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Vote for Change: Rocking the White House

NPR's Mike Pesca attended two of the kick-off shows for the Vote for Change concert tour. He spoke to members of the rock bands Pearl Jam and Death Cab for Cutie about why they're rocking for a change in the Oval Office.

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2004 – Vote For Change

THE TOUR The Vote for Change tour was a politically-motivated American popular music concert tour that took place in October 2004. All concerts were held in swing states, to benefit MoveOn.org and to encourage people to vote against George W. Bush (and implicitly, and in some performances explicitly, for John Kerry) in the 2004 Presidential election campaign. Tracy Chapman had been invited to perform at the TD Waterhouse Center, Orlando, Florida on October 8, 2004 with R.E.M., and Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band (with special guest John Fogerty)

TRACY CHAPMAN’S PERFORMANCE Accompanied by Quinn (drummer) and Joe Gore (guitarist), Tracy Chapman opened with an expressive 30 minutes that showcased her deep, distinctive alto and eloquent songwriting:

Along with favorites such as “Fast Car” and “Give Me One Reason,” she also included a lovely rendition of the 1960s Civil Rights anthem “A Change Is Gonna Come.” She joined Bruce Springsteen on “My Hometown” and took the stage with all musicians for the rousing finale, “People Have the Power”.

• Politics, music mix for Chapman – By Jim Abbot | Sentinel Pop Music Critic | OrlandoSentinel.com – Posted October 8, 2004

There’s a lot of testosterone on stage for tonight’s Vote for Change shows in Orlando and Kissimmee, which makes the presence of Tracy Chapman all the more timely.

Chapman, a late addition to the Springsteen/R.E.M. bill at TD Waterhouse, is joining the tour for just one show, but she couldn’t be more pleased that it’s in Florida. She thinks the state is crucial in the presidential election, especially after the voting controversy four years ago.

“ I see the role that I’m playing in the same way I see so many other people after the election of 2000 ,” she says. “I felt motivated to do more than cast my own vote.

“ The election was decided by such a slim margin, and there were so many voting irregularities in 2000, people coerced out of the polls, issues with the machines, people stripped from the voting rolls. Maybe if each of us does something, we can make a change. ”

Chapman’s motivation has already inspired her recent “Western Swing State Tour,” a five-city trek to register voters in Oregon, Washington, New Mexico and Arizona. The shows were organized with help from Drivingvotes.org, an organization devoted to registering Democratic voters in key states.

Chapman is convinced that turnout, rather than undecided voters, will ultimately put the next president in the White House. She is encouraged by a recent New York Times story about an increase in traffic at voter registration sites.

“ As a musician, I have a way to bring people together with my music, ” she says.

It’s hard to define how politically motivated concerts might affect potential voters. Rock icon and Orlando resident Roger McGuinn doesn’t think music ought to be used to change someone’s vote.

“Musicians should be doing music,” he says. “I think it kind of subverts your art if you start getting political with it.”

Chapman doesn’t want to preach to anyone.

“ I didn’t go out to tell people how to vote ,” she says. “ Most people know who they want to vote for. They’ve made up their minds on the issues, and it’s just a matter of convincing some people who have decided to sit out the voting process that it’s worth being counted and being part of it. ”

Chapman’s music has touched on social and political causes throughout her career, including anti-apartheid movements on college campuses where she launched her career in the 1980s. None of that can compare with the intense feelings she has seen in this election year.

“ All of the other causes in some way are all political, ” she says. “ If it’s talking about human rights issues or it’s something related to the economic issues, ultimately it’s political .

“ I can’t say that I’ve seen the kind of action and the focus that is being given to this particular election in my lifetime. ”

She calls it a convergence of “ a lot of circumstances that have come about in last four years, ” starting with the contested 2000 election.

“ It’s a set of issues that are all interrelated. Economic issues in this country are not being properly addressed. We did have a tax cut that benefited wealthy people in this country that was at the expense of many things, services that I think are essential for working people in this country. At same time, we’re fighting a war that is draining money that could go to address some of these domestic issues like education and health care. ”

If rock stars are “morons,” as Alice Cooper once observed, should music have a role in choosing the next president? Whatever the answer, Chapman says it already has.

“ I think it has already been successful with the popular musicians who get a lot of press coverage for being involved in trying to create social change,” she says. “I’m doing this as a concerned citizen who happens to be a musician. ”

• Activists Flock to `Vote for Change’ Concert – By Andrew Dunn | The Ledger – Published Saturday, October 9, 2004

ORLANDO — Music fans, not to mention potential voters, were treated to a heady duet of music and politics when the “Vote for Change” tour swept through Orlando on Friday night.

People wearing band T-shirts alongside folks sporting campaign buttons poured into the TD Waterhouse Centre to hear Bruce Springsteen and R.E.M. But before they even got to the door, there were activists ready to hand out materials or shout support for their particular causes.

There were supporters of presidential candidate John Kerry, supporters for Democratic Senate candidate Betty Castor and even an activist or two for greyhounds. Not surprisingly, most of the activists leaned to the liberal side.

Phoebe Cohen, a member of the League of Conservation Voters, an environmental group in Orlando, passed out flyers from her group in front of the arena. Her friend Jeff Shelby was dressed in an over-size John Kerry costume, similar to those seen at parades.

“We are endorsing John Kerry,” she said. “He is a dream come true for the environmental community.”

She said Kerry has an even better record on the environment than former Vice President Al Gore. She said the group has graded politicians, including Kerry, on the environment.

“We gave him an A,” she said. “Also, for the first time in our 34year history, we’ve given George Bush an F.”

John Coggin, also a member of the conservation league, helped out Friday.

“This is the place for recruitment,” he said. “If anyone is wondering how they can get involved, we want them to come to us.”

Cohen did not think she and her friends were preaching to the choir.

“We’re not just telling them to vote for Kerry,” Cohen said. We’re telling them, `Work with us to vote for Kerry.’ If you want to see Kerry president, work and talk to more undecided voters about voting for Kerry.”

Coggin said he was sure many people came to the concert just for the music. But that didn’t slow him down.

“We’re here to remind them that Bruce (Springsteen) is doing this for political reasons,” he said. “And they should be actively involved the same way Bruce is.”

The Orlando event was one of six “Vote for Change” concerts held in Florida on Friday night. James Taylor and the Dixie Chicks performed in Clearwater and Pearl Jam and Death Cab for Cutie were in Kissimmee. Other concerts were in Jacksonville, Gainesville and Miami.

The performers are conducting concerts nationwide in support of Kerry.

Peg Carroll and Ron Smith, of Port Orange, and Wade Burford and Jacquie Labreche, of South Daytona, said they were attending the Orlando concert for both the music and the politics. Carroll and Labreche were wearing Kerry buttons.

“We need a change,” Carroll said.

“We’ve got to get our boys home, for sure. It can’t be any worse than it is right now with the deficit and the war that shouldn’t have been done,” said Labreche.

Dave Peral was politically active Friday night, but his message was pro-President Bush.

“I think Bush is tough on terrorism,” he said. “I agree with him. Take the battle to your enemy before they bring it to us.”

He carried a Bush campaign sign and a homemade sign reading: “You should be home watching the debate.”

On the inside, the message was decidedly political.

Singer Tracy Chapman told the crowd that this was their opportunity to “make the world we want to live in.”

A large monitor played snippets of other “Vote for Change” artists supporting voter mobilization or criticizing the Bush administration.

Michael Stipe, lead singer for R.E.M., recommended Betty Castor for Senate. And he told fans that they should be supporting Kerry.

“I think you should vote for John Kerry because he’s smart and he has experience and he’s a Vietnam veteran, which is very important.”

• Bruce pays Orlando a rocking visit – By Jim Abbot | Sentinel Pop Music Critic | OrlandoSentinel.com- Posted October 9, 2004

So you mess up one presidential election and four years later a bunch of really cool rock stars do concerts in your state.

On Friday, the Vote for Change tour hit Florida — or, as Bruce Springsteen called it in his show at TD Waterhouse Centre: “The scene of the crime.”

Springsteen and the E Street Band were joined by R.E.M., Tracy Chapman and John Fogerty for a stellar performance for a packed house ready to hear a partisan message about putting a new administration in the White House in November.

Judging by the “Bruuuuccee!” chants before the show, Springsteen was the main attraction. When he and R.E.M.’s Michael Stipe emerged to introduce the show, the Boss told the crowd that he wouldn’t stand for such attention.

“Tonight, this is a ‘No Bruuuucccing’ zone,” he cautioned. “We have too many good musicians on the stage.” Then, he offered the night’s mission statement: to fight for a government “that is open, rational, progressive, responsive to its citizens and humane.

“And we will rock the house while doing so!”

The Orlando show, one of five Vote for Change shows in Florida on Friday, was the closing night of an 11-state, 33-city trek through swing states sponsored by the political action group America Coming Together. There was the potential for windbag monologues, but Friday night there was more rock than rhetoric.

Accompanied by a drummer and a second guitarist, Chapman opened with an expressive 30 minutes that showcased her deep, distinctive alto and eloquent songwriting.

Along with favorites such as “Fast Car” and “Give Me One Reason,” she also included a lovely rendition of the 1960s Civil Rights anthem “A Change Is Gonna Come.”

Chapman was followed by R.E.M., which blasted through an hour that mixed songs from the new Around the Sun with a cross-section of older material. Dressed in a white suit, the diminutive Stipe accompanied his singing with an array of spastic dances on “The One I Love,” “What’s the Frequency, Kenneth?” and “Begin the Begin.”

Though the Around the Sun songs were pretty, the subdued mood of the album’s title track seemed to leave the crowd restless. The protest ballad “Final Straw” was delivered with more urgency, but the crowd withheld its most passionate responses for hits such as “Losing My Religion.”

Springsteen traded vocals and guitar licks on a pair of songs to close R.E.M.’s set, adding a muscular edge to the melodic “Man on the Moon” with a searing guitar solo.

When Springsteen finally took the stage with his own band, he delivered a two-hour performance that affirmed his reputation as a peerless concert act. He started alone, strumming “The Star Spangled Banner” fiercely on 12-string guitar as a prelude to an album-worthy “Born in the U.S.A.”

That song lit the fuse on a fiery tear through “Badlands,” “Prove It All Night” and “No Surrender.” With the initial burst out of the way, Springsteen settled into a well-paced show marked by sonic peaks and valleys instead of the nonstop sprints he once delivered.

There were moments of reinvention, such as the rocking full-band treatment of Nebraska’s “Johnny 99” flavored by Danny Federici’s accordion and Soozie Tyrell’s fiddle. There was the anthemic power of “The Rising,” which foreshadowed the uplifting finale.

There was a pleasant duet with Chapman on “My Hometown,” a soaring cover of Patti Smith’s “Because the Night” with Stipe and a show-stopping four-song segment with Fogerty. The latter sounded ageless as he ripped into “Fortunate Son” and traded verses with the Boss on “Promised Land.”

Springsteen confined his political preaching to the tent-revival monologue in “Mary’s Place,” when he “healed” a nonbeliever “from the burdens of Republicanism.” Later, he was more serious:

“America is not always right,” Springsteen told the crowd. “That’s a fairy tale that you tell your children. But America is always true, and it’s in seeking those truths that we find a deeper patriotism.”

When all the musicians took the stage for the rousing finale, “People Have the Power,” it was obvious that the feelings were true — even if some might not think they were right.

• Music briefly trumps politics – By Daniel Chang | Miami Herald – Posted on Sat, Oct. 09, 2004

Most fans went to the ‘Vote for Change’ concert in Orlando to hear Bruce Springsteen and other musicians. But that doesn’t mean they don’t have political opinions.

ORLANDO – The thousands of music fans who turned out for the anti-Bush ”Vote for Change” concert in Orlando Friday night were not looking for political persuasion so much as seeking entertainment. And if the musicians affirmed the political beliefs of the majority of the fans, then many said that was just a happy coincidence.

From the parking lot outside the TD Waterhouse Centre to the floor of the arena, music fans said they were there to see the headline performers — Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band and R.E.M. — even if most of the T-shirts and bumper stickers urged Bush’s defeat.

”We’re here for the music,” said Peyton Bradley, 46, of Fernandina, as he sat in the bed of his Chevy pickup drinking a Budweiser long neck, his wife, Joyce, standing nearby. “But we’re both Democrats.”

Springsteen, R.E.M. and folk singer Tracy Chapman, who opened the show, are among a loose coalition of more than 20 musicians who announced in August that they would perform in 36 cities across 12 battleground states to mobilize opposition to President Bush. The 10-day series of concerts will culminate in Washington on Monday.

For most of the show, none of the performers mentioned either of the presidential candidates by name. Instead, they urged the audience to vote for ”a change in the direction of our government,” as Springsteen told the crowd during a brief introduction.

Chapman spoke of the struggles of the civil rights movement and women’s suffrage and then segued into a song titled Change is gonna come.

R.E.M. front man Michael Stipe used a similar tactic until, near the end of his set, he called the 2000 election ”fraudulent” before finally saying: “I don’t care who people vote for. Actually, I do. I think people should vote for Kerry because he’s smart. He has experience. And he’s a veteran of the Vietnam war, which is important to me.”

Springsteen, who opened his set with Born to Run, was not as overtly political, though he insisted during videotaped interviews played on giant monitors in between sets that the administration had erred in Iraq, on health care, and with tax cuts.

Still, not all in the audience were convinced. Tailgating from the open rear hatch of a white Chevy Trailblazer SUV, five friends were debating politics. Two of the five men were Bush supporters, two were for Kerry and one was undecided. ”Music and politics are two different things,” said Duke Gunn, 46, of Richmond, Va., a Bush supporter.

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• The Star-Spangled Banner ( John Stafford Smith & Francis Scott Key  cover) Play Video
• Born in the U.S.A. Play Video
• Badlands Play Video
• No Surrender Play Video
• Lonesome Day Play Video
• The River ( tour debut ) Play Video
• Johnny 99 Play Video
• Youngstown Play Video
• Centerfield ( John Fogerty  cover) (with John Fogerty ) Play Video
• Deja Vu (All Over Again) ( John Fogerty  cover) (with John Fogerty ) Play Video
• Fortunate Son ( Creedence Clearwater Revival  cover) (with John Fogerty ) Play Video
• The Promised Land (with John Fogerty ) Play Video
• The Rising Play Video
• Because the Night ( Patti Smith Group  cover) (with Michael Stipe ) Play Video
• Mary's Place Play Video
• Born to Run (with Mike Mills ) ( also with Peter Buck ) Play Video
• Bad Moon Rising ( Creedence Clearwater Revival  cover) (with John Fogerty ) ( tour debut ) Play Video
• (What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love and Understanding ( Brinsley Schwarz  cover) (with John Fogerty ) ( also with REM and Bright Eyes ) Play Video
• People Have the Power ( Patti Smith  cover) (with John Fogerty ) ( also with REM and Bright Eyes ) Play Video

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21 activities (last edit by dirkvandamme , 19 Sep 2020, 06:28 Etc/UTC )

Songs on Albums

• (What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love and Understanding by Brinsley Schwarz
• Bad Moon Rising by Creedence Clearwater Revival
• Because the Night by Patti Smith Group
• Centerfield by John Fogerty
• Deja Vu (All Over Again) by John Fogerty
• Fortunate Son by Creedence Clearwater Revival
• People Have the Power by Patti Smith
• The Star-Spangled Banner by John Stafford Smith & Francis Scott Key
• Lonesome Day
• Mary's Place
• Born in the U.S.A.
• No Surrender
• The Promised Land
• Born to Run

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Bruce, Pearl Jam, Dixie Chicks Rock Vote For Change Tour in D.C.

By Jenny Eliscu

Jenny Eliscu

T hirteen of the artists participating in the historic Vote for Change Tour will perform at a blowout finale in Washington, D.C., on October 11th. The four-hour show, to be held at the 20,000-capacity MCI Center, will feature Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band , Dave Matthews Band , R.E.M. , Dixie Chicks , Pearl Jam , John Mellencamp and Jackson Browne , among others.

The concert was originally scheduled for Miami, but, according to one of the tour’s organizers, Springsteen manager Jon Landau, “The artists wanted to have the concluding event in Washington, where we hope to inaugurate a different president next year.” Tickets went on sale September 18th for $50 to $175 each.

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“It will be action-packed,” says Landau, who suggests that all-star jams and surprise duets are likely to pop up during the show. The tour of twelve battleground states kicks off on October 1st, with twenty-one artists playing more than thirty shows. Vote for Change is being presented by the lobbying group MoveOn PAC; all proceeds are going to America Coming Together, a voter-mobilization group. At press time, seventeen of the thirty-four shows were sold out, according to Landau: “The artists have something to say just by being there. A lot of wonderful speakers have been offered to us, but we’re going to let the artists and their music do the talking. These aren’t rallies — these are rock shows.”

This story is from the October 14th, 2004 issue of Rolling Stone.  

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Underdog Anthems On a Patriotic Theme

By Jon Pareles

• Oct. 2, 2004

PHILADELPHIA, Oct. 1 - "The Star-Spangled Banner" rang out from Bruce Springsteen's 12-string guitar as he started his set at the Wachovia Center here tonight. It was a statement of patriotism and populism on his first night of stumping the swing states to support Sen. John Kerry -- -- or, more precisely, to urge a vote to unseat President Bush. His concert, which also featured John Fogerty, R.E.M. and Bright Eyes, was part of six simultaneous tours, called Vote for Change, that are to converge in Washington on Oct. 11.

"If you're swinging, if you're swaying, if you're switching, if you're swooping, if you just can't make up your mind!" Mr. Springsteen exhorted during "Mary's Place" like a rock 'n' roll preacher. "Be saved! It's not too late!"

For the next 10 days, million-selling musicians including Mr. Springsteen, Dave Matthews, the Dixie Chicks, Pearl Jam, Bonnie Raitt and John Mellencamp will be headlining concerts in closely contested states.

The Vote for Change tour will reach 33 cities in 11 states, concluding on Oct. 11 at the MCI Center in Washington with a concert by 13 of the headliners. That show will also include Mr. Fogerty, Jackson Browne, James Taylor, Keb Mo', Kenneth Babyface Edmonds and the hip-hop group Jurassic 5, and it will be televised on the Sundance cable channel.

The concerts are benefits for America Coming Together, a voter-mobilization effort, and they are presented by the liberal political action committee MoveOn.org. The tour is the first time that Mr. Springsteen has made a partisan stand in his three-decade career.

His set chimed with the full brawn of the E Street Band in a string of underdog anthems: "Born in the U.S.A.," "Badlands," "Lonesome Day," "Johnny 99," "Youngstown," "The Rising," "Promised Land" and "No Surrender," a song Sen. Kerry has played at his rallies.

For their sets, the folk-rock bands R.E.M. and Bright Eyes juxtaposed political observations with private dilemmas, sometimes within the same song.

"These are people who are the best experts at connecting with the American public, people who have had an emotional connection with millions of people for years," said Eli Pariser, the executive director of MoveOn.

"It does take some courage in this climate to stand up and do what they're doing. A lot of them have been galvanized by the kind of extremist repressive response that they've seen. They're not going to be silenced."

The Dixie Chicks, who started their part of the tour tonight in Pittsburgh, faced radio-station boycotts and a talk-show furor last year after their lead singer, Natalie Maines, disparaged President Bush onstage.

"We have nothing to lose at this point, so any sort of fear or inhibition is out the window," Ms. Maines said by telephone this week.

It is a complex enough undertaking to gather million-selling musicians for a one-day event like Live Aid or Mr. Mellencamp's annual Farm Aid. Arranging six simultaneous weeklong benefit tours by such popular musicians is probably unprecedented. There is no comparable undertaking on the Republican side. The musicians aren't playing their standard sets; they are including more political songs and collaborating with the other musicians on the bill.

All six shows on the tour go to Ohio on Saturday, Michigan on Sunday and Florida next Friday; shows on Tuesday and Wednesday are in Iowa, Minnesota, Wisconsin and Missouri.

At the Springsteen concert, old protests met new ones. Mr. Fogerty sang his old declaration of class warfare, "Fortunate Son," after his new song comparing the Iraq war to Vietnam, "Déjà Vu All Over Again." The concert wound up with two perennials: Nick Lowe's "What's So Funny? (About Peace, Love and Understanding)" and Patti Smith's "People Have the Power": one cranky, one utopian, both aiming for an arena-scale populist sing-along.

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Vote for Change Tour: Bruce Springsteen + John Fogerty + R.E.M. + Coner Oberst

Theorists understand that all music is political. As the French economist Jacques Attali has noted, the arrangement of sound helps fashion societies and gives birth to both authority and subversion. Music is more than entertainment: it is a tool for the creation of a community that links its subjects together at the center. Within music can be read the codes of behavior in terms of how we relate to one another. So the idea of having a political concert is already a redundant concept. All concerts are inherently political in the larger sense of establishing conformity. The Bruce Springsteen led Vote for Change Tour is notable for its overt use of music as a way to support a particular partisan cause. The musicians stayed on target with the agreed on message: Bush must be defeated/Kerry should be elected. The $75-plus fees ticket price, whose money went to the America Coming Together political action committee, largely guaranteed a receptive audience, for who else would pay so much money for a ticket. Indeed, it would be the odd music fan that liked the line up but did not agree with the message as these artists had made their thoughts and values clear in their music for decades. And while this was no Nuremberg Rally, there were plenty of knee-jerk supporters throwing their fists in the air at any mention of an appropriate political message when delivered to a hard rock beat, which suggests only a thin line exists between fascism and community.

That said, the concert kicked butt. From the opening chords of Bright Eyes front man Coner Oberst flailing away at his guitar and singing about the current problems of the world until the grand finale in which every musician appeared on-stage to sing Patti Smith’s hopeful anthem “People Have the Power,:, the artists and the audience joined together in celebration for a better world order. Almost of the song selections seemed to be chosen for their politically appropriateness as well as their popularity among fans. At times this was a stretch. For example, R.E.M. performed “What’s the Frequency, Kenneth” whose currency at the show derived from the title line. It was the first thing television broadcaster Dan Rather said after being mugged several years ago, and now Dan Rather was currently in the news for his less than honest reporting tactics during the presidential campaign. R.E.M. also performed “Begin the Begin”, “Losing my Religion”, “Bad Day”, and “Man on the Moon”. On the latter two songs Springsteen joined in, even doing a parody of Elvis Presley during the lines about Andy Kaufman “goofing on Elvis.” R.E.M.’s lead singer Michael Stipe, dressed completely in white with a shaved head and an unshaven face, lankily pranced around the stage like a marionette with one string cut. His voice may have gone flat at times, but his energy never flagged. Neil Young came on and played guitar with R.E.M. during a few cuts, but his presence wasn’t dramatically announced until later, during Springsteen’s set. Springsteen led off with a jagged acoustic but amplified version of “The Star Spangled Banner”. The song evoked Jimi Hendrix at Woodstock but more importantly, it reminded everyone in the audience of why we were there — not just to hear tunes but to create a political regime change. Springsteen and the other musicians continually reminded the crowd verbally of the reason for the show, but the non-verbal message was much more inspirational. Springsteen, then joined by the E Street Band, continued with a run down of his original songs somehow connected to the current presidential race, including “Born in the U.S.A.”, “Badlands”, “No Surrender”, (used as a theme by John Kerry during the Democratic convention), “Lonesome Day”, and “The River”. Then Springsteen asked the crowd in a thunderous voice, “Are there any Canadians for Kerry in the audience?” As Neil Young bounded the stage, the arena erupted into wild applause. With both men dressed in matching black, the two did a rousing version of Springsteen’s melancholic “Souls of the Departed” and then a blistering cover of Bob Dylan’s “All Along the Watchtower”. Springsteen and his band performed a rockabilly style version of “Johnny 99,” a song about a man driven to desperate measures by the bad economy. Springsteen then introduced ex-Creedence Clearwater Revival front man John Fogerty as “Our generation’s Hank Williams.” That’s a bit of an overstatement to be sure — our generation’s Merle Travis, maybe or Hank Snow, but nevermind, the compliment was well received. Fogerty immediately endeared himself to the hometown crowd by announcing the Minnesota Twins had just between the New York Yankees in the first game of the American League playoffs and then launched into a bouncing rendition of “Centerfield,” played on a baseball bat-shaped electric guitar. Springsteen and the E Street Back backed up Fogerty on this and other tunes including Fogerty’s latest single, an anti-Bush song called “Déjà vu (All Over Again)” and Fogerty’s anti-Vietnam classic “Fortunate Son”.

Earlier in the day, newspaper reports indicated that Fogerty changed the words to “Fortunate Son” during the concert the night before in Philadelphia from “senator’s son” to “president’s son,” which would make Bush more clearly the target. I listened carefully at the St. Paul show, but did not detect the change — he still seemed to be singing “senator’s son,” although he did mess up the lyrics. “I’ve been singing this song for more than 25 years,” Fogerty joked from the stage, “you’d think I’d know the words already.” I was surprised to read in the local paper the next day (The St. Paul Pioneer Press ) that Fogerty had changed the words to “president’s son” and wondered if I should have trusted my ears or if the reporter merely repeated the information from the previous review. Fogerty, Springsteen, Stipe and Young joined together in various combinations to sing everything from the old CCR hit “Proud Mary” to Springsteen’s “The Rising”. The performances peaked with a Gospel-style version of Springsteen’s “Mary’s Place” which literally had The Boss preaching to the crowd about electing Kerry in the next election. Springsteen, always the showman, went from sliding across the stage on his knees to dancing around frantically to charge up the audience. From that point on all the musicians, as well as Young’s wife Peggy, played together, beginning with a guitar-heavy version of Young’s mocking of compassionate conservative “Rockin’ in the Free World”. A stolid but sincere version of Nick Lowe’s new wave classic “What’s So Funny (About Peace, Love and Understanding)” followed and then the show ended with the aforementioned Smith tune “People Have the Power”. Before the last three songs was the requisite pretend ending of the show and calls for encores, but by the end–after three hours of music, the audience did get a full show on a Tuesday night.

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Vote For Change Tour Finale Set For Miami

The upcoming Vote for Change tour will wrap Oct. 10 with a blowout concert at a Miami venue to be announced.

By Billboard Staff

Billboard Staff

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As expected, the upcoming Vote for Change tour will wrap Oct. 10 with a blowout concert at a Miami venue to be announced. The lineup will feature Pearl Jam, Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band, R.E.M., John Fogerty, Dave Matthews Band, Bright Eyes, Dixie Chicks, James Taylor, Ben Harper, Jurassic 5, My Morning Jacket and Death Cab For Cutie. In addition, a handful of tweaks have been made to the VFC schedule. The Springsteen/R.E.M./Bright Eyes/Fogerty show scheduled for Oct. 3 at Crisler Arena in Ann Arbor, Mich., has been moved to Detroit’s Cobo Hall, while Jack Johnson and Crosby, Stills and Nash will join Jackson Browne, Bonnie Raitt and Keb’ Mo’ for a Sept. 29 show in Phoenix. Tickets for some VFC shows go on-sale Saturday (Aug. 21). The tour kicks off Oct. 1 in Pennsylvania. In related news, Pearl Jam has confirmed a VFC warm-up concert with Death Cab For Cutie Sept. 28 at Boston’s FleetCenter. “It’s been awhile since we’ve played together and we were all excited about … playing a special show somewhere before we kick off the Vote for Change tour,” guitarist Mike McCready says. “Boston is one of our all-time favorite cities to play so it seemed like the perfect place to do that.”

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Le Pen’s far-right party wins first round as Macron’s snap elections gamble backfires

Marine Le Pen’s anti-immigrant National Rally led a first round of voting on Sunday in exceptionally high-stakes elections that could put France’s government in the hands of a far-right party for the first time since World War II. President Emmanuel Macron’s ruling coalition was beaten into third place by a fledgling alliance of the left as the incumbent’s gamble with a snap election backfired spectacularly.

Issued on: 30/06/2024 - 23:58

Three weeks after trouncing its rivals in low-turnout European polls, Le Pen ’s National Rally (RN) confirmed its status as France’s leading political force in a first round of legislative elections marked by the highest turnout in three decades.  

Le Pen’s camp secured a clear victory, albeit not a decisive one, meaning the vote’s ultimate outcome remains uncertain ahead of a second round of voting on July 7. Macron , whose decision to call the snap election had stunned friends and foes alike, has urged voters to rally against the far right next Sunday. 

RN and its allies on the right took 33.2% of the first-round vote, ahead of the left-wing New Popular Front (NFP) on 28.1%, according to projections by pollsters Ipsos-Talan. Macron’s Ensemble alliance trailed in third place with 21%, followed by the conservative Les Républicains and their partners on 10%. 

Based on those figures, the far-right camp would go on to win between 230 and 280 seats in the National Assembly, the pollsters added, leaving it short of the 289 seats required to win an absolute majority.  

Such predictions are extremely difficult, owing to the two rounds of voting and a record number of three-way runoff races. The final result will depend on days of frantic horse-trading as parties work to make alliances in some constituencies or pull out of others.  

Addressing jubilant supporters in her northern constituency, where she won an outright victory in the first round, Le Pen called on voters to push her party over the line and give it an “absolute majority” of seats in the National Assembly, France’s lower house of parliament, which wields greater powers than the Senate.

In such a scenario, Macron would be expected to name the party’s 28-year-old poster boy Jordan Bardella as prime minister in an awkward power-sharing system, known as “cohabitation”, that would weaken him both at home and on the world stage. 

Victory for RN would lead to France’s first far-right government since the Nazi-allied Vichy Regime – capping an extraordinary turnaround for an extremist party that was co-founded by Le Pen’s father Jean-Marie, a Vichy supporter and convicted anti-Semite. 

A more likely outcome would be a hung parliament in which no coalition is able to muster a majority, bringing gridlock to the European Union’s second-largest economy and its leading military power. 

Sunday’s vote follows a chaotic and volatile three-week campaign – the shortest in modern French history – that saw Macron warn voters of a threat of “civil war” should they choose either of his main rivals. 

Estimated at over 65%, turnout was the highest for a parliamentary vote since former president Jacques Chirac called France’s last snap election in 1997 – and suffered an equally catastrophic backlash.   

Macron’s startling move to dissolve the lower house of parliament came on the heels of European parliamentary polls that saw Le Pen’s National Rally trounce the ruling party.   

The president took the momentous decision against the advice of senior allies, the heads of France’s two chambers of parliament and his prime minister, who were informed of his decision at the 11th hour and were powerless to change his mind. 

The abrupt call presented local officials with a logistical nightmare, coming as school summer holidays begin and with the Paris Olympics just around the corner. Gérard Larcher, the conservative head of the Senate, accused Macron of “beating up" democracy. 

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Even Le Pen marvelled at the gift from the Élysée Palace, stating , in the wake of the dissolution: “When your opponent is riding a wave of support, the last thing you do is encourage that wave.”  

She likened the momentum from her party’s victory in European elections to that enjoyed by a newly elected president, when voters typically hand the incoming head of state a parliamentary majority to govern. 

Macron had hoped to frame the elections as a final showdown between his “progressive” camp and rival “populist” forces. The strategy had worked before, with voters twice rallying behind him – many reluctantly – to defeat Le Pen in presidential runoffs, in 2017 and 2022.   

But instead of playing in his favour, the “clarification” he invoked as he dissolved the National Assembly has resulted in a revival of the left-right divide he thought he had banished years ago.  

The sudden prospect of a far-right government succeeded in reuniting France’s bitterly fractured left – with a speed that caught the Élysée Palace off guard.  

At the other end of the spectrum, the lightning campaign enabled Le Pen’s party to dramatically accelerate its takeover of France’s right-wing electorate – facilitated by the sudden implosion of rival outfits. 

Pulling strings from behind the scenes was arch-conservative billionaire Vincent Bolloré, dubbed the “French Murdoch”, who put his sprawling media empire at the service of France’s nationalist right. 

Read more How Bolloré, the ‘French Murdoch’, carried Le Pen’s far right to the brink of power

The French president also underestimated the extent to which his own political capital has evaporated after seven years in power and a multitude of crises. 

Last year’s bitter battle over pension reform, which saw Macron use special powers to bypass parliament amid fierce opposition across the country,  undermined his democratic credentials in the eyes of many voters, while a controversial immigration law passed with support from le Pen's lawmakers further alienated many on the left. 

Seen as a gift to the far right, his latest gamble proved to be the final straw for many voters who had reluctantly backed him to keep Le Pen out of power.   

Macron’s own allies begged the president to take a backseat during the campaign. Many of his candidates asked not to have the president’s photo on their campaign posters, preferring to be pictured alongside his more popular prime minister. 

But Macron ignored their warnings, making repeated campaign appearances and promising – for the umpteenth time – to “change the way we govern” in a letter to French voters. 

His depiction of the election as a tussle between his moderate camp and “extremists” on the left and right ultimately failed to sway voters, leaving his bloc as the weakest of three forces now vying to govern France. 

‘Not a single vote for RN’ 

How Macron’s weakened bloc positions itself in the days ahead is likely to determine the outcome of the July 7 vote. 

Left-wing leaders including Jean-Luc Mélenchon , who heads the hard-left La France inoumise (LFI), were quick to declare they would withdraw all candidates who came third in their respective constituencies, in order not to split the anti-Le Pen vote. 

The move puts pressure on the ruling camp to return the favour – and do for left-wing candidates what left-wing voters have repeatedly done for Macron when facing the far right. 

Prime Minister Attal, who looks certain to lose his job, said the ruling Renaissance party would do likewise with its third-placed candidates – but only in constituencies where RN’s remaining opponent “shares our Republican values”. The wording suggested the party will likely refuse to withdraw candidates in favour of Mélenchon’s LFI, which Macron’s camp has labelled “extremist”. 

“The priority is to ensure the far right does not win an absolute majority,” Attal added. “Not one single vote must go to the National Rally.” 

While Le Pen has made huge strides in her efforts to “normalise” the far right, her anti-immigrant, Kremlin-friendly party is still rejected by swathes of the French electorate. 

Bardella, her choice of PM, says he would use the powers of prime minister to stop Macron from continuing to supply long-range weapons to Ukraine for the war with Russia.  

The National Rally has also questioned the right to citizenship for people born in France and promised to curtail the rights of French citizens with dual nationality, a move critics blasted as contrary to fundamental human rights and a threat to France’s democratic ideals. 

Echoes of Chirac 

The left-wing NFP – a broad church stretching from former president François Hollande to a fringe anti-capitalist outfit – has also spooked many voters alarmed by its big-spending economic programme and the radicalism of some candidates. 

Édouard Philippe, a former prime minister, explicitly called on candidates from his Macron-allied party not to drop out of three-way races where an LFI candidate represents the left. Aurore Bergé, the minister for family affairs, went a step further, urging voters to “band together” against Mélenchon’s party. 

Experts note that many voters no longer heed the advice of party leaders. It is also possible that candidates will refuse to drop out despite guidance from political headquarters in Paris, making the outcome of the second round extraordinarily hard to predict 

One thing is certain: Macron’s “clarification” has clarified that French voters no longer want him to govern alone. 

Since the president's audacious gamble, a quote by former conservative minister Patrick Devedjian has been doing the rounds on social media. It referred to Chirac’s ill-fated snap election in 1997 but could just as well apply to Macron’s. 

“We were holed up in an apartment with a gas leak,” the late Devedjian quipped. "That’s when Chirac lit a match to see what was going on.” 

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UK election latest: Starmer makes 'hugely important' visit to Scotland as he kicks off first tour of UK

New PM Keir Starmer is embarking on a "reset" tour of the UK, as he seeks to improve the UK government's relations with the devolved administrations.

Sunday 7 July 2024 22:40, UK

• General Election 2024

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• Starmer kicks off UK tour in Edinburgh
• PM holds first meeting with Scottish first minister
• New Northern Ireland secretary rules out border poll
• Home secretary launches search for border security commander
• Senior Tories 'likely putting teams together' for leadership bids
• Analysis: Could Tories take their time to pick new leader?
• Live reporting by Tim Baker

Election fallout

• Starmer's challenges: Tackling exhausted NHS | Looming chaos abroad | Defence to dominate early days | Small boats plan? | Rift with scientists needs healing
• Listen: Politics At Jack And Sam's - what's in Starmer's in-tray?
• Results in every constituency

That's all for tonight from the Politics Hub.

We'll be back tomorrow for Labour's first full week in power.

Before you go, here were today's main stories:

Sir Keir Starmer has met with Scotland's first minister, John Swinney.

Speaking to broadcasters afterwards, both men were asked if Scottish independence had come up in the talks.

After losing the vast majority of their seats last week, the SNP are arguing the Holyrood results in 2021 still give them a mandate to work towards leaving the UK.

Sir Keir - whose party grew sizeably in Scotland - has said he is targeting the next Holyrood election in 2026 to win even more of a mandate.

On the talks today, Sir Keir said he would not go into details of what was discussed - but said that the two "can work constructively together".

He added that he has made a commitment to deliver for Scotland, and that he plans to make good on it.

Sir Keir added that he took the opportunity to "reset relations" with the first and deputy first ministers.

He conceded there were "clearly differences of opinion" between them on constitutional matters, but the meeting was still constructive.

Mr Swinney said he "very much welcomed" the engagement and was committed to improving the relationship between the Scottish and UK administrations.

He said the SNP made clear they have "different views" on the constitution - but also that the SNP is taking time "to reflect and consider" the issues posed by the election.

They lost 39 of their 48 seats on Thursday.

Mr Swinney said the party intends to focus on issues like economic growth, child poverty, public services and net zero ahead of securing independence. 

By Tim Baker , political reporter

The government is to divert tens of millions of pounds from the Rwanda scheme to set up a new Border Security Command (BSC), as it announces its plans to tackle illegal migration.

Home Secretary Yvette Cooper has also announced an audit of the monies sent to Kigali as the Labour administration looks to find ways to save or recoup cash committed under the Conservatives.

Ms Cooper plans to raise the issue of illegal migration with her European colleagues at the European Political Community Summit on 18 July.

Before the general election, Sir Keir Starmer said his party wanted to send around £75m a year to their new border scheme, from the scrapped Rwanda deportation programme.

The prime minister described the Conservative-era plans to send asylum seekers to Africa as "dead and buried" earlier this weekend.

However, it is understood Labour has not reached out to Kigali to discuss the way forward, as the previous UK government promised hundreds of millions of pounds for migrants to be sent to Rwanda.

Read more below:

Defence Secretary John Healey has already met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, with the Labour government making a new pledge on sending arms to Ukraine.

Mr Healey also promised that the equipment Rishi Sunak announced in April will be delivered within the first 100 days of the new government.

He said: "Our commitment to stand with the Ukrainian people is absolute, as is our resolve to confront Russian aggression and pursue Putin for his war crimes.

"This government is steadfast in our commitment to continue supplying military assistance and will stand shoulder to shoulder with our Ukrainian friends for as long as it takes."

The newly promised package of aid includes: 

• A quarter of a million of 50 calibre ammunition;
• 90 anti-armour Brimstone missiles;
• 50 small military boats to support river and coastal operations;
• 40 de-mining vehicles;
• 10 AS-90 artillery guns;
•  61 bulldozers to help build defensive positions;
• Support for previously gifted AS-90s.

The new home secretary has wasted little time in getting started in her role - launching the promised Border Security Command (BSC) just days after her appointment. 

The BSC was one of the cornerstones of Sir Keir Starmer's manifesto - Labour's solution to the small boats crisis.

The set-up is being at least partly funded by diverting £75m from the now cancelled Rwanda scheme. 

Yvette Cooper has set out the first steps for establishing the BSC, which promises to "strengthen Britain's borders security and smash the criminal smuggling gangs making millions out of small boat crossings".

The plan includes the rapid recruitment of an "exceptional leader", which begins tomorrow. 

'We can't carry on like this'

The new recruit, who is expected to take up their post in the coming weeks, will report directly to the office of the home secretary. 

They will be tasked with providing a "strategic direction" across agencies, including the National Crime Agency, police, immigration enforcement, and the Border Force.

Ms Cooper is also preparing early legislation which will introduce new counter-terror style powers for the BSC, and has commissioned an investigation into the routes and tactics used by smuggling gangs.

She said it would be a "major step change" in the UK's efforts to tackle organised immigration crime, working "across Europe" and co-ordinating with prosecutors on the continent.

"We can't carry on like this," she said, adding the BSC will act as a "major upgrade" on the immigration system Labour have inherited. 

Sunday might be a day of rest for many of us, but for prime ministers and political journalists there's no such thing.

Sir Keir Starmer has had a busy day, kicking off a tour of the UK, and there's been plenty else keeping us busy.

Here are the main things you need to know from today:

• Sir Keir Starmer has headed to Edinburgh for the start of a UK tour, where he'll meet with First Minister John Swinney;
• Speaking to Scottish Labour supporters beforehand, he promised to "serve every single person in Scotland" no matter who they voted for;
• The PM hopes his visits to Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland will signal a "reset in relations" between Westminster and the devolved administrations;
• It comes after Labour enjoyed a revival in Scotland to become the largest party north of the border, and kept that status in Wales too.
• New government ministers are settling into their roles and were quick to rule out introducing ID cards to tackle illegal immigration this morning;
• Labour's top team distanced themselves from the suggestion made by former party leader and prime minister Sir Tony Blair ;
• The new Northern Ireland secretary, Hilary Benn, also denied there was a case for a border poll on the island of Ireland after Sinn Fein became the largest Northern Irish party at Westminster.
• Meanwhile, the Tory leadership race may well be under way after several former ministers refused to rule themselves out;
• Robert Jenrick and Suella Braverman were among those on the media round this morning who indicated they could be up for replacing Rishi Sunak;
• But our political correspondent Darren McCaffrey says there are some in the party who want them to take their time before deciding, rather than rushing towards a right-wing candidate looking to stave off the threat from Reform UK.

You can also get the lowdown on the new prime minister's first few days from our Politics At Jack And Sam's podcast below:

Sir Keir Starmer has just spoken alongside the Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar, who introduced the new PM to a rapturous applause of party supporters in Edinburgh.

After a long intro from his Scottish colleague, Sir Keir says it's "hugely important" for him to visit the devolved nations as soon as possible. 

"That was an incredible election result, a historic result and a real mandate for change - we start here," he says. 

He says there's nothing "inevitable" about an election win, adding "we won because we campaigned as changed Labour". 

"We [will] govern in the same spirit… we will serve the entirety of Scotland, we will serve every single person in Scotland because that change matters to everyone."

Our political correspondent  Amanda Akass   says the speech was a reminder of the unique opportunity Sir Keir has to unite the UK's devolved administrations.

Scottish Labour "really rose out of the ashes of their previous defeats" in this week's general election, she says, going from one MP to 37.

The PM wants those new MPs "to be a big part of the government in Westminster to deliver for the people of Scotland as part of that mandate for change".

He'll also be meeting First Minister John Swinney, as part of what he hopes will be a "reset" in relations between Westminster and Holyrood.

Sir Keir Starmer is giving a speech following a meeting with Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar in Edinburgh this afternoon.

It comes at the start of the PM's first UK tour - once he's finished north of the border he'll be going to Wales and Northern Ireland.

His Scotland visit will also include a meeting with John Swinney, the first minister and SNP leader.

You can watch his speech in the stream above.

The prime minister has welcomed comments made by the Irish Taoiseach during an interview with Sky News. 

You can see Simon Harris and Sir Keir Starmer's interaction in the embedded X post below… 

It comes after Mr Harris promised he and fellow EU leaders would give the new prime minister a "fair hearing" when it comes to possible changes to the post-Brexit trade deal.

Sir Keir has repeatedly described it as "botched" and said during the election campaign he'd look to improve it - but with no return to the single market, customs union, or freedom of movement.

You can read Ireland correspondent  Stephen Murphy 's full interview with Mr Harris here . 

It's been a busy week and weekend - so it's easy to miss key moments. 

Need a catch-up on the last few days of history-making political drama?

Watch below… 

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