Bruce Springsteen opens show with “fighting prayer” for US following Trump’s election victory

nme.com:

Bruce Springsteen opened his live show with a “fighting prayer” for the US last night (November 6) following Donald Trump‘s victory in the 2024 presidential election.The Boss, who had previously endorsed Kamala Harris, performed at the Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, Canada yesterday as part of his current North American tour with the E Street Band.To begin the 29-song set, Springsteen delivered a timely rendition of 2007’s ‘Long Walk Home’ – a political song about how America had changed in the era of President George W.

Bush.Introducing the track, the singer-songwriter declared: “This is a fighting prayer for my country!”He then aired a rendition of 1999’s ‘Land Of Hope And Dreams’ – which carries a more optimistic message, and is often described as a celebration of America. “Leave behind your sorrows/ Let this day be the last/ Tomorrow there’ll be sunshine/ And all this darkness past,” Springsteen sang.You can watch fan-shot footage of the two performances here:Speaking to the New York Times around the release of ‘Long Walk Home’, Springsteen explained: “In that particular song a guy comes back to his town and recognises nothing and is recognised by nothing.“The singer in ‘Long Walk Home,’ that’s his experience.

His world has changed. The things that he thought he knew, the people who he thought he knew, whose ideals he had something in common with, are like strangers.He added: “The world that he knew feels totally alien.

I think that’s what’s happened in this country in the past six years.”In 2021, The Boss performed a solo version of ‘Land Of Hope And Dreams’ during a Joe Biden inauguration TV special titled Celebrating America.