By james art On Oct. 30, Vice President Kamala Harris hosted a rally at the Alliant Energy Center to encourage Wisconsinites to change the vote their way — but Harris didn’t come to Madison alone.
Musicians Remi Wolf, Gracie Abrams, Mumford & Sons, The National’s Matt Berninger and Aaron Dessner took the stage to support Harris, proving the energizing and unifying effect music can have on a movement.
Wolf was the first to perform, looking like she was going to a funeral in her all-black outfit – but when she sang, it wasn’t the requiem you might expect. Lively and lively, Wolf warmed up the crowd with a delightfully funky ‘Cinderella’, followed by a crowd-pleasing cover of ‘Piece of My Heart’. Next “Disco Man”, infectiously energetic and relentlessly catchy, was the perfect prelude to all the excitement to come.
National members Berninger and Dessner delivered a soft, moving performance highlighted by Berninger’s hauntingly deep vocals and Dessner’s complex yet clean guitar riffs. The band’s set included “Bloodbuzz Ohio,” “I Need My Girl” — which Berninger said he wrote for his daughter, but tonight was for Kamala — and “Fake Empire,” which featured poignant piano.
Next, indie pop star Gracie Abrams appeared to considerable fanfare. Abrams commanded the crowd with ease, entire sections erupting in excited screams when she looked at them, teenage girls jumping up and down in glee. Some have called her the successor to Taylor Swift, and her performance offered strong evidence for that claim.
Abrams opened his set with the poignant, brooding “I Love You, I’m Sorry,” followed by the more upbeat “Risk.” She chose to end on an upbeat note with “Free Now,” delivering her final lyric with a soft smile, “I’ve never been less empty, all I feel is free now,” a hopeful message for Harris’ campaign, while approaching the finish line.
Gracie Abrams performs at the Harris-Waltz Campaign Rally in Madison. October 30, 2024
The final performance of the night was by Grammy-winning folk-rock band Mumford & Sons. From their first banjo strum, the crowd’s energy was electrifying. The band opened with “The Cave,” a haunting ballad about overcoming adversity. Their charged, welcoming stage presence invited the audience to instinctively applaud.
After performing “Little Lion Man,” lead singer Marcus Mumford vocalized his support for Harris, encouraging the crowd to join him and vote for her. The band then returned to their upright bass, guitar, keys and banjo for “Awake My Soul” and “I Will Wait”. Each song contained the theme of rising above adversity, a fitting motif for the evening.
As the set of instruments soulfully melded with Mumford’s distinctive voice and the lights on the crowd’s wrists flashed red, white and blue, there was a palpable sense of unity and hope in the crowd — especially knowing the vice president was speaking next.
Thanks to her stellar supporting cast, Harris’ visit to Madison was the perfect combination of a traditional rally and an exciting concert. It’s true that we’re voting for a candidate, not the artists who support them — but if the latter were true, Harris might just have it in the bag.