A benefit concert was held at First Avenue in Minneapolis on January 30th, with 100 percent of the proceeds donated to the families of Renée Good and Alex Pretti, who were killed in recent ICE-related incidents that intensified tensions across Minneapolis.
The show sold out within minutes, despite temperatures hovering between six and eight degrees—an early signal of how urgently the community wanted to show up. Inside, the crowd reflected a broad cross-section of the city, including elected officials such as Ilhan Omar, Amy Klobuchar, and former governor Jesse Ventura.
The concert unfolded against a backdrop of heightened federal enforcement activity in Minneapolis, where ICE operations and an expanded federal presence had sparked protests, fear, and outrage. Framed as both a benefit and a protest, the night served as a visible act of resistance and solidarity, using music as a counterweight to intimidation and grief.
The lineup featured a wide range of artists united by purpose. Ike Reilly delivered a brief but pointed set. Al Di Meola offered a moving rendition of the Beatles’ “In My Life.” Rise Against raised the stakes with several songs, including Neil Young’s “Rockin’ in the Free World,” underscoring the night’s political edge.
Tom Morello then took control of the room, opening with Rage Against the Machine’s “Killing in the Name.” The crowd shouted every lyric back at him, turning the song into a collective release. Between songs, Morello delivered impassioned speeches about resistance, community defense, and anti-fascism, at one point praising deputies in attendance as anti-fascist crime fighters. His set also drew from The Nightwatchman and Audioslave, mixed with Rage instrumentals, before closing with Woody Guthrie’s “This Land Is Your Land.”
As the set wound down, anticipation built around a teased mystery guest. Speculation rippled through the room—Eddie Vedder? Zack de la Rocha? Something even bigger?
The venue erupted when Morello introduced Bruce Springsteen, marking Springsteen’s first-ever performance at First Avenue. Together, they performed the new protest song “Streets of Minneapolis,” followed by “The Ghost of Tom Joad” and “Power to the People,” with the full lineup joining in for a communal, defiant finale.
After the show ended, the night didn’t simply disperse. Morello stepped outside to join protesters gathered near the venue, extending the concert’s message beyond the stage and into the streets—where the issues that inspired the evening were still unfolding in real time.
One Response
We are inspired and relieved to hear the voices of free Americans standing against an awful autocratic regime.
Our love to you all and our hopes for an end to the thinly disguised fascism in your country.
Neil and Nina