Bruuuuuuce: Land of Hopes and Dreams Tour 2026

The atmosphere in Pittsburgh even before we arrived at the PPG Center for Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band's Land of Hopes and Dreams tour was electric. We ate dinner at The Yard in Market Square, a gastropub. As we were both in the mood for a burger within walking distance, this fit the bill. While meandering to the ladies' room I noticed most of the patrons were wearing vintage Bruce Springsteen shirts. Many were also sporting I VOTED stickers (Tuesday, May 19 was their primary, the only day they can vote in person). This were my first clues we were in for a special night.

As we paid our bill, our server made a comment about how busy they were compared with a week earlier. Maya (likely not her name, but work with me here) said last Tuesday night she only earned $25 in tips. She was happy this week was much better. Service was quick and smooth. The burger was tasty. 

We walked fifteen minutes to the arena seeing more people wearing a wider variety of Springsteen shirts. We were swept into the sea of happy concert-goers. At I was scanning the crowd, I asked Don if we would bump into anyone we know there. I had already talked to people who traveled from New Jersey and Bucks County, PA for this show, so it wasn't completely out of the question. As we wandered around the top level of the arena in search of our section, we bumped into the man from the table next to ours at dinner. The man I thanked for voting that day. He was the only one we recognized that night. My cousin, a huge Springsteen fan, was not at the show.

Much has been written about the show. Here is the link to Billboard Magazine's deep dive, and one to Entertainment Central's write up specifically for the Pittsburgh show. The day after the show my Facebook newsfeed was joyfully filled with images and stories from the concert. It felt like a communal event. It was spiritual.

Unlike most Springsteen tours, this one has mostly maintained the same set list, starting with War and Born in the USA, and with Streets of Minneapolis landing in the seventh slot, about a half an hour into the set. During the drive to Pittsburgh Don and I listened to the songs he had performed in the earlier shows. Unlike my first Springsteen concert, we were prepared! Songs were chosen to send a consistent message. Bruce made three separate speeches directly to the audience. He preached love, love for each other and love for our nation. 

"The mighty E Street Band is here tonight to call upon the righteous power of art, of music, of rock'n'roll in dangerous times. In my home, the America I love, the America I've written about, that has been a beacon of hope and liberty for 250 years, is currently in the hands of a corrupt, incompetent, and treacherous administration. Tonight, we ask all who believe in democracy and the best of our American experiment to rise with us, to raise your voices against authoritarianism and let freedom ring!"

He used a teleprompter, I suspect to make sure he kept the message consistent. Changing the name of the city, but not the message. The arena felt like a church. Everyone came together as one to pray for our nation. For our future. As people sat next to us they acknowledged us. The brown-skinned man who sat next to Don told him this was his first Springsteen concert. He was looking forward to it. After the show when I dashed out to the ladies' room, Don asked him if he enjoyed it. He said this was the first time he felt at peace in ages. 

That sums up the collective feeling. As Springsteen called out our government's actions, we felt safe shouting our agreement. We could breathe. We could dream about a future where that will be the norm instead of the exception. The other 20,000 people in the nearly sold out arena were of like mind, or at least smart enough to not disagree. During Streets of Minneapolis we all screamed ICE OUT NOW three times as the lights were raised and we could look at each other. We knew we were not alone in this fight. When Renee Good and Alex Pretti's faces shone on the screen at the end of the song there was a collective moment of silence.

The concert ran like a well-oiled machine. Between each song, Springsteen either handed his roadie his guitar as he swapped it for the next one, or he tossed it to him in what seemed like the ultimate in trust. 

The only glitch I saw was when the teleprompter stopped working. Springsteen stepped upstage to talk to the roadie in charge. At first he seemed confused, but soon he came out with a replacement, which he handled while the attention was on a different part of the stage. It was so smooth Don, who usually notices all things technical at events like this, didn't see it happen.

I felt Springsteen seemed to be more generous with sharing the spotlight his band and guest star,  Tom Morello. Of note, Tom spotted a Roberto Clementi t-shirt in honor of Pittsburgh's hometown hero, and wrote "Arm the Homeless" on his guitar. Most band members had solos, especially Jake Clemons and Little Stevie. Speaking of Jake, during 41 Shots, when not playing a saxophone solo, Jake was seen in the background with his hands up in the pose Black children are taught to use whenever they encounter the police. 

The concert was the inspiration many of us need at this time. After Pittsburgh, they were heading to Cleveland, Boston, Washington (DC), and Philadelphia. The tour was supposed to end in DC, but when the Philadelphia Flyers made the playoffs (beating the Pittsburgh Penguins), the show was moved a few weeks. We are selfishly glad the Penguins did not advance and our show went as planned. Speculation is the speeches we heard might become even more pointed closer to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.

 

At the end of the night, as the band members filed past Springsteen on their way off the stage, he fist pumped each of them. Then there was Jake. I sensed something more was coming. A couple of songs before this, during the playing of Tenth Avenue Freezeout the screens were filled with a baby-faced Bruce and Clarence Clemons. Their hug had all those feels. Decades of interracial love. Of admiration for both the uncle and the nephew.

We stayed as people left the arena. Rather than facing having to inch out of the parking lot, we knew we had a short walk back to our hotel. So short, we made it longer and did some nighttime sightseeing. I wasn't ready for the night to end. I wanted the good feelings from the show to last.

The following pictures are not mine. I saw them posted on Facebook and am sharing here. Apologies for not noting the photographer. If you are reading this (and the odds of that are miniscule) and you recognize your picture, I will gladly give you photo credit.