Bruce Springsteen's European stadium concerts harness rock's 'righteous power' in 'dangerous times'

BERLIN — In a state that saw its ideology dice successful 1933, the much than 170,000 radical crowding into 3 of Germany’s biggest shot stadiums for Bruce Springsteen’s stone concerts successful caller weeks person been particularly receptive to his connection and dire warnings astir a politically perilous infinitesimal successful the United States, 1 that has reminded immoderate of Adolf Hitler’s powerfulness drawback successful the ’30s.

At these gigantic open-air concerts successful Berlin, Frankfurt and Gelsenkirchen, which person been among the largest concerts to day successful Springsteen’s two-month-long, 16-show Land of Hope & Dreams circuit crossed Europe, the 75-year-old stone prima from New Jersey has interspersed abbreviated but poignant governmental speeches into his exhausting, sweat-drenched performances to picture the dangers helium sees successful the United States nether the Trump administration.

“The mighty E Street Band is present contiguous to telephone upon the righteous powerfulness of art, of music, of stone ’n’ rotation successful unsafe times,” Springsteen says to cheers astatine the commencement of each concert. “In my location — the America I love, the America I person written astir — the America that has been a beacon of anticipation and liberty for 250 years is presently successful the hands of a corrupt, incompetent and treasonous administration. Tonight, we inquire each who judge successful ideology and the champion of our American acquisition to emergence with us, rise your voices against authoritarianism and fto state ring.”

Springsteen’s words person had peculiar resonance successful Germany, wherever memories of the Nazi past are ne'er acold from the aboveground and the cataclysmic demise of the Weimar Republic, which led straight to Hitler’s takeover, is studied successful large item successful schools and universities. With that Nazi past embedded successful their DNA, German fears of President Trump’s tactics astir apt tally higher than anyplace else.

“Germans thin to person angst astir a batch of things and they are truly acrophobic of Trump,” said Michael Pilz, a euphony professional for the Welt newspaper, who agrees that the decease of German ideology successful 1933 is simply a contributing origin to the popularity of Springsteen’s anti-Trump concerts this summer. “A batch of Germans deliberation Trump is simply a fool. It’s not lone his authorities but the mode helium is, conscionable truthful wholly implicit the top. Germans emotion to spot Trump getting hit. And they respect Springsteen for lasting up and taking it to him.”

“The mighty E Street Band is present contiguous to telephone upon the righteous powerfulness of art, of music, of stone ’n’ rotation successful unsafe times,” Springsteen says to cheers astatine the commencement of each concert.

(Markus Schreiber / Associated Press)

The crowds successful Germany person been arsenic ample arsenic they are enthusiastic. More than 75,000 filled Berlin’s Olympic Stadium connected June 11; 44,500 were successful Frankfurt connected June 18; and different 51,000 watched his performance successful the faded Ruhr River concern municipality of Gelsenkirchen connected June 27. All told, much than 700,000 tickets person been sold for the 16 shows successful Springsteen’s circuit (for concerts that past 3 oregon much hours), which concludes connected July 3 successful Milan, Italy.

“The German aversion to Trump has present go much utmost successful his 2nd word — Germans conscionable don’t recognize however the Americans could elite idiosyncratic similar Trump,” said Jochen Staadt, a governmental subject prof astatine the Free University successful Berlin who is besides a drummer successful an amateur Berlin stone band. Staadt believes Springsteen’s 1988 performance whitethorn good person helped pave the mode for the Berlin Wall to autumn a small implicit a twelvemonth aboriginal successful 1989. “Germans are drawn to Springsteen arsenic idiosyncratic who played an important relation successful our past erstwhile Germany was inactive divided and arsenic idiosyncratic who whitethorn person helped flooded that part with stone music.”

Springsteen has been filling stadiums crossed Europe successful the lukewarm summertime evenings with his high-energy shows that not lone entertain the tremendous crowds but besides instrumentality connected Trump’s policies connected civilian liberties, escaped speech, immigrants and universities successful thoughtfully constructed messages. To guarantee thing is mislaid successful translation, Springsteen’s little forays into authorities of astir 2 to 3 minutes each are translated for section audiences successful German, French, Spanish, Basque and Italian subtitles connected the elephantine video walls onstage.

To ram the connection location to much people, Springsteen besides released a 30-minute signaling from the archetypal halt of the circuit successful Manchester, England, that contains 3 songs and 3 of his speeches onstage.

“I’ve ever tried to beryllium a bully ambassador for America,” said Springsteen portion introducing “My City of Ruins,” a opus helium wrote aft the 9/11 panic attacks that has taken connected a caller meaning this summer. “I’ve spent my beingness singing astir wherever we person succeeded and wherever we’ve travel up abbreviated successful surviving up to our civic ideals and our dreams. I ever conscionable thought that was my job. Things are happening close present successful my location that are altering the precise quality of our country’s ideology and they’re simply excessively important to ignore.”

Springsteen’s archetypal code during the tour’s Manchester amusement connected May 17 prompted a crisp rebuke from Trump connected his Truth Social platform. “Springsteen is ‘dumb arsenic a rock’… and this dried retired ‘prune’ of a rocker (his tegument is each atrophied!) ought to KEEP HIS MOUTH SHUT until helium gets backmost into the Country, that’s conscionable ‘standard fare’. Then we’ll each spot however it goes for him!”

Springsteen did not respond directly. Instead, helium repeated his messages astatine each performance crossed Europe. He delivered much governmental commentary successful introducing his opus “House of a Thousand Guitars” by saying: “The past cheque connected power, aft the checks and balances of authorities person failed, are the people. You and me. It’s the national of radical astir a communal acceptable of values. That’s each that stands betwixt ideology and authoritarianism. So astatine the extremity of the day, each we’ve truly got is each other.” In the song, Springsteen sings astir “the transgression clown has stolen the throne / He steals what helium tin ne'er own.”

His concerts besides included the unrecorded debut of “Rainmaker,” astir a con man, from his 2020 “Letter to You” album. At the concerts successful Europe, Springsteen dedicates the opus to “our beloved leader,” with a enactment that goes: “Rainmaker says white’s achromatic and black’s achromatic / Says night’s time and day’s night.”

More than 75,000 filled Berlin’s Olympic Stadium connected June 11, 44,500 were successful Frankfurt connected June 18, and different 51,000 watched his performance successful the faded Ruhr River concern municipality of Gelsenkirchen connected June 27.

(Markus Schreiber / Associated Press)

He besides changed 1 enactment successful the opus from “they don’t attraction oregon recognize what it truly takes for the entity to unfastened up the land,” to “they don’t attraction oregon recognize however casual it is to fto state gaffe done your hands.”

Springsteen’s tremendous popularity crossed Europe has agelong been connected a antithetic level than successful the United States, and that spread could turn adjacent wider successful the future. Springsteen’s adjacent person and the band’s pb guitarist, Steve Van Zandt, precocious observed successful an interrogation with the German contented of Playboy mag that the E Street Band whitethorn person mislaid fractional of its assemblage backmost location due to the fact that of the group’s unabashed absorption to Trump. (The band’s concerts successful the United States are often held successful smaller indoor arenas.)

Bruce Springsteen, left, performs with Steven Van Zandt: astatine the Olympic Stadium successful Berlin, Germany, Wednesday, June 11, 2025.

(Markus Schreiber / Associated Press)

But successful Europe, Springsteen and his set person been reliably filling cavernous stadiums during the long, daylight-filled summertime evenings for decades with improbably enthusiastic crowds that sing on to the lyrics of his songs and spent astir of the concerts connected their feet dancing and cheering. There are besides ample numbers of hearty Springsteen fans from scores of countries who usage their full yearly allotment of abrogation to travel him from amusement to amusement crossed the continent. This summer, Springsteen’s connection has been amplified adjacent more, sending galore successful the boomer-dominated crowds into states of near-ecstasy and attracting sizeable media attraction successful countries crossed Europe.

“The connection of his euphony ever touched a heavy nervus successful Europe and particularly Germany, but ever since Trump was elected president, Springsteen’s dependable has been incredibly important for us,” said Katrin Schlemmer, a 56-year-old IT expert from Zwickau who saw 5 Springsteen concerts successful June — from Berlin to Prague to Frankfurt and 2 successful San Sebastián, Spain. All told, Schlemmer has seen 60 Springsteen concerts successful 11 countries astir the satellite since her archetypal successful East Berlin successful 1988 — a record-breaking, history-changing performance with much than 300,000 spectators that immoderate historians judge whitethorn person contributed to the autumn of the Berlin Wall conscionable 16 months later.

“A batch of Germans can’t fathom wherefore the Americans elected idiosyncratic similar Trump,” said Schlemmer, who had the accidental to convey Springsteen for the 1988 East Berlin performance astatine a accidental gathering aft a 2014 performance successful Cape Town, South Africa. “We saw for ourselves however rapidly a ideology was destroyed by an authoritarian. The alarm bells are ringing astir what a information Trump is. People emotion [Springsteen] present due to the fact that helium tells it similar it is and due to the fact that helium is lasting up to Trump.”

Stephan Cyrus, a 56-year-old manager from Hamburg, said Germans presumption Springsteen arsenic a trustworthy American dependable during a play of uncertainty.

“When Germans perceive Springsteen speaking astir his worries astir the United States, they listen, due to the fact that truthful galore of america person truthful overmuch admiration and longing for the United States and are disquieted astir the country’s absorption too,” said Cyrus, who saw the June 11 performance successful Berlin. “He decidedly touched america with his words.”

In 1 of his performance speeches, Springsteen goes aft Trump without mentioning his name.

Spectators ticker Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band execute astatine the Olympic Stadium, successful Berlin, Germany, Wednesday, June 11, 2025.

(Markus Schreiber / Associated Press)

“There is immoderate precise weird, unusual and unsafe s— going connected retired determination close now. In America, they are persecuting radical for utilizing their close to escaped code and voicing their dissent. This is happening now. In America, the richest men are taking restitution successful abandoning the world’s poorest children to sickness and death. This is happening now.”

Springsteen past adds: “In my country, they’re taking sadistic pleasance successful the symptom they are inflicting connected loyal American workers. They’re rolling backmost historical civilian rights authorities that led to a much conscionable and plural society. They are abandoning our large allies and siding with dictators against those struggling for their freedom. They’re defunding American universities that won’t backmost down to their ideological demands. They’re removing residents disconnected American streets and, without owed process of law, are deporting them to overseas detention centers and prisons. This is each happening now. A bulk of our elected representatives person failed to support the American radical from the abuses of an unfit president and a rogue government.”

He tells the audiences that those successful the medication “have nary interest oregon thought of what it means to beryllium profoundly American.”

But Springsteen ends connected a hopeful note, promising his audiences: “We’ll past this moment.”