In a coordinated effort to 'derail the right-wing Republican agenda by defeating George W Bush,' REM, Bruce Springsteen, Pearl Jam, the Dixie Chicks, Dave Matthews Band and a host of other artists will rock nine crucial states before the November 12 election.
The Vote for Change tour is funded by MoveOn.org, known to be left leaning political outfit.
The show will kick off with six simultaneous concerts from October 1 in Pennsylvania before moving on to North Carolina, Ohio, Michigan, Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri, Wisconsin and Florida.
The tour will also have performances by Jurassic 5, John Mellencamp, Bonnie Raitt, Jackson Browne, James Taylor, Babyface, Bright Eyes, Death Cab for Cutie, John Fogerty and My Morning Jacket.
The money generated from the tours, expected to conclude October 8, will go to America Coming Together, which pledges to 'derail the right-wing Republican agenda by defeating George W Bush.'
Earlier attempts to criticise Bush have led to the Dixie Chicks being boycotted by radio, while Linda Ronstadt was booed and removed from a Las Vegas hotel.
In an interview to the ABC television channel, Springsteen said, 'Basically I feel that as a nation over the past four years, we've drifted away from mainstream American values.
'I think that in the question having large tax cuts for the richest one percent. Hey, that's great, you know [for] corporate bigwigs, wealthy, well-to-do guitar players, but we've also watched services get cut, after-school programs for people that need it the most, we've watched rollback on environmental regulations, and a foreign policy that I think put at risk the lives of the very bravest young men and women under what ended up to be discredited circumstances. What I do believe is I believe that John Kerry and John Edwards -- I don't think they have all the answers, but right now for the problems we have, I haven't seen anybody who does.'
Photograph: Getty Images
