The Vote for Change Tour marks a turning point for Bruce Springsteen. The singer-songwriter has long championed blue-collar causes, but aside from the co-opting of his "Born in the U.S.A." anthem by clueless Republican leadership in the Eighties, Springsteen and his music have never been directly involved in partisan politics. On October 1st, Springsteen will begin headlining one of six tours that will also feature Pearl Jam, the Dave Matthews Band, the Dixie Chicks, R.E.M. and others who plan to target key battleground states where voters could tip the upcoming presidential election in favor of Democratic candidate John Kerry or President George W. Bush.
Springsteen says that he supported U.S. intervention in Afghanistan, but his support for Bush's foreign policy waned with the invasion of Iraq. "This is one of the most critical elections of my lifetime," Springsteen says, "certainly since I was a young man. I've built up twenty-five years of credibility, hopefully, with my audience. That's something I've tried to put to good use when called upon. It's also something I don't expend lightly."
Likewise, with this election, the Dave Matthews Band, no stranger to playing benefit concerts, has become involved in an election race for the first time. "It seems like we're in a state of emergency," Matthews says. "I think the need for public debate is desperate. I can't choke it down. I need to speak out right now."
Pearl Jam's Eddie Vedder supported Green Party candidate Ralph Nader in 2000. Though he has thrown his support behind Kerry, he doesn't feel the two candidates' agendas are mutually exclusive. "We have to get a new administration in first," he says. "Then we can go back to the ideals that [Nader] was fighting for four years ago, and still is."
Vedder's bandmate Stone Gossard shrugged off the possibility that a political platform might draw jeers from fans. "If they're showing up, they're supporting organizations registering people to vote," he says. "They're going to be engaging in a process that will be inspiring a lot of people who haven't voted before to vote."
Springsteen agrees the show will be more about rallying progressive voters than delivering speeches from a soapbox. "There will be a little more emphasis on the political, and hopefully on the inspirational," he says. "We're trying to lift people up and get people motivated. Get the progressive vote out there and change the administration in November. We have pretty clear goals."
The tour is being organized by the MoveOn PAC. Members of the organization will have access to pre-sale tickets for the shows. Information about joining MoveOn can be found at moveonpac.org.
Tickets go on sale nationwide through Ticketmaster on August 21st.
Pearl Jam tour dates:
10/1: Reading, OH
10/2: Toledo, OH
10/3: Grand Rapids, MI
10/5: St. Louis, MO
10/6: Asheville, NC
10/7: Kissimmee, FL
Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band/R.E.M. tour dates:
10/1: Philadelphia, PA
10/2: Cleveland, OH
10/3: Ann Arbor, MI
10/5: St. Paul, MN
10/8: Orlando, FL
Dave Matthews Band/Jurassic 5 tour dates:
10/1: State College, PA
10/2: Dayton, OH
10/3: Detroit, MI
10/5: Madison, WI
10/6: Ames, IA
10/8: Gainesville, FL
Jackson Browne/Bonnie Raitt tour dates:
10/1: Williamsport, PA
10/2: TBA
10/3: Grand Rapids, MI
10/5: Kansas City, MO
10/6: Des Moines, IA
10/8: Jacksonville, FL
Dixie Chicks/James Taylor tour dates:
10/1: Pittsburgh, PA
10/2: Cleveland, OH
10/3: Detroit, MI
10/5: Iowa City, IA
10/6: St. Louis, MO
10/8: Tampa Bay, FL
John Mellencamp/Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds tour dates:
10/1: Wilkes-Barre, PA
10/2: Cincinnati, OH
10/3: Flint, MI
10/5: Milwaukee, WI
10/8: Miami, FL