It was Born to Run meets New York State of Mind — with a little bit of Hail to the Chief thrown in for good measure.
Bruce Springsteen and Billy Joel joined forces in a concert to raise money for presidential candidate Senator Barack Obama’s campaign and the Democratic Party on Thursday night.
They got a little help from India.Arie, John Legend and Springsteen’s wife, Patti Scialfa, as they tore through the rock legends’ long list of hits.
When they launched into Born to Run, Springsteen said, “This is for the senator.”
As the show concluded, Obama made an appearance onstage. He called the event “a magical evening” and said he would not ruin it with a long speech. However, he did speak about the struggling, everyday people in Joel’s and Springsteen’s songs, comparing them to the people he has met on the campaign trail.
He warned supporters not to get overconfident because he leads in the polls.
“Don’t underestimate the capacity of Democrats to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. Don’t underestimate our ability to screw it up,” Obama said. “I want everybody running scared.”
Obama also offered a new explanation for his decision to seek the White House.
“I was sitting offstage with [my wife] Michelle, and I ... said, ‘Honey, the reason I’m running for president is I can’t be Bruce Springsteen. I can’t be Billy Joel,’” Obama said.
Springsteen and Joel focused more on music than politics, alternating between each other’s songs — clearly having fun.
Springsteen hugged Joel during Spirit in the Night, then ended up laying across the piano as he sang. Joel left the piano and picked up a guitar for Glory Days. They even stuck a bit of The Beatles’ Hard Day’s Night into the middle of Joel’s song River of Dreams.
When Springsteen suggested they slow things down a bit, Joel began banging out a playful version of Hail to the Chief in honor of Obama’s presidential hopes.
The cheap seats at the “Change Rocks” concert were US$500. Big spenders could shell out US$25,000 each.
Springsteen’s song The Rising has become an unofficial anthem for Obama’s campaign, often playing when Obama bounds onstage at his rallies.
Inspired by the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, it strikes a defiant tone with lines like: “Sky of longing and emptiness, Sky of fullness, sky of blessed life, Come on up for the rising, Come on up, lay your hands in mine.”
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