The Boss Delivers: Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band Ignite a Sold-Out Amerant Bank Arena

All images by Larry Marano

Photo by Larry Marano

Bruce Springsteen opened with a gut punch. A cover of Edwin Starr's "War," rearranged as a snarling, chest-beating indictment, detonated inside Amerant Bank Arena on April 23 before the crowd had a chance to settle into their seats. With Tom Morello at his side, guitar slung like a weapon, the message was immediate and unambiguous. Springsteen is still rising and we're still here for it.

Morello's presence threaded through the night like a live wire, his fretboard politics in lockstep with Springsteen's vision of a country worth fighting for. Together they tore through "Born in the U.S.A." and a ferocious take on The Clash's "Clampdown" that felt less like a cover and more like a press release. When Springsteen introduced "Long Walk Home" as "a prayer for my country," the sold-out Sunrise crowd went cathedral-quiet before erupting.

"Darkness on the Edge of Town" and "Youngstown" dug into the working-class wound with a precision that left marks. "American Skin (41 Shots)" carried its moral weight without apology. "Streets of Minneapolis" held its ground alongside the catalog giants surrounding it, no small feat.

A solo "House of a Thousand Guitars" and a churchy "My City of Ruins" gave the room room to breathe before Springsteen and the band climbed back toward the rafters. "The Rising" did what it always does: made strangers grab each other by the shoulders.

The encore was a full-on celebration wrapped in defiance. "Born to Run" hit like it always does, like the first time and the last time simultaneously. During "Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out," the screen filled with images of Clarence Clemons and Danny Federici, and the arena held them both. The night closed with Woody Guthrie's "This Land Is Your Land," sung slowly, deliberately, without irony and without flinching.

At 76, Springsteen is not coasting. He is choosing. Every song on this setlist was chosen like a line in a manifesto, and South Florida received it like a congregation that already knew the words.

Here's a full gallery of images from the show all shot by Larry Marano: