PHILADELPHIA — With eight days until the 2024 election, thousands of Pennsylvania Democrats gathered at Temple University’s Liacouras Center in response to the an ugly, grievance-filled rage-fest hosted by the Trump campaign at Madison Square Garden in New York the evening before.

The Democrats’ event included performances from Bruce Springsteen And Jean Legend between speeches by Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker, Pennsylvania Senator Bob Casey and former President Barack Obama.

Amid signs handed out by the Harris campaign – emblazoned with the words “Vote,” “Freedom” and “When We Fight, We Win” – the crowd was dotted with Puerto Rican flags, an apparent response to comedian Tony Hinchcliffe, who called the American territory of “garbage island” during his widely condemned warm-up at Sunday’s Trump rally.

“These are fellow citizens he is talking about. Here in Philadelphia, they are your neighbors. They are your friends. They are your colleagues. Their kids go to school with your kids,” Obama said during his own remarks. “They are Americans. They are people. This is why this election should not be close. This should be clear.

There are about 620,000 Puerto Ricans in the critical battleground state of Pennsylvania, up from about 200,000 in 2000.

Casey — the Democratic senator currently engaged in a bitter re-election fight against a Trump-backed billionaire living in Connecticut — introduced the biggest musical performance of the evening by telling the crowd that Springsteen’s songs “are like a hymn or as a prayer for our country.”

Springsteen did the Philly faithful a favor with a three-song acoustic set, performed solo. He sang songs that speak to the struggle many Americans are experiencing, acknowledging their anxiety and fear about the future, and looking forward to better days ahead.

He opened with his 1978 fan favorite, “The Promised Land,” with its ominous lyrics about “a dark cloud rising” building on the defiant chorus: “I believe in the Promised Land.”

Between songs, Springsteen gave energetic support to the vice president Kamala Harris and Minnesota Governor Tim Walz – and an equally forceful denunciation of their rivals, Donald Trump and JD Vance.

“Now I understand that people have different opinions on things, but this election is about a group of people who fundamentally want to undermine our American way of life,” Springsteen told the crowd in Philadelphia. “Donald Trump does not understand this country, its history, or what it means to be deeply American.”

“On November 5, I will vote for Kamala Harris and Tim Walz – and I urge all of you who believe in the American dream to join me,” he added, before launching into “Terre d’ hope and dreams” – a song about a train big enough to accommodate saints, sinners, losers, winners, whores, gamblers, lost souls, broken-hearted thieves, fools and kings.

He closed his set with his 1984 hit “Dancing in the Dark,” shouting out Legend, whose blanket he called it “the most beautiful version of this song I’ve ever heard.”

During his own set, Legend played Sam Cooke’s “A Change is Gonna Come” and “Glory,” the Oscar-winning track he wrote with Common for the civil rights drama. Selma.

Springsteen’s campaign parades have become a tradition in Philadelphia. In October 2008, he rallied 50,000 people for Barack Obama at Benjamin Franklin Parkway, and the night before Election Day 2016, he sang “Thunder Road,” “Long Walk Home” and “Dancing in the Dark” at the ‘Independence Hall to support Hillary. Clinton. (On this show – before Trump filled three seats on the US Supreme Court and the new conservative majority overturned federal abortion rights – Springsteen called on voters to choose an administration “where the unfinished business of protecting women’s rights is not an afterthought, but a priority.” “)

This year, Springsteen is playing a series of swing state shows on behalf of the Harris campaign. The mini-tour kicked off last week in Clarkston, Georgia, and is expected to include stops in Michigan, Wisconsin, Arizona, North Carolina and Nevada, although later dates have not yet been announced. confirmed.