PHILADELPHIA — Eight days out from the 2024 election, thousands of Pennsylvania Democrats gathered at Temple University’s Liacouras Center in answer to the ugly, grievance-filled ragefest hosted by the Trump campaign at New York’s Madison Square Garden the evening prior.
The Democrats’ event featured performances from Bruce Springsteen and John Legend between speeches from Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker, Pennsylvania Sen. Bob Casey, and former President Barack Obama.
Amid the posterboard signs given out by the Harris campaign — emblazoned with the words “Vote,” “Freedom,” and “When We Fight, We Win” — the crowd was dotted with Puerto Rican flags, an apparent response to comedian Tony Hinchcliffe, who called the U.S. territory an “island of garbage” during his widely condemned warm-up set at Sunday’s Trump rally.
“These are fellow citizens he’s talking about. Here in Philadelphia, they are your neighbors. They are your friends. They are your coworkers. Their kids go to school with your kids,” Obama said during his own remarks. “These are Americans. They’re people. That is the reason why this election should not be close. It should be clear.”
There are roughly 620,000 Puerto Ricans in the critical battleground state of Pennsylvania, up from roughly 200,000 in the year 2000.
Casey — the Democratic senator who is currently locked in a fierce reelection fight against a Trump-endorsed billionaire who lives in Connecticut — introduced the night’s biggest musical performance by telling the crowd that Springsteen’s songs “are like a hymnal, or like a prayer for our country.”
Springsteen ministered to the Philly faithful with a three-song acoustic set, performed solo. He sang songs that spoke to the struggle many Americans are experiencing, acknowledged their anxiety and fear of the future, and envisioned better days ahead.
He opened with his 1978 fan favorite “The Promised Land,” with its ominous verse lyrics about “a dark cloud rising” building up to the defiant refrain: “I believe in the Promised Land.”
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Between songs, Springsteen gave a forceful endorsement of Vice President Kamala Harris and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz — and an equally forceful denunciation of their rivals, Donald Trump and JD Vance.
“Now, I understand folks have different opinions about things, but this election is about a group of folks who want to fundamentally undermine our American way of life,” Springsteen told the crowd in Philadelphia. “Donald Trump doesn’t understand this country, its history, or what it means to be deeply American.”
“On Nov. 5, I’m casting my vote for Kamala Harris and Tim Walz — and I urge all of you who believe in the American dream to join me,” he added, before launching into “Land of Hope and Dreams” — a song about a train big enough to fit saints, sinners, losers, winners, whores, gamblers, lost souls, broken-hearted thieves, fools, and kings.
He closed his set with his 1984 hit “Dancing in the Dark,” shouting out Legend, whose cover he called “the most beautiful version of this song I have ever heard.”
During his own set, Legend played Sam Cooke’s “A Change is Gonna Come” and “Glory,” the Academy Award-winning track he wrote with Common for the civil rights drama Selma.
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Springsteen’s campaign-season shows have become a tradition in Philadelphia. In October 2008, he rallied 50,000 for Barack Obama at Benjamin Franklin Parkway, and the night before Election Day 2016, he sang “Thunder Road,” “Long Walk Home,” and “Dancing in the Dark” at Independence Hall in support of Hillary Clinton. (At that show — before Trump filled three seats on the U.S Supreme Court, and the new conservative majority overturned the federal right to abortion — Springsteen called on voters to choose an administration “where the unfinished business of protecting the rights of women is not an afterthought, but a priority.”)
This year, Springsteen is playing a series of swing state shows on behalf of the Harris campaign. The mini-tour kicked off last week in Clarkston, Georgia, and is expected to include stops in Michigan, Wisconsin, Arizona, North Carolina, and Nevada, though later dates have yet to be confirmed.
