#edwin starr

Edwin Starr - I'm Still A Strugglin' Man (1969)

Edwin Starr, “War,” 1970

Song Review(s): Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band with Tom Morello - “War” and “Born in the U.S.A.” (Live, March 31, 2026)

Calling for “resistance over complacency,” Bruce Springsteen opened his Land of Hope & Dreams tour March 31 in Minneapolis and gave away the first two numbers from the associated pay-per-view livestream.

Like America’s ongoing “War” in Iran, the following “Born in the U.S.A.” came with a false ending, designed to rev up the audience - it didn’t need it - and make Springsteen’s point about what he had earlier called “a corrupt, incompetent, racist, reckless and treasonous administration.”

And if Springsteen’s spoken intro and his choice of Edwin Starr’s “War” and his own “U.S.A.” didn’t speak loudly enough, Tom Morello’s guitar did. Raging against the machine in counterpoint with fellow six-stringers Stevie Van Zandt, Nils Lofgren and Springsteen, Morello’s belligerent tone added to the anger that enveloped E Street and said to the Minneapolis audience that is defining the American resistance: thank you.

Musically speaking, “War” was a beast, with the E Street horns and choir bolstering Springsteen’s impassioned vocal delivery and underscoring the folly of violence. “Born in the U.S.A.” was weaker, continuing to suffer for its message blurred by its pop sheen.

But Morello was the secret sauce on both numbers and Springsteen is sure to make waves as the tour unfolds against the backdrop of an unraveling United States.

Grade card: Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band with Tom Morello - “War” and “Born in the U.S.A.” (Live - 3/31/26) - B+/C+