Concert Review: Vote For Change Finale Concert

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."