2004-10-01 Wachovia Center, Philadelphia, PA

Scheduled: 19:30 Local Start Time ??:?? / End Time ??:??

Info & Setlist | Venue

First concert in the Vote For Change concert series. The series is designed to encourage people to register and vote in the upcoming elections, with each concert held in swing states. Although the tour is not obviously partisan, the general tone of the performers is in support of Democrat candidate John Kerry. Bruce and the band perform along with R.E.M. and Bright Eyes. Bruce joins R.E.M. during their set for "Man On The Moon". "The Star-Spangled Banner" is played on a 12-string acoustic guitar. Michael Stipe guests on "Because The Night", which features the Patti Smith lyrics. "Mary's Place" includes "The Monkey Time".

Bruce Springsteen

R.E.M.

Bruce Springsteen (Guest)

Intro to “Lost in the Flood”
´´Good evening….thanks for coming out and supporting ´Vote for Change´….Michael was asking if everybody saw the debates last night….they were looking good, we´re on a roll now…alright….´´

Intro to “Centerfield”
´´Thanks, one of the, uh….one of the thrills of doing this is getting a chance to play at these bills with these other great bands, I wanna give a thank-you to R.E.M….thank you to Bright Eyes…you should check his record out, he´s got a great, great record….now it´s a real pleasure to bring out somebody I´ve been a big, big fan of for a long, long time….somebody who influenced my work….one of America´s great, great singer-songwriters, Mr.John Fogerty….´´

Intro to “The Promised Land”
´´John Fogerty !….I´ll make him do one of mine now….´´

Intro to “Because the Night”
´´One of the things that, uh….really, uh, jumpstarted, jumpstarted this concert was, uh (?) I talked to Michael Stipe and the fellas from R.E.M and they said they´d come out with us so I wanna bring Michael up (?)….´´

Middle of “Mary´s Place”
´´Good evening, ladies and gentlemen….I´m so glad to be here in your beautiful city tonight ….are you having fun ? (cheers) that´s good, but of course tonight, tonight we´re here with a purpose….we´re here for a reason….the mighty E Street Band is rising up and we´re gonna take you down to that river of change and we´re gonna help you cross over to the other side ….are you ready ? (cheers) I´m glad, I wanna call for (?) I wanna bring forth 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….or anybody wearing a bowtie….to come forth and be saved, it´s not too late ….oh, I think we´ve got one….say ´Halleburton´ three times real fast….what do you think, Sir ? (someone: ´I´m switching!´) oh, we got one !…are you ready ?….are you ready ?….are you ready ?…are you ready ?…I think that was my brother-in-law….´´

Intro to “Born to Run”
´´Gonna bring up Mike Mills and Peter Buck from R.E.M to play with us on this one, come on up, guys !….there´ll be two might basses on this one….thank you, thank you, now the moment you´ve all been waiting for: my public service announcement (chuckles) woo !… first I want to, uh, thank everybody for coming out tonight and showing your support…. thank you so much….the money we raised tonight will go directly into mobilising voters, voter-education, getting people to the polls and bringing out the progressive vote on November 2nd….we remain a, we remain a land of great promise but, uh….it´s time we need to move America towards the fulfilment of its promises that she´s made to her citizens…. economic justice, civil rights, protection of the environment….respect for others and humility in exercising our power at home and around the world….these core issues of American identity….are what´s at stake on November 2nd….I believe that Senator Kerry and Senator Edwards understand these important issues and I think they could (?) our country move forward….America is not always right - that´s a fairytale that you tell your children at night before they go to sleep, but America is always true and it´s in seeking these truths that we find a deeper patriotism, don´t settle for anything less….so we got some work to do between now and election day, if you share our concerns, find the best way to express yourself, roll up your sleeves and get out there and do something and remember, the country we carry in our hearts is waiting….´´

^{Compiled by : Johanna Pirttijärvi.}

Brian	From the moment Bruce came out and started playing an accoustic, bluesy Star Spangled Banner, through Born in the USA, Badlands, and then No Surrender, was one of the most amazing openings of a Bruce show I"ve seen. It showed Bruce as a true American, and someone true to his convictions. The next group of songs continue to rock out in an unrelentening force. The whole evening, from Bright Eyes through REM, which played its more political songs, through the encores with everyone on stage, showed that there is a lot right about America, and made us feel patriotic again. It's OK to be patriotic, its not just the right of the Republicans. It made me feel better about the country, even if Bush does win again. The only down thing I notices wat that Clarence was either not feeling very well, or was relegated to a side musician. He was sitting down a lot, and had little to do. Most of the songs were not geared in his direction, and the solos in Badlands were short. Even in Mary's place he really didn't do much. I didn't even see him for the encores, he was probably there just lost with everyone else around.
Kev Ev	With the exception of Bright Eyes, this was a great show. Bright Eyes' music was good, but their singer shouted more than he sang, and was mostly unable to be understood. I'm not an REM fan by any means, but I gained a new appreciation for them and their music last night. Michael Stipe and crew but on a tremendous performance. Bruce and the band put on a helluva an act. With Bruce opening doing the Star Spangled Banner, and then launching into Born in the USA, the show was awesome. John Fogerty was great, and the whole encore with all the acts on stage was phenomenal. I can't wait to get this on a bootleg, I mean Bruceleg!
Kevin McDevitt	I went to this show with moderate expectations, remembering that the first show of The Rising tour was maybe the worst show of the Rising tour. And although I am a Kerry supporter, I didn't want to be preached to all night. I was so pleasantly surprised… THE POLITICS… kept to a minimum. This may have been due to Kerry's whup-ass on W. in Thursday's debate; every reference to the debate was made with a smile and a puffed-out chest. Bruce and Michael Stipe came out and said a few words before Bright Eyes took the stage; short and to the point. The lead singer for Bright Eyes made a few comments during his set (including something about getting rid of the "madman" running our country). Michael "We're R.E.M., and we approve of this concert" Stipe also kept it short and sweet. Bruce had a few things to say, but nothing I would really call a sermon…nothing as strong as his "PSA" before playing "War" on the BITUSA tour. BRIGHT EYES… is a nice little band, but they don't appear ready for the big stage yet. The lead singer could use a stronger voice. The arena was only about 30% full during their 30 minute set; I was starting to think that the Swift Boat Assholes for Bullshit or Rush Limbaugh's rehab clinic had bought up a bunch of tickets in protest and burned them with W.'s service records. R.E.M…. I was not a fan before. I am now. Big Voice from that little man. And Big Energy. I don't think it was by chance that of all the bands playing out there in the great state of Pennsylvania on Friday night, R.E.M. was opening for E-Street. Mr. Springsteen and Mr. Stipe seem to have a bond. BS&TESB… So, here we are, almost exactly one year since the last Shea Stadium show. Not bad timing. The first 8-9 songs…there are almost no words. Incredible cohesion and energy. The acoustic Star Spangled Banner was very cool. You had to know BITUSA was going to be the opener. When I heard BADLANDS next, my first thought was "it's too early for this song!"; but as the setlist worked it's way through, it fit. I almost thought it was 1984 during NO SURRENDER. The full band version of Johnny 99 maybe should have been a gem saved for later in the show, but it was still as much fun as when they played it 10/4/03. YOUNGSTOWN was as powerful as it was on the Reunion Tour, and Nils' solo was great…again. John Fogerty looked good and sounded great, but what was with all of that jumping up and down?But… CENTERFIELD was fun, and FORTUNATE SON was awesome,…even if it is the Bush Family anthem. The show lost a little coheshion from the middle on…mostly because of the various guests coming-n-going; but it was fun to see the different faces up there, all having a good time. The only real downside was that very few songs featured the Big Man. That, and like 10/4/03, they should have led all of the guests offstage after PEOPLE HAVE THE POWER, and come back on for one more song. All in all, a great 2-hour E-Street show, especially when many were predicting maybe 1.5 hours. Now, what's this about another concert in Jersey on the 13th…?

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Underdog Anthems On a Patriotic Theme

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.

^{By Jon Pareles via The New York Times.}

Bruce, Dave, R.E.M. Swing

The day after the first presidential debate, the Vote for Change tour kicked off with six multi-artist bills in key “swing states.” The performers — including Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band, R.E.M., Dave Matthews Band, the Dixie Chicks, Pearl Jam and Bonnie Raitt — advocated voter participation, specifically in support of Senator John Kerry.

The star-studded tour visited Pennsylvania, Ohio and Michigan over the weekend and will continue this week through Wisconsin, Missouri and Florida. In total, there will be thirty-seven concerts in thirty cities before the tour wraps with an all-star finale featuring thirteen of the tour’s headliners in Washington, D.C., on October 11th. That concert will be broadcast on the Sundance Channel, and proceeds from all shows will go to America Coming Together (ACT), a grassroots voter contact program in support of the Democratic candidate.

Here are some highlights from the weekend’s shows:

Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band/R.E.M./Bright Eyes:

In Philadelphia on Friday, Springsteen began the E Street Band’s nineteen-song set with a solo rendition of the national anthem on acoustic guitar. Springsteen and his banded wasted no time trotting out politically charged favorites like “Born in the U.S.A,” “Badlands” and “No Surrender,” Kerry’s unofficial campaign song.

Two hours into his set, Springsteen addressed the audience: “I know you all have been waiting for my public service announcement. We live in a land of great promise, but it’s time to move Americans to embrace the great promises that she made to her citizens.”

R.E.M. preceded Springsteen with an hour-long set, comprising staples like “The One I Love” and newer songs like “Bad Day” and “Final Straw,” a protest song originally released online in 2003 after the beginning of the Iraq invasion; the song will be included on the band’s new album, Around the Sun, due this Tuesday.

Springsteen was also joined onstage by John Fogerty, who performed his new Iraq-as-Vietnam protest song, “Deja Vu (All Over Again).” Fogerty aided Springsteen on “Centerfield” and charged through “Fortunate Son,” his most famous political anthem; he also led the E Street Band through “Proud Mary.” Fogerty and Springsteen traded verses later on “The Promised Land.”

Other collaborations came early in the evening with Springsteen playing guitar with R.E.M. on the band’s “Man on the Moon.” Members of R.E.M. later joined Springsteen on “Born to Run.” And the show closed with all performers joining in on Nick Lowe’s “(What’s So Funny ‘Bout) Peace, Love and Understanding” and Patti Smith’s galvanizing “People Have the Power.”

Opening act Bright Eyes (a.k.a. Conor Oberst) was especially direct in his political rhetoric, remarking, “A vote for Bush is like shitting in your own bed.”

[…]

^{By Brian Orloff via Rolling Stone.}

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