Bruce Springsteen traveled to Minneapolis on Friday, January 30, to appear as the long-teased “very special guest” at Tom Morello’s benefit concert supporting the families of victims killed in ICE-related shootings.
The sold-out event, titled A Concert of Solidarity & Resistance to Defend Minnesota!, was announced just two days before it took place at the legendary Minneapolis venue First Avenue. In a social media post shared January 28, Morello said proceeds from the concert would go directly to the families of Renee Good and Alex Pretti.
Good, 37, was shot and killed by a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent on January 7 in Minneapolis. Pretti, also 37, was killed by multiple U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents on January 24.
The original lineup featured Morello alongside members of Chicago punk band Rise Against, singer-songwriter Ike Reilly, and flamenco-jazz fusion guitarist Al Di Meola. Morello also hinted at a mystery guest — later revealed to be Springsteen.
Just hours before the benefit was announced, Springsteen released Streets of Minneapolis, a newly written song responding directly to the deaths of Good and Pretti.
While addressing the crowd at First Avenue, Springsteen shared that he had sent the song to Morello beforehand, asking whether it might come across as too “soapboxy.”
“He told me, ‘Nuance is great, but sometimes you’ve got to kick them in the teeth,’” Springsteen said before performing the song live.
Morello and several other performers later joined Springsteen onstage for the show’s finale. Before the night ended, Morello encouraged attendees to exit the venue and peacefully join demonstrations taking place outside.
The concert raised funds for the victims’ families while underscoring a broader message of solidarity, protest, and resistance — carried not through speeches alone, but through music itself.