Bruce Springsteen and Billy Joel play in support of Obama

Billy Joel and Bruce Springsteen will play a joint gig in support of the Democratic presidential candidate. Elsewhere, rumours abound: will Franz Ferdinand follow suit?

American politics' musical surge continues to mount, as another raft of concerts are announced in support of Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama.

Bruce Springsteen and Billy Joel will play a joint gig on October 16, while an indie-rock fundraiser on October 7 may even feature Franz Ferdinand.

Obama himself will be in attendance for the Springsteen/Joel shindig, with up to 2,500 others squeezing into the Hammerstein Ballroom in New York City. But tickets do not come cheap – balcony seats are $500 (£250), "premiere" seats $2,500 (£1,250) and lounge tickets cost $10,000 (£5,000). We certainly hope those $10,000 tickets include the chance to high-five Senator Obama.

Though Billy and the Boss have played together before, this will be their first-ever joint concert.

Elsewhere, an artier fundraiser will meanwhile take place in Brooklyn on October 7, at the Music Hall of Williamsburg. Andrew Bird, Les Savy Fav, the Fiery Furnaces and comedian Eugene Mirman are among the headliners of the $40 show.

Even more interesting are the "Special Secret Musical Guests" advertised on the show poster. Pitchfork speculates it could be Franz Ferdinand who show up, because the band are scheduled to play the next day at the same venue. But perhaps the "secret musical guest" will be Obama himself, leading the crowd in a rendition of Arcade Fire's Rebellion.

Contributor

Sean Michaels

The GuardianTramp

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