings it all back home. (Before this past week, incidentally, "Chimes of Freedom" also hadn't been played by Springsteen and/or the E Street Band in the U.S. for almost forty years. It was last heard here during the U.S. dates of the 1988 Human Rights Now! Tour .) The Land of Hope & Dreams American Tour also features a return of Bruce Springsteen spotlighting and supporting at each show a locally-based organization working to help folks in need. Pictured above are both sides of the flyer that was permitted to be distributed at the Minneapolis tour-opener, sharing information about the group that Bruce supported that night. A special focus for this tour will be on immigrant-rights groups, including local ACLU affiliates. Ultimately, Bruce's introduction to Dylan's song is as important as the singing of the song itself, in offering a vision of the civility towards and connections with our fellow citizens that we've lost but might someday regain, IF we're still willing to take that long walk home together. The introduction begins with how vindictively and brutally "King Trump" views and treats anyone who disagrees with him, setting one standard for what now passes for political discourse in the U.S. (A bit earlier in the evening, while introducing "My City of Ruins," he also brilliantly summoned an image of Trump as the ultimate "snowflake.") But then he quickly shifts gears from what is to what could be, first by quoting Renee Good's final words, spoken to her killer, and then paraphrasing the late, great civil-rights leader John Lewis' immortal words about encouraging all of us to get into some "good trouble." Finally, his closing benediction before singing the song: "So God bless Alex Pretti, and God bless Renee Good. God bless you, and God bless America." And there it is; that full and truly patriotic articulation... not just of our current predicament, but also of our potential to survive and change things for the better. That's what's at the heart of this special, excellent, moving, inspiring, and important work of art, brought to U.S. venues at last. Here's hoping that everyone who's wanted and needed this show at least as much as I did gets to witness it firsthand, as well. And finally, despite being the agnostic I am, I'll add - with much love, respect, and appreciation - a hearty, sincere, and well-deserved "God bless Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band," for their collectively continuing to perform so well, so bravely, and so effectively in such dangerous times. photo by Shawn Poole

photo by Phil Ceccola - used with permission April 3, 2026 Musician, songwriter, poet, and author Tzruya/Zeruya “Suki” Lahav died this past Wednesday. She was 74. photo by Phil Ceccola - used with permission Among her many accomplishments, Lahav was the first woman ever to record and perform with Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band. Her uncredited and multitracked backing vocals can be heard on both "4th of July, Asbury Park (Sandy)" and "Incident on 57th Street" from The Wild, The Innocent & The E Street Shuffle , an album that was engineered by her then-husband Louis Lahav. And her credited violin work (also multitracked) can be heard on Born to Run 's closing epic "Jungleland." photo by Phil Ceccola - used with permission In the 1974-75 period leading up to the release of Born to Run , Lahav occasionally performed live with Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band, as well. "Onstage," wrote Dave Marsh in his still-essential book Born to Run: The Bruce Springsteen Story , "Suki’s ghostly pale figure was a fine contrast to Bruce’s darkness and toughness, and, musically, the addition of a violin was a luxury that quickly became a necessity in songs like 'Incident on 57th Street,' 'New York City Serenade,' Dylan’s 'I Want You' and a new song called 'Jungleland.'" photo by Phil Ceccola - used with permission photo by Phil Ceccola - used with permission Although her tenure with Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band was a very brief one, it also was a historic one with significant impact. Rest in peace, Suki, and thank you for your enduring, important role in Springsteen's music, on record and onstage.

March 31, 2026 Once more, the people have spoken. Due to continued interest and demand, as well as Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band's special 2026 tour celebrating and defending freedom during the U.S.A.'s semiquincentennial year, we are offering another opportunity to purchase our exclusive Frank Caruso "Spirit of '76" nonprofit-fundraising t-shirt . We remain pleased and honored that artist  Frank Caruso , who collaborated with Bruce Springsteen on his Outlaw Pete  quasi-children's book, has allowed Letters To You to turn his "Spirit of '76" artwork, originally unveiled on our website for Bruce's 76th birthday , into an awesome high-quality Bayside unisex preshrunk-cotton t-shirt . Frank's beautiful artwork is reproduced in full detail, using high-definition digital DTF printing, on shirts that are union-made in the U.S.A. This time around, again with Frank's full approval, all profits from the 2026 sales of these shirts will be donated to TWO  of Bruce's favorite non-profit organizations: The American Civil Liberties Union  (which Bruce will be supporting publicly during shows on his 2026 U.S. tour with the E Street Band) and, as with last year's sales,   The Kristen Ann Carr Fund . Once again, for a limited time only, we are making the shirt available in two colors, "dark ash" gray (90% preshrunk cotton, 10% polyester) and navy blue (100% preshrunk cotton,) and adult sizes small through 4XL. If ordering from anywhere within the U.S.A., each shirt still costs only $40, with all shipping, etc. included. If ordering from anywhere outside the U.S.A., however, while each shirt also still costs $40, unfortunately it is now necessary for us to add at checkout an extra $45 expedited-and-tracked shipping cost per order. (Please note that this extra shipping cost is just per order, and not per shirt, so if you plan to order more than one shirt, be sure to place all of your desired shirts in one order to save the most money.) All pre-orders should be submitted by Monday, April 13 to ensure delivery by early May 2026. (Note: We had hoped to launch and end this pre-order campaign a bit earlier this year, so that all shirts could be shipped and delivered in time for today's launch of the tour, but circumstances beyond anyone's control prevented that from happening . At least we still can cover you for the second half of the tour.) Just as with last year's run, this will a limited-edition, super-cool Springsteen-themed shirt, but now supporting TWO  great causes and destined to become especially appropriate for wearing in 2026, when Bruce is touring the U.S. and fans around the world will be celebrating the U.S.A.'s 250th birthday. Click here and place your "Spirit of '76"-shirt pre-orders  NOW! (Images are for illustrative purposes; final shirt designs may differ, but only slightly.)

photo by Shawn Poole April 1, 2026 Just in case you might not have heard already, last night The Land of Hope & Dreams American Tour launched in Minneapolis, MN's Target Center. To paraphrase Bruce Springsteen, this tour is happening NOW . No foolin', no joke. Springsteen and the E Street Band, along with their full-tour special guest Tom Morello, are as serious as a heart attack in their mission to "call upon the righteous power of art, of music, of rock and roll in dangerous times..." And of course the show still contains everything else that makes a Springsteen/ESB concert great, including the cheesy fun stuff. There's more on last night's tour-opener coming soon from Letters To You's editor/publisher Shawn Poole, who was there. In the meantime, we also are sending our very best wishes to The American Civil Liberties Union's National Legal Director (and birthright citizen) Cecillia Wang, who will be arguing the landmark Barbara v. Donald J. Trump case before the U.S. Supreme Court later today. Definitely no joke there, either.