It started when Tom Morello announced a benefit noontime concert at First Avenue in Minneapolis.
Folks started putting two-and-two together...
Morello is pals with Bruce Springsteen, who just came out with a protest song about the increased ICE activities in Minnesota called "Streets of Minneapolis."
Sure enough, a flight-tracking service, Flightradar24, began following a plane that took off for Minneapolis–Saint Paul International Airport from a field in New Jersey near Springsteen's home at 7:30 a.m. this morning.
People in Minneapolis have been standing outside in the cold so often in recent days that those who wanted to see The Boss on stage didn’t blink an eye when they headed to First Avenue hours before the doors opened.
“Why not?” said Chuck Davis, letting out a hearty laugh that may have been suppressed in recent days.
At that time, it was one of those “my mother’s second cousin’s college roommate has a friend who heard from a retired security guard that Bruce Springsteen is already here” type of things.
Chuck and his friends were first in line and peering inside the glass front doors at 1st and 7th.
“That’s Springsteen right there!” shouted someone, pointing through two panes of glass at someone walking through the lobby.
But there was also that sound that many swore up-and-down that someone was inside checking for acoustics.
“That’s ‘Streets of Minneapolis right now!” said another. The joy of anticipation was fronted by the situation at hand.
“It’s a combination of music and where the money is going,” said Scott Polarsky. “I’m not going to lie, I love Tom Morello, I love Bruce Springsteen.”
Melanie Whithoft is a regular at First Avenue, calling the famed night spot her “church” to help bring people together.
“It fills my heart up, I’m so happy right now to see everyone out here fighting the cold to be together,” she said.
And yes, she’s excited to see The Boss.
“Waahhhhh!” she shouted. “That’ll be amazing.”