Bruce Springsteen's current Land of Hope and Dreams American Tour has a permanent special guest, but as a twist, he doesn't play on every song. But that doesn't mean there's any less bite to the guitar solos.
Tom Morello, the former Rage Against the Machine guitar hero, who also rocked in Audioslave and Prophets of Rage, is scheduled to add his licks to all 20 stops on this tour.
With a few shows in the books, it seems like the Chicagoan who graduated from Harvard participates in a little less than half of the songs in the 26-song set: “War,” “Born in the USA,” “Death to My Hometown,” “American Skin (41 Shots),” “Long Walk Home,” “The Ghost of Tom Joad,” “Badlands,” "American Land," “Land of Hope and Dreams,” “Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out,” the Clash cover “Clampdown” as well as the show closer, Bob Dylan's “Chimes of Freedom.”
Having a quasi-permanent contractor is rare in rock and when it happens it's a bit of a head scratcher.
Keyboardist Ian Stewart co-founded The Rolling Stones but once they began to blow up, the band's manager decided Stu didn't have the right look for the Stones' youthful image and should forever be relegated as a sideman.
It didn't stop them from using Ian on all of their legendary studio albums from their 1964 self-titled debut through Dirty Work which dropped in 1986.
He was also their reliably delightful piano player on all their major tours in 1969, 1972, 1975, 1976, 1978, 1981, and 1982. Stewart died in '85 at just 47 years-old of a heart attack.
Springsteen's relationship with Morello is slightly different. Tom was an official member of the E Street Band on the Australian leg of the Wrecking Ball Tour 2013, then on the High Hopes Tour of 2014, and then made various guest appearances.
Other than The Miami Horns, trumpeter Curt Ramm, and Bruce's wife Patti, no one has appeared as a guest more alongside The Boss than Tom Morello.
So why not bring him into the Family? Like, for reals?
The answer is pretty simple. As beautifully as he fits in with the E Street Band, musically, giving the seasoned pros a wildly fresh and modern guitar sound that dances around the classic rock, and as much as he pushes their political stances even more to the left than usual, the band already has three guitarists: Little Steven, Nils Lofgren, and Bruce himself - all of whom love to play lead whenever possible.
Plus, Steven is Bruce's best friend, so when he left the band in 1984 he was replaced by Nils... for the next 15 years.
When Van Zandt permanently returned in 1999, Bruce kept Lofgren in the band because holy moly he'd been there so long.
From 2012 through 2015 Bruce used Tom as both a guest and a fill-in guitarist when Little Steven wanted to pursue acting roles.
And now a little more than a decade later, for the most-political tour of his 50+ year career, who better to shake things up than to bring back Mr. Rage Against the Machine?
It has energized not only the vibe of the show and the setlist, but the other guitarists are seemingly upping their game to keep up with the younger hired gun.
"Clampdown" - April 9 @ The Forum, LA
Before 2014, the only Clash cover Bruce would do was "London Calling," which is fine, but it's sort of a Basic B tune from their catalogue. "Clampdown," however, is that political knife's edge Morello brings to the party.
The judge said five to ten but I say double that again
I'm not working for the clampdown
No man born with a living soul
Should be working for the clampdown
And as good as that song is live, it's the next ones where the axemen were able to shine.
"The Ghost of Tom Joad" - April 7 @ The Forum, LA
For over 30 years Bruce has been playing this dark tune based on a John Steinbeck character whose ghost the Jersey musician placed in the 1990s among immigrants, the homeless, and the working-class being hassled by the cops and fewer economic opportunities.
Just a few years after the song was released, Rage Against the Machine covered it for their fourth and final album. Morello has been shredding it ever sense. What's great about his tour is watching Bruce begin the solo and Tom take it into the stratosphere.
"Murder, Incorporated" - April 3 @ The Moda Center, Portland
One of the many early '80s tracks that neither made it on Nebraska or Born in the USA, "Murder, Incorporated" finally got on wax on Springsteen's first greatest hits compilation in 1995.
The tune about organized crime has been performed sporadically since it was released. And naturally it's the actor from the Sopranos who trades leads with Bruce. Maybe they aren't as acrobatic as with Tom, but it's sweet to watch two old pals volley verses.
"Youngstown" - April 7, The Forum
Nils isn't just a great singer and guitarist, but he can bust out the accordion too. When he was just 18 he was playing in Neil Young's Crazy Horse, appearing on After the Gold Rush (1970) and Tonight’s the Night (recorded 1973, released 1975)
A decade later he found himself on the Born in the USA Tour, Springsteen's biggest at the time, where nearly 4 million people attended 156 shows. Every now and then you forget he can shred. "Youngstown" on this tour is a little reminder.
"American Skin (41 Shots)," April 7 @ The Forum
Bruce plays "41 Shots" sparingly as it's a mighty intense song about when four NYPD officers unloaded on Amadou Diallo, an unarmed West African immigrant in 1999, killing him.
Dark as it is, so many elements of the E Street Band get to sing from Jake Clemens' sax, to Nils' background vocals, and then to Morello range of dynamics and delicate harmonics. The musicality of this one live on this tour is a delight.
Bruce, his trio of guitarists, two keyboardists, a five-piece horn section, a three-piece rhythm section, and a choir of four backing singers, will be back home in Jersey on 4/20. They hit Morello's home town at the end of April, MSG on May 11, and wrap it up in Washington DC at the end of May in a show that will surely include some fireworks.
Tickets are sold out, as usual, but you can get on Bruce's waiting list by going to his website and sometimes last minute tix are released.
Land of Hope And Dreams 2026 Tour
04/16 — Phoenix, AZ @ Mortgage Matchup Center
04/20 — Newark, NJ @ Prudential Center
04/23 — Sunrise, FL @ Amerant Bank Arena
04/26 — Austin, TX @ Moody Center
04/29 — Chicago, IL @ United Center
05/02 — Atlanta, GA @ State Farm Arena
05/05 — Belmont Park, NY @ UBS Arena
05/08 — Philadelphia, PA @ Xfinity Mobile Arena
05/11 — New York, NY @ Madison Square Garden
05/14 — Brooklyn, NY @ Barclays Center
05/16 — New York, NY @ Madison Square Garden
05/19 — Pittsburgh, PA @ PPG Paints Arena
05/22 — Cleveland, OH @ Rocket Arena
05/24 — Boston, MA @ TD Garden
05/27 — Washington, DC @ Nationals Park
