But to lean on it for everything, he says, is “an abuse of the work, an abuse of the instrument.” Music could carry him through the ecstasy of live performance, but beyond that, “You’ve got to find a bigger life,” he says. “The day you pick it up, that’s the three hours onstage. The day you put it down, that’s the other 21.”

Before stepping onto a Manchester, England, stage on May 14, Springsteen gathered the band for their usual ritual, but instead of his familiar pep talk, he offered a warning: “Might get a little heavy tonight,” he said. “We’ll see.”

Minutes later, he delivered a searing monologue that ricocheted across the world: “In my home, the America I love, the America I’ve written about that has been a beacon of hope and liberty for 250 years, is currently in the hands of a corrupt, incompetent, and treasonous Administration,” he said. Only two people knew in advance: Landau, who saw the speech and told him to change “not a word,” and the teleprompter operator. “He mentioned he was going to do a monologue,” recalls saxophonist Jake Clemons, his bandmate and nephew of the late Clarence Clemons, Springsteen’s beloved original saxophonist. “We didn’t know what it was until we were onstage.”