Free concert on Parkway boosts registration effort
Ashley Peskoe
Issue date: 10/10/08 Section: News
Bruce Springsteen held a free concert Oct. 4 on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway to promote voter registrations two days before the Oct. 6 deadline, according to Zach Friend, a spokesman for the Obama campaign.
Registration volunteers filled the streets Oct. 4, including Candace Boyd, a volunteer from Valley Forge, Pa. Boyd said she used this concert to reward herself for all the hard work she has done thus far; although Boyd did not volunteer on Oct. 4, she has been volunteering for Obama since the primaries.
"It's great to see all these people out for Barack Obama," Boyd said.
Before Springsteen's performance, Nora Whitaker and Amos Lee took the stage, with volunteers and field officers speaking between each musical act.
"Change comes to those who show up," Pat Ahern, 22, a student of Montgomery County Community College, said during the rally.
There was also a surprise visit from Gov. Ed Rendell (D-Pa.) and Sen. Bob Casey (D-Pa.), who took the stage before Springsteen.
"Our job was to transition between when we got up here and when Bruce is ready to come up, so we don't know how long that is going to be, but I promise you as long as I'm up here I will not wink at you," Rendell said, referring to vice presidential candidate Gov. Sarah Palin.
Despite the rumors, Obama did not show up.
"I think Bruce Springsteen is doing pretty well drawing people on his own," Friend said.
An unofficial estimate from the City put the crowd at 50,000.
"It's nice to see how many people really did come out for this," Stephanie Groeber, a graduate student in the physician assistant program for Drexel's Health and Professional Studies, said. "It's a huge election this year and it's weird, but it's cool to be part of it finally in our lifetime that you know you're going to make a difference by voting."
According to Friend, the volunteer-driven event was organized in about a week, after the campaign received a call from Springsteen saying he wanted to perform a free concert to help with voter registration in Pennsylvania.
Registration volunteers filled the streets Oct. 4, including Candace Boyd, a volunteer from Valley Forge, Pa. Boyd said she used this concert to reward herself for all the hard work she has done thus far; although Boyd did not volunteer on Oct. 4, she has been volunteering for Obama since the primaries.
"It's great to see all these people out for Barack Obama," Boyd said.
Before Springsteen's performance, Nora Whitaker and Amos Lee took the stage, with volunteers and field officers speaking between each musical act.
"Change comes to those who show up," Pat Ahern, 22, a student of Montgomery County Community College, said during the rally.
There was also a surprise visit from Gov. Ed Rendell (D-Pa.) and Sen. Bob Casey (D-Pa.), who took the stage before Springsteen.
"Our job was to transition between when we got up here and when Bruce is ready to come up, so we don't know how long that is going to be, but I promise you as long as I'm up here I will not wink at you," Rendell said, referring to vice presidential candidate Gov. Sarah Palin.
Despite the rumors, Obama did not show up.
"I think Bruce Springsteen is doing pretty well drawing people on his own," Friend said.
An unofficial estimate from the City put the crowd at 50,000.
"It's nice to see how many people really did come out for this," Stephanie Groeber, a graduate student in the physician assistant program for Drexel's Health and Professional Studies, said. "It's a huge election this year and it's weird, but it's cool to be part of it finally in our lifetime that you know you're going to make a difference by voting."
According to Friend, the volunteer-driven event was organized in about a week, after the campaign received a call from Springsteen saying he wanted to perform a free concert to help with voter registration in Pennsylvania.
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