Watch: Bruce Springsteen Opens Post-Election Concert With “A Fighting Prayer for My Country”
Photo Credit: Steven Rood
Last night, Nov. 6, Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band returned to Scotiabank Arena in Toronto after commencing their initial regional stint on Nov. 3. Notably, Springsteen stepped away from the stage on Nov. 4 and 5, during which US citizens took to the polls, casting their vote and ultimately re-electing Donald Trump for a second term. Before the latter’s political confirmation, Springsteen used his status to support Kamala Harris’ bid for office, a touch point during his latest concert.
Stepping out on stage, Springsteen intended to stir up chatter on the heels of Harris’ political defeat by introducing “Long Walk Home,” the night’s opening number, as a “fighting prayer for my country.” Initially written during George W. Bush’s secondary siege of power, the song premiered in 2007. At the time of release, Springsteen told The New York Times, “In that particular song a guy comes back to his town and recognizes nothing and is recognized by nothing.”
“The singer in ‘Long Walk Home,’ that’s his experience. His world has changed,” The Garden State prodigy continued. “The things that he thought he knew, the people who he thought he knew, whose ideals he had something in common with, are like strangers. The world that he knew feels totally alien. I think that’s what’s happened in this country in the past six years.”
Springsteen and the E Street Band applied commendable effort with their continued pull of thoughtful songs, proceeding into the belly of the night’s main frame with “Land of Hope and Dreams,” featuring an outro that culled from The Impressions’ “People Get Ready.” Reading the room, the band added hope during a sign-requested take on “Better Days” and later, “Reason to Believe.”
Watch a fan-shot video of last night’s opener, “Long Walk Home.”
