Bruce Springsteen, image via YouTube

On Saturday, March 28, as Americans across the country united through the third No Kings protest, Bruce Springsteen expressed his solidarity and offered a rallying cry for the movement by performing at the demonstrations in Minneapolis. At the flagship event among hundreds from coast to coast, Springsteen delivered an anthemic performance of his resistance ballad “Streets of Minneapolis.”

Springsteen was called to the stage outside the Minnesota Capitol by Governor Tim Walz. who introduced him as “somebody who has spent a lifetime giving voice to the working class, expressing our hopes and dreams, our fears, all of the things that make us human, and has done that with a voice that resonated across generations.” “We need no damn kings,” he said, “but we do need a Boss.”

Before performing “Streets of Minneapolis,” his song released in January that memorializes Alex Pretti and Renee Good and denounces the murderous impunity of Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s assault, Springsteen spoke to his respect, admiration and gratitude for the Minnesotan communities that stood against Trump’s militarized occupation. “This past winter, federal troops brought death and terror to the streets of Minneapolis. Well, they picked the wrong city,” Springsteen said:

“The power and the solidarity of the people of Minneapolis, Minnesota was an inspiration to the entire country. Your strength and commitment told us that this is still America, and this reactionary nightmare and these invasions of American cities will not stand. You gave us hope. You gave us courage, and for those who gave their lives, Renee Good, mother of three, brutally murdered. Alex Pretti, VA nurse, executed by ICE, shot in the back, and left to die in the street without even the decency of our lawless government investigating their deaths. Their bravery, their sacrifice, and their names will not be forgotten.”

Outside of Springsteen’s performance, the Minnesota rally included speeches from Senator Bernie Sanders and actor and activist Jane Fonda, as well as performances from Joan Baez and Maggie Rogers and a surprise appearance from Rage Against the Machine’s Tom Morello, who had previously joined Springsteen at Minneapolis’ First Avenue for the Defend Minneapolis benefit concert.

Watch Springsteen’s performance at the Minneapolis No Kings rally here, and learn more about the protest movement at nokings.org.