{"id":267600,"date":"2026-04-14T17:25:17","date_gmt":"2026-04-14T17:25:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/267600\/"},"modified":"2026-04-14T17:25:17","modified_gmt":"2026-04-14T17:25:17","slug":"bruce-springsteen-concert-tour-hits-chase-center-san-francisco","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/267600\/","title":{"rendered":"Bruce Springsteen concert tour hits Chase Center San Francisco"},"content":{"rendered":"

Bruce Springsteen has something to say.<\/p>\n

And he\u2019s taking more time to say it on his current Land of Hope and Dreams American Tour than I\u2019ve seen him do on any other road show during my five decades of Springsteen<\/a> watching.<\/p>\n

During the tour\u2019s sold-out stop on Tuesday at Chase Center in San Francisco, the man we call \u201cThe Boss\u201d<\/a> delivered approximately 15 minutes worth of prepared speeches over the course of a show that lasted roughly three hours.<\/p>\n

Percentage wise, that\u2019s not a lot. But these were not little light asides, but rather hugely hard-hitting speeches in which Springsteen<\/a> asked the 17,500 fans in attendance to consider and examine the place that America finds itself in 2026 under Trump\u2019s presidency.<\/p>\n

Was it too much? The answer to that probably has a lot to do with where you fall in today\u2019s absurdly polarized political spectrum. Suffice it to say that Trump MAGA supporters would have had plenty of opportunities to make bathroom runs or hit the merch booths during this show.<\/p>\n

Yet, the Land of Hope and Dreams is an old-fashioned protest tour \u2014 the kind we haven\u2019t seen on this scale in quite some time. It wasn\u2019t something that was originally scheduled, but rather a quickly thrown-together jaunt motivated by Springsteen\u2019s<\/a> need to speak out against Trump, ICE and other entities that he sees as leading this country in the complete wrong direction.<\/p>\n

And he\u2019s certainly accomplishing that mission.<\/p>\n

Still, what makes this tour so incredibly memorable is that the political rhetoric \u2014 which was very much stamped with a seal of approval by the crowd in San Francisco \u2014 is accompanied by some of the most life-affirming and powerful rock \u2018n\u2019 roll ever created.<\/p>\n

Plus, the famed New Jersey native \u2014 who is set to celebrate his 77th birthday later this year \u2014 is still very much at the top of his game. Taking the stage with his ever-growing E Street Band at just after 7:45 p.m., Springsteen<\/a> was a man on a mission as he touched upon 12 albums and various other material during the 27-song set.<\/p>\n

Before getting to the rockers, however, the man of the hour (or, more accurately, approximately three hours) kicked off the show with a prayer.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe begin tonight with a prayer for our men and women in service overseas,\u201d Springsteen. \u201cWe pray for their safe return.\u201d<\/p>\n

Then he went right into the band\u2019s mission statement for this tour.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe E Street Band is here tonight to call upon the righteous power of art, of music, of rock \u2018n\u2019 roll in dangerous times,\u201d Springsteen proclaimed. \u201cWe are here in celebration and defense of our American ideals, democracy, our constitution and in our sacred American promise. The America that I love, the America I\u2019ve written about for 50 years, that has been a beacon of hope and liberty around the world, is truly in the hands of a corrupt, incompetent, racist, reckless and treasonous administration.<\/p>\n

\u201cTonight, 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 \u2026 \u201d<\/p>\n

Yes, \u201cWar\u201d \u2014 The Boss\u2019 beloved cover of The Temptations\/Edwin Starr classic \u2014 which made for a seamless and fitting transition into this powerful evening of music. Springsteen charged through that number, which Starr took to the top of the charts in 1970, and then followed up with his own similarly dramatic Vietnam War protest number \u201cBorn in the U.S.A.\u201d \u2014 thus replicating the famed one-two-punch The Boss and his E Streeters used on their Tunnel of Love Express Tour in 1988.<\/p>\n

A cover of The Clash\u2019s protest anthem \u201cClampdown\u201d proved to be a nice new edition to the setlist, having just made the cut a week earlier at The Kia Forum in Los Angeles, fitting in nicely alongside the Springsteen favorites \u201cNo Surrender\u201d and \u201cDarkness on the Edge of Town.\u201d<\/p>\n

Springsteen then unveiled the much-discussed new song \u201c\u201dStreets of Minneapolis,\u201d which stands as an important historical document of the deadly events that occurred during the ICE activity and protests in that city over the winter, before pushing on into \u201cThe Promised Land,\u201d \u201cTwo Hearts\u201d and the crowd singalong of \u201cHungry Heart.\u201d<\/p>\n

As always, the E Street Band was in top form, bringing depth, touch and power to Springsteen\u2019s messages. It was definitely a jumbo-sized ensemble working the stage, including four backing vocalists, a five-piece horn section (counting regular saxophonist Jake Clemons) and a raging quartet of guitarists.<\/p>\n

The guitar brigade \u2014 consisting of Springsteen, E Streeters \u201cLittle\u201d Steven Van Zandt and Nils Lofgren as well as Rage Against the Machine axe legend Tom Morello \u2014 was absolutely brilliant, delivering one display of fretboard fireworks after another.<\/p>\n

Each of the four got a chance to shine under the spotlight, with Springsteen stepping up early on \u201cBorn in the U.S.A.\u201d; Van Zandt getting his turn on \u201cMurder Incorporated\u201d and \u201cThe Promised Land\u201d: Lofgren (who might be the most-overlooked guitar hero in all of music) showcasing his ample skills on \u201cYoungstown\u201d and \u201cBecause the Night\u201d; and Morello causing jaws to drop with his now-legendary solo on \u201cThe Ghost of Tom Joad.\u201d<\/p>\n

A double shot of \u201cBadlands\u201d and tour\u2019s namesake \u201cLand of Hope and Dreams\u201d closed out the main set right around the 2 hour and 20 minute mark. Yet, of course, Springsteen wasn\u2019t anywhere close to being done for the night and would quickly get back to business with \u201cAmerican Land,\u201d one of two Celtic-folk-infused numbers to make the cut on this night (the other was \u201cDeath to My Hometown\u201d).<\/p>\n

Then the house lights went up \u2014 as per Springsteen tradition \u2014 and the band and audience combined forces in spectacularly joyous fashion on the all-time great rock anthem \u201cBorn to Run.\u201d The Boss kept the good times right on rolling, racing from \u201cRun\u201d right into \u201cDancing in the Dark\u201d and \u201cTenth Avenue Freeze-Out.\u201d<\/p>\n

Then the big rock \u2018n\u2019 roll party slowed down, because, well, Springsteen had something to say.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you\u2019re feeling helpless, hopeless, betrayed, frustrated, angry \u2014 I understand. Because I feel that way too,\u201d Springsteen said before finally closing the night with his acclaimed cover of Bob Dylan\u2019s \u201cChimes of Freedom. \u201cThat\u2019s why the E Street Band is here with you tonight. We needed to feel your hope. We needed to feel your strength. And your love.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe wanted to bring some strength and hope to you tonight. And I hope we\u2019ve done that.\u201d<\/p>\n

The roar of approval from the 17,500 in attendance served as absolute confirmation that Springsteen and the E Street Band had indeed accomplished that mission.<\/p>\n

Bruce Springsteen Setlist:
1. \u201cWar\u201d
2. \u201cBorn in the U.S.A.\u201d
3. \u201cDeath to My Hometown\u201d
4. \u201cClampdown\u201d
5. \u201cNo Surrender\u201d
6. \u201cDarkness on the Edge of Town\u201d
7. \u201cStreets of Minneapolis\u201d
8. \u201cThe Promised Land\u201d
9. \u201cTwo Hearts\u201d
10. \u201cHungry Heart\u201d
11. \u201cYoungstown\u201d
12. \u201cMurder Incorporated\u201d
13. \u201cAmerican Skin (41 Shots)\u201d
14. \u201cLong Walk Home\u201d
15. \u201cHouse of a Thousand Guitars\u201d
16. \u201cMy City of Ruins\u201d
17. \u201cBecause the Night\u201d
18. \u201cWrecking Ball\u201d
19. \u201cThe Rising\u201d
20. \u201cThe Ghost of Tom Joad\u201d
21. \u201cBadlands\u201d
22. \u201cLand of Hope and Dreams\u201d
Encore:
23. \u201cAmerican Land\u201d
24: \u201cBorn to Run\u201d
25. \u201cDancing in the Dark\u201d
26. \u201cTenth Avenue Freeze-Out\u201d
27. \u201cChimes of Freedom\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Bruce Springsteen has something to say. And he\u2019s taking more time to say it on his current Land…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":267601,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[30],"tags":[184,7,8256,2644,1533,181,330,3743,395,8257,8258,101,396,103,102,104,106,105,94685,420,77],"class_list":{"0":"post-267600","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-san-francisco","8":"tag-bay-area","9":"tag-california","10":"tag-chase-center","11":"tag-concerts","12":"tag-keywee","13":"tag-latest-headlines","14":"tag-music","15":"tag-nightlife","16":"tag-peninsula","17":"tag-pop-music","18":"tag-rock-music","19":"tag-san-francisco","20":"tag-san-francisco-county","21":"tag-san-francisco-headlines","22":"tag-san-francisco-news","23":"tag-sf","24":"tag-sf-headlines","25":"tag-sf-news","26":"tag-social-alert","27":"tag-things-to-do","28":"tag-uncategorized"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/267600","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=267600"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/267600\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/267601"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=267600"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=267600"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=267600"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}