Bruce Springsteen plans to perform his January single “Streets of Minneapolis” at the No Kings Rally in St. Paul on Saturday, marking the song’s first public debut.
“You want to try to meet the moment,” he said. “The No Kings movement is of great import right now.”
The song comes amid President Donald Trump‘s sweeping deportation operations in Minneapolis, which resulted in weeks of protests and the deaths of two individuals, Renee Good and Alex Pretti, who were killed by ICE agents.
Springsteen released the track in January following what he described as a rapid creative process.
“I wrote this song on Saturday, recorded it yesterday and released it to you today in response to the state terror being visited on the city of Minneapolis,” Springsteen wrote on Instagram when announcing the single.
In explaining his decision to perform the song, Springsteen emphasized the importance of meaningful art during times of crisis.
“When you have the opportunity to sing something where the timing is essential and if you have something powerful to sing, it elevates the moment, it elevates your job to another level,” he told the Star Tribune. “And I’m always in search of that.”
The song features lyrics such as, “Oh our Minneapolis, I hear your voice / Singing through the bloody mist / We’ll take our stand for this land / And the stranger in our midst. Here in our home they killed and roamed / In the winter of ’26 / We’ll remember the names of those who died / On the streets of Minneapolis.”
The No Kings Rally on Saturday is expected to draw over 80,000 people, according to Minnesota Public Radio.
The event will feature an extensive lineup, including Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, Jane Fonda, Joan Baez, and Maggie Rogers.
Springsteen praised folk legend Baez’s participation in the event.
“Having Joan there, what can you say about her?” he told the Star Tribune. “She’s lived a life.”