Bruce Springsteen Dedicates ‘Promised Land’ to Renee Good, Decries ‘Gestapo Tactics’ Leading to Citizens Being ‘Murdered’: ‘ICE Should Get the F— Out of Minneapolis’

In an unannounced 75-minute set at New Jersey's Light of Day Winterfest, Bruce Springsteen delivered a powerful blend of tribute and protest. The performance, held at Red Bank's Count Basie Center for the Arts, served as a fundraiser for the Light of Day Foundation, which supports research into Parkinson's disease—a cause the New Jersey-born rocker has championed for years through these low-key annual appearances.

Springsteen dedicated his 1978 anthem "The Promised Land" to Renee Good, a Minneapolis mother of three and U.S. citizen who was recently killed. He framed the song as an "ode to American possibility" while issuing a stark condemnation of current events. The artist decried what he labeled "Gestapo tactics," warning they foster an environment where citizens can be "murdered for exercising your American right to protest." He explicitly urged the audience to "send a message to this president" and, echoing Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, demanded that ICE leave the city. Footage of his remarks, first reported by NJArts.net, quickly circulated online.

Backed by his longtime friend Joe Grushecky and The Houserockers, Springsteen's setlist carried thematic weight. He performed the rarely played "Lucky Town" and "Darkness on the Edge of Town," alongside full-band renditions of "Atlantic City" and "Johnny 99." These latter two tracks originate from his stark 1982 album 'Nebraska,' a record recently revisited in a major archival box set. By choosing these songs, which poetically chronicle economic desperation and moral crisis, Springsteen subtly drew a line from the struggles of the past to the political tensions of the present. The festival bill also included sets by Gary U.S. Bonds and Goo Goo Dolls frontman Johnny Rzeznik.

This incident continues Springsteen's sustained criticism of former President Donald Trump. Throughout his 2023 international tour, the musician routinely denounced the administration as "corrupt, incompetent and treasonous." In a later New York Times interview, he called the Trump presidency "an American tragedy," linking its rise to deindustrialization and severe wealth inequality. "While I can’t believe it was this moron that came along," Springsteen noted, "he fit the bill for some people." Cultural historians point out that his critiques resonate powerfully because they come from an artist who has spent decades crafting the narrative of the American everyman; his dissent is perceived as a challenge to the nation's self-conception from one of its principal mythmakers.

As of this reporting, Donald Trump has not responded to these latest comments. His past reactions, however, illustrate the depth of this cultural schism. After last year's tour remarks, Trump posted on Truth Social, attacking Springsteen's stature and appearance: "I see that Highly Overrated Bruce Springsteen... Never liked him, never liked his music, or his Radical Left Politics... This dried out 'prune' of a rocker... ought to KEEP HIS MOUTH SHUT." This ongoing exchange highlights how iconic artists become focal points in national debates over identity and power. As sociologist Dr. Lena Chen observed in a recent analysis, "The politicization of figures like Springsteen reflects a broader shift where cultural allegiance and political affiliation have become deeply intertwined, turning concert stages into modern-day public squares."