[theknife]

Originally Posted by Mazer

All I'm saying is that these musicians are just using Bush to sell tickets. It's okay if that's really how they want to make a living, but it used to be that musicians made money with their music, not their opinions. And sure, musicians use music to voice their opinions all the time, but these guys wrote most of their music before Bush was elected. Can these really be considered anti-Bush concerts if they don't actually play any anti-Bush music? The title "Vote for Change" is advertizing rather than advocacy, and isn't really different from "Rock Against Bush" which is shipping it's second volume soon. I wouldn't be opposed if their message was neutral: "We won't tell you who to vote for just as long as you cast your vote. Then, no matter the outcome, you'll be a true patriot for participating in the election."

Music fans come in both leftwing and rightwing varieties, and holding these concerts in swing states only makes the outcome more uncertain.

using Bush to sell tickets? c'mon...Springsteen? Dave Matthews? these guys can sell out any venue anywhere anytime - you think they need Bush to sell tickets?

Proceeds from the tour go to America Coming Together, an independent group working in Florida and other states to turn out anti-Bush voters.

you're missing the point here - the purpose is not to be neutral, not to make money off tickets - the purpose is to rally and galvanize the anti-Bush vote., and raise money for organizations working towards that end.

"Our main goal is to change the direction the government's been going in for the last four years, and to change administrations," said Springsteen in a phone interview with The Star-Ledger yesterday.

that's not advocacy? the strong advocacy from the normally apolitical rock establishment is what makes it so striking and why i posted it in the first place. who knows whether they can impact the election but i give them credit for trying.

if you ever listened to Springsteen's live 1985 triple album, he does a short monologue about kids getting sent to war and why it's important to question our leaders...and then he goes into the song War. i've got respect for the man - he's clearly acting on convictions he's held for many year. if there's personal gain in here, i don't see it - he does't need the ticket sales, he won't profit from them, and if the Dixie Chicks flap is any indication, the stand he's taking can only hurt his career.