Bruce Springsteen is coming back to Minneapolis. Sooner than you think. On March 31, he will kick off the Land of Hope and Dreams American Tour with the E Street Band at Target Center.
It’s been 27 years since he last rocked Target Center but less than three weeks since he performed in the Mill City, on Jan. 30 at First Avenue, where he delivered the live premiere of “Streets of Minneapolis,” his instant protest song that he’d recorded earlier that week.
“We are living through dark, disturbing and dangerous times, but do not despair — the cavalry is coming!" Springsteen said in a statement. “We will be rocking your town in celebration and in defense of America — American democracy, American freedom, our American Constitution and our sacred American dream — all of which are under attack by our wannabe king and his rogue government in Washington, D.C.
“Everyone, regardless of where you stand or what you believe in, is welcome — so come on out and join the United Free Republic of E Street Nation for an American spring of Rock ‘n’ Rebellion!”
The Twin Cities gig will be the kickoff for a relatively brief 20-concert spring tour for Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band. The new trek is named after the rocker’s 1999 song, “Land of Hope and Dreams,” which has been played at political conventions and other events, including the final episode of “The Daily Show with Jon Stewart” in 2015. Starting in spring 2025, the Land of Hope and Dreams Tour played to more than 700,000 people in Europe.
The new American tour will open with the unusual routing of Minneapolis, then Portland, Ore., and Los Angeles, three cities involved in the recent ICE operation.
Springsteen’s last tour included 130 concerts between February 2023 and July 2025, though there were postponements of several shows when the Boss was suffering from an illness or vocal cord issues.
The St. Paul gig was early in the tour, on March 5, 2023. The set list featured material from 2020’s “Letter to You” and 2022’s covers album “Only the Strong Survive.” That tour was the Rock & Roll Hall of Famer’s first after his sold-out one-man “Springsteen on Broadway,” which ran for 267 shows over two engagements between 2017 and 2021.
