Bruce Springsteen Brings ‘Streets of Minneapolis’ to Colbert’s Penultimate Late Show

Springsteen told the audience Colbert is ‘the first guy in America who lost his show because we got a president who can't take a joke.'

Bruce Springsteen took the stage at the Ed Sullivan Theater on Wednesday for the penultimate episode of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, delivering a charged performance of ‘Streets of Minneapolis' and calling out CBS parent company Paramount by name. Before launching into the song, Springsteen offered a pointed defense of Colbert, framing the show's cancellation as a casualty of political pressure rather than any programming failure.

Springsteen's Statement Before the Performance

Springsteen did not arrive at the Ed Sullivan Theater simply to play a song. Before the first chord, he addressed the audience directly, making his purpose explicit. ‘I am here in support tonight for Stephen, because you are the first guy in America who lost his show because we got a president who can't take a joke,' Springsteen said. ‘And because Larry and David Ellison feel they need to kiss his ass to get what they want.'

He continued: ‘Stephen, these are small-minded people. They got no idea what the freedoms of this beautiful country are supposed to be about.' The remarks named David Ellison, who heads Paramount, and his father Larry Ellison, the billionaire founder of Oracle, as the figures Springsteen held responsible.

CBS announced the cancellation of The Late Show last year, describing it as ‘purely a financial decision.' Speculation has persisted that Paramount moved to cancel the show partly to smooth its proposed merger with Skydance through FCC approval, given Colbert's sustained criticism of President Donald Trump throughout his tenure.

‘Streets of Minneapolis' and Its Origins

The song Springsteen chose for the occasion carries its own political weight. ‘Streets of Minneapolis' was written in response to ICE's immigration enforcement actions in that city and the killings of Renée Good and Alex Pretti. Springsteen and the E Street Band gave the track its live debut earlier this year during the Land of Hope and Dreams tour, making the Late Show appearance one of its earliest national television performances.

The choice of song connected directly to the broader themes of the tour, which has seen Springsteen speak out regularly against the current administration's immigration enforcement and other policies. That outspokenness has come at a cost: Steven Van Zandt, Springsteen's longtime E Street Band guitarist, recently told the Daily Mail that the tour has generated a significant increase in death threats.

‘This tour has been a little bit different because of the high security,' Van Zandt said. ‘It's a very specific political theme to this tour and there's been a lot of threats, death threats. Usually there's always some, but this time it's been increasing.' Van Zandt added that the FBI and other agencies have been ‘overly concerned' and that the team has beefed up security as a result. ‘We want the fans to be safe and feel safe,' he said. ‘So we really go the extra mile with extra security for that reason alone.'

Colbert's Final Weeks and a Parade of Guests

Springsteen's appearance came as part of a closing run of high-profile guests that has turned the show's final weeks into something of a cultural event. Colbert has welcomed Oprah Winfrey, Barack Obama, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, and original Late Show host David Letterman, who returned to throw CBS property off the Ed Sullivan Theater roof. Musical guests in the closing stretch have included David Byrne, the Strokes, Michael Stipe, Chris Stapleton, and Foo Fighters, who previously served as the final musical guest of Letterman's own Late Show run.

On Tuesday, the night before Springsteen's appearance, Colbert joined Byrne for a performance of Talking Heads' ‘Burning Down the House.' The final episode of The Late Show airs Thursday; the guest lineup for that closing night had not been announced as of the penultimate broadcast.

Colbert, speaking to The New York Times last month, reflected on his show's political identity. ‘Comedians are anti-authoritarian by nature,' he said. ‘And authoritarians are never going to like anybody to laugh at them. The number of newspeople who have said to me or Jon Stewart or any of the guys who do this, “God, I wish I could say what you say on air.” And we can. I think that upsets them. I think it might be upsetting that we really do not live in their world of principalities and powers.'

Springsteen's Remaining Tour Dates

The Land of Hope and Dreams tour, which kicked off April 1 in Minneapolis, is in its final stretch. Remaining dates:

• May 22 — Rocket Arena, Cleveland, OH
• May 24 — TD Garden, Boston, MA
• May 27 — Nationals Park, Washington, DC
• May 30 — Xfinity Mobile Arena, Philadelphia, PA

What we know

• Springsteen performed ‘Streets of Minneapolis' on the penultimate episode of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert at the Ed Sullivan Theater.
• Before performing, Springsteen said Colbert is ‘the first guy in America who lost his show because we got a president who can't take a joke.'
• Springsteen named Larry and David Ellison, connected to CBS parent company Paramount, in his remarks before the performance.
• ‘Streets of Minneapolis' was written in response to ICE's immigration crackdown in Minneapolis and the killings of Renée Good and Alex Pretti.
• CBS announced the cancellation of The Late Show, calling it ‘purely a financial decision,' with speculation that it was tied to Paramount's merger with Skydance.
• Steven Van Zandt told the Daily Mail that the Land of Hope and Dreams tour has seen an increasing number of death threats, with the FBI and others described as ‘overly concerned.'
• The Land of Hope and Dreams tour began April 1 in Minneapolis and is scheduled to conclude May 30 in Philadelphia.
• Closing-weeks Late Show guests have included Oprah Winfrey, Barack Obama, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, David Letterman, David Byrne, the Strokes, Michael Stipe, Chris Stapleton, and Foo Fighters.

The take

Springsteen has always understood the symbolic weight of a stage. Choosing to appear on Colbert's penultimate broadcast with a song written about ICE killings, rather than a crowd-pleasing catalog cut, is consistent with how he has operated throughout the Land of Hope and Dreams tour: treating concerts and television appearances as civic acts rather than promotional ones. That posture has real costs, as Van Zandt's comments about escalating death threats make plain, and it sets this tour apart from even Springsteen's previous politically engaged runs.

The Late Show's cancellation, and the circumstances surrounding it, fits a pattern that has become increasingly visible in American media. Legacy broadcast properties owned by conglomerates seeking regulatory goodwill have found themselves quietly shedding talent and programming that creates friction with the current administration. Colbert's show was among the most consistently pointed in its criticism of Trump, and its cancellation lands differently than a typical ratings-driven axing, regardless of how CBS characterized the decision.

For classic rock figures of Springsteen's generation, the calculus around political speech has shifted considerably. Artists who came up in an era when protest was commercially risky but culturally celebrated now face a different kind of pressure, one that Van Zandt's remarks about FBI involvement and beefed-up security make concrete. That Springsteen has not moderated his approach under those conditions says something about where he sees his obligations at this stage of his career.

Why it matters

The convergence of Springsteen's Late Show appearance and the broader story of The Late Show's cancellation puts a sharp point on questions about media consolidation, political pressure, and the shrinking space for dissent in mainstream broadcast television. For classic rock fans, Springsteen's willingness to absorb real personal risk, including documented death threats and FBI involvement, to keep making explicitly political music and statements represents a meaningful line in the sand. It also underscores how the Land of Hope and Dreams tour has become one of the most politically consequential rock tours in recent memory.

What's next

The final episode of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert airs Thursday, with the guest lineup not yet announced. Springsteen and the E Street Band have four dates remaining on the Land of Hope and Dreams tour, wrapping May 30 at Xfinity Mobile Arena in Philadelphia.

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