The Vote For Change Tour wrapped up with a high-powered concert at Washington DC's MCI Center on Monday as a wide array of acts rocked the house in the name of political change. The acts have criss-crossed the country over the past weeks, playing 34 shows in nine so-called "battleground states", and attempting to convince music lovers to get out and vote in the upcoming US presidential elections.

John Mellencamp opened the show, performing hits including "Authority Song" and "Pink Houses". The lyrics to "Walk Tall" seemed to set the tone for the evening when he sang "The simple minded/And the uninformed/Can be easily led astray". It was obvious from the very beginning that the performers were there to entertain, but also to educate and inform.

Genre-crossing guest appearances and cover tunes were the order of the day. Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds covered Eric Clapton's "Change The World". Jackson Browne, Bonnie Raitt and Keb' Mo' did Buffalo Springfield's "For What It's Worth". REM was joined by Bruce Springsteen on "Man On The Moon", while Pearl Jam provided a passionate rendering of Bob Dylan's "Masters Of War". James Taylor teamed up with The Dixie Chicks on "Sweet Baby James", "Some Days You Gotta Dance" and "Shower The People". The Chicks' reach exceeded their grasp when they covered Dylan's "Mississippi".

Crowd favorite Bruce Springsteen opened with an ornate twelve-string version of "The Star Spangled Banner". "No Surrender", recently used by the Kerry campaign, made an appearance, as did "Born In The USA". The latter was once almost hijacked by Ronald Reagan's handlers, until someone told them that it was ironic and not patriotic. Springsteen was joined onstage by John Fogerty, whose incendiary "Fortunate Son" seemed tailor-made for the occasion. Michael Stipe joined Bruce and the E-Street Band on a thunderous cover of Patti Smith's "Because The Night", while his bandmates Peter Buck and Mike Mills lent a hand on "Born To Run".

The message-laden finale brought all of the performers out for a run at Elvis Costello's "(What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love and Understanding", and Patti Smith's "People Have The Power".

James Taylor's advice for undecided voters: "Look at the two guys. Just choose the smart one."

The American Presidential race is in the home stretch, with candidates George Bush and John Kerry effectively tied in the polls. Since the race is so close, both sides are searching high and low for groups of voters open to their message. If you're young, and American, and in a hotly contested state, and you really don't care about any of this, you might be in for a pleasant surprise. The MoveOn PAC is attempting to raise political awareness in the young, rock-loving, politically inert youth of today by organizing a concert tour featuring some high-profile talent.

The Vote For Change Tour will travel to the states of Pennsylvania, Ohio, Michigan, Florida, Iowa, Missouri, Washington and Arizona, giving music fans the opportunity to see shows featuring Pearl Jam, Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band, REM, Dixie Chicks, James Taylor, the Dave Matthews Band, Ben Harper, Jackson Browne, Bonnie Raitt, John Mellencamp, Babyface Edmonds, Death Cab For Cutie, Jurassic 5, My Morning Jacket and a few other special guests. The bands won't all be playing at all of the shows, or in the same cities, but will be targetting various markets throughout the so-called "battleground states". Most of the performers will join together in a star-studded finale in Washington DC on Monday, October 11th.

Tour organizers hope that the concerts will raise awareness and inspire the sullen, self-absorbed youth of America to get off the couch and vote on November 2nd. Even if you're sick of politics and the American presidential race, this is a great opportunity to see some great shows.

Air Canada Centre, Toronto - May 4, 2000
Bruce Springsteen and his band were back with a vengeance tonight. While Wednesday's show was a great one, with a passionate delivery, an exuberant crowd and a setlist engineered for maximum pleasure, Thursday's outing managed to bring the audience just a little bit... more. Bruce's voice seemed stronger, and easily up to the challenge of the 3-hour show, where it broke up occasionally during the previous show. The audience's voice seemed stronger, too, and their willingness to join in gave Bruce and the E-Streeters a bit of a kick in the pants.

The setlist had been through some serious revision, giving the fans a taste of some seldom-played tracks. Where Wednesday's show included "Ties That Bind" and "Darkness On The Edge Of Town", Thursday's show opened with "Don't Look Back" and replaced "Darkness" with "Rendezvous" from the Tracks boxed set. "Arlington County" was replaced with "The Promised Land" and "Mansion On The Hill" was changed to be "Factory". One of the highlights of Wednesday's show, "The River", was a no-show, although Thursday's audience were ecstatic to hear "Point Blank", "Jungleland" and "Incident On 57th Street". The brooding, solo acoustic set was replaced by an acoustic full-band version of "No Surrender". Bruce's "preacher act" during "Tenth Avenue Freezeout" included a snippet of the Temptations' "My Girl" for his wife, Patti Scialfa, who recently rejoined the tour after being sidelined by a perforated eardrum (ow!).

The reunion tour will continue with 2 dates in Hartford starting May 7th and closing with a mammoth 10-night stand at Madison Square Gardens in New York City beginning June 12th. If these shows are anywhere close to the quality of the Toronto concerts, the fans will be in for a happy surprise.

Air Canada Centre, Toronto - May 3, 2000
Bruce Springsteen opened a two-night stand at Toronto's Air Canada Centre tonight, and gave the sellout crowd a sweaty, hit-filled set. This tour is a special one, reuniting Bruce with the E Street Band for the first time in 12 years. Without a new album to promote, the show was diverse in content and tone, celebrating the best of his 27-year career.

Bruce and the band got things rolling with "The Ties That Bind", the opening track from 1980's The River. Next up was "Prove It All Night", featuring vocals by Bruce and everyone's favourite television mobster, Steven Van Zandt. After a sombre run at "Darkness On The Edge Of Town", Springsteen decided that the typically reserved Canadian crowd needed a bit of a boost. He launched into a fire-and-brimstone preacher act, jumping, sweating and screaming, "I can't promise you life everlasting, but I can promise you life right now!". It may have been a little corny, but it worked. The crowd leapt to their feet, shouting and clapping along with "Darlington County". They adored Springsteen's mammoth saxophone man, Clarence Clemons, whose crafty, soulful saxwork was showcased in an extended intro to "The River". Guitarist Nils Lofgren's added a manic guitar solo to The Ghost Of Tom Joad's "Youngstown". Frenetic versions of "Badlands" and "Out In The Street" were followed by an extended "Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out", featuring Bruce's preacher-man alter ego doing a few verses from Al Green's "Take Me To The River". The band left Bruce to do a solo acoustic set, featuring "The Ghost Of Tom Joad" and a screeching, jangly run at "Born In The U.S.A.", with Springsteen playing 12-string slide guitar. After "Badlands" and "Light of Day", the E-Streeters left the stage, returning for encores featuring the mandatory "Born To Run" and "Thunder Road".

The ecstatic audience even managed to forgive Bruce for teasing them about the New Jersey Devils, who recently annihilated our own Toronto Maple Leafs in a little hometown jam of their own. Toronto gets the last laugh, though. Tonight we scored a great show from Bruce and the E Street Band, and a 3-2 victory over the Devils.