Tom Morello and friends – First Avenue – Minneapolis MN – January 30th 2026

First Avenue presents Tom Morello and Rise Against with special guests Al Di Meola, Ike Riley and Bruce Springsteen.

Review and photos by Kyle Hansen

So here’s how it went down: a crazy, rushed, and somewhat serendipitous series of events led me to a concert I never thought I’d witness, and for that, I’m thankful. It all started on Wednesday—while I was out at breakfast with my girl, celebrating her birthday (priorities), the announcement dropped for Bruce Springsteen at First Avenue. I wasn’t by my computer at the time and, naturally, I missed the window for tickets. So I spent the day trying to get in, but no luck.

I had almost given up when I put a quick post on Facebook, and bam, Jesse and Trevor came through with tickets. Huge shoutout to those guys. Thanks, guys.

The Show

Ike Reilly kicked things off around noon. Being an afternoon gig, it had a laid-back vibe at first, but Ike quickly turned it into something special. He came out and played three tunes: At Least Another Day, Put a Little Love Into It, and F** the Good Ol’ Days*. His son joined him for the second song, and it felt like a real family affair. The set was honest and raw, with Ike giving it everything, letting his voice hang in the air just long enough to make you feel it.

Then, we were treated to Al Di Meola, who I’ve always wanted to see. He came out, and immediately it was clear that he wasn’t just a guitarist—he was a magician. His acoustic version of The Beatles’ “In My Life” was masterful. He followed it up with two other songs that had us all in awe. Seriously, the dude played his guitar like it was an extension of himself—absolutely insane.

Rise Against’s Zach and Tim were next. The set was stripped down, acoustic guitars only, and man, did they deliver. They kicked into Savior and Welcome to the Breakdown, and then mixed in some Soul Asylum’s Frustrated Incorporated. They wrapped it up with Rockin’ in the Free World with a twist of Bastards of Young. You could tell they were giving it their all. They’re back in March, so keep your eyes peeled.

Then, Tom Morello hit the stage. The energy went up a few notches with his rant about fascism. He didn’t hold back and then launched into Killing in the Name Of — the crowd was ready, and we all screamed along. After that, though, the energy dipped with three solo tracks: Soldier in the Army of Love, Hold the Line, and One Man Revolution. They were great but slowed the pace down a bit.

But then Morello exploded into his Rage Against the Machine medley. From Bombtrack to Bullet in the Head, it was a clinic in power. The whole crowd was shaking. He dedicated Audioslave songs to Chris Cornell, and that moment was emotional, especially when his guitar player took the mic for Like a Stone. Morello mentioned how much that Audioslave show at First Avenue meant to him. To wrap it all up, he brought everyone onstage for a crowd‑pleasing, unified version of Arlo Guthrie’s This Land Is Your Land.

Finally, it was Bruce Springsteen’s turn to blow us away. As the anticipation grew, you could feel the excitement of everyone in the room who knew they were about to witness something historic. Bruce walked out to debut his new single, The Streets of Minneapolis. He told a brief story about how the song came together, mentioning how he brought it to Tom Morello for input. Then, just like that, he brought the whole band out and they dove straight into The Ghost of Tom Joad. The vibe in the room was electric—everyone locked in, hanging on every word.

After that, Tom Morello led everyone onstage, and we all jumped around like crazy during their rendition of Power to the People. It was pure, unfiltered joy. That’s the magic of a Springsteen gig, right? Everyone jumping together, singing together, feeling connected.

Reflections

I wish we could’ve been at the show for better circumstances — the political backdrop and all the struggles happening in the world weighed heavily on the event. But in a strange way, that made it all the more important. The feeling of solidarity, of people coming together in difficult times, was palpable throughout the entire afternoon. It was a reminder that music still has the power to unite us, even when the world feels so divided.

So yeah, it wasn’t your average concert. It wasn’t just about the music, but about showing up when it mattered, and for the first time in a long while, you could feel the air shift in a room full of strangers and know that something significant had just happened.

This was one for the books. I’ll never forget it. RIP Alex Pretti and Renee Good