By james art Watch: Members of The National, Mumford & Sons and more perform at Kamala Harris’ Madison rally
Photo: Josh Goleman
Less than a week after the US presidential election, musicians are showing support for Kamala Harris and Tim Waltz’s candidacy for office by offering songs during a rally stop. The latest happened last night, October 30, at the University of Wisconsin in Madison. The event brought The National’s Matt Berninger and Aaron Dessner, Mumford & Sons, Gracie Abrams and Remi Wolf to the political stage, where they supported their chosen candidates with live performances.
During the nearly three-hour gathering in the Badger State, Harris and Waltz received support from their National bandmates Berniger and Dessner. The pair were acoustic during the three-song performance [watch below, starting at 37:50]creating a song about the money, “Bloodbuzz Ohio,” before using “I Need My Girl” to hint at their support for Harris and need for her presence at the post. Wrapping up after “Fake Empire,” Berniger made sure to leave the audience with a reminder to head to the polls: “Get out and vote. Tell all your friends to vote.
Later in the night, Mumford & Sons dipped into their songbook and threw a trio of fan favorites into the mix: “Little Lion Man,” “Awake My Soul” and “I Will Wait.” Despite his English upbringing, lead singer Marcus Mumford expressed, “We love this place, we love this state.” He continued, “And I know it might not sound like it because I grew up in England, but I was born in America. I was born in California. And last week, it was my great privilege to vote for Vice President Kamala Harris and Governor Tim Waltz for President and Vice President of the United States of America. And I would encourage you to get together with your friends, make a plan to vote, and get out and vote because every vote will count. Watch Mumford & Sons at 1:42 of the video.
In addition to members of The National and Mumford & Sons, the Madison rally also featured performances by Gracie Abrams and Remy Wolff, who separately helped spark interest and support in Harris/Walz, especially among younger voters. Watch the full coverage below.