Whether you clocked in or not as a volunteer with the Obama campaign over the past few days, turns out The Boss will see you after all.
Despite early confusion over the hastily arranged campaign event, scheduled for this afternoon on the Parkway, officials said yesterday that Bruce Springsteen's get-out-the-vote concert would be open to any and all.
City officials said they were preparing for a stadium-size crowd or larger as the concert expanded yesterday to include three musical acts.
To start things today, officials at Sen. Barack Obama's Center City campaign office planned to hold a 10 a.m. raffle to determine which lucky volunteer wins the honor of meeting and introducing Springsteen on stage around 5 p.m.
The winner was to be selected from a pool of names of die-hard devotees who, as of last night's 10 o'clock deadline, had put in four hours of voter volunteerism for the Democratic presidential candidate.
The campaign, which announced the concert only a few days ago to boost Democratic voter registration in the battleground Keystone State, had set aside this and other perks as an incentive to draw foot soldiers to its cause.
"I just came from the Center City office," Obama spokesman Zach Friend said yesterday afternoon, "and they told me that since this began, they signed up more than 1,000 volunteers just at that office."
It was to be a logistical challenge, given a rowing event on the Schuylkill and a diabetes fund-raiser, both in the morning, Atwood said. The fact that Springsteen is one of the nation's most beloved rockers, with dedicated fans who follow him to shows across the globe, was expected to add to the challenge.
The city was contacted by the Obama campaign about a week and a half ago. The campaign had taken out all necessary permits and signed a contract with the Law Department pledging to reimburse the city for costs it will incur.
"It surprisingly has been kind of a turnkey operation, considering we did everything in such a short period of time," she said.
Gates were scheduled to open at 2 p.m. for the 3:30 show. Organizers said the event would include get-out-the-vote speeches by field organizers interspersed among the performances by Whitaker and Lee.
The concert is to culminate with an open-ended acoustic set by Springsteen. The Jersey rocker had not committed to a set number of songs, said Friend of the Obama campaign.
"It's up to him," Friend said.
Premium access to the stage - it will be at 20th and the Parkway - will be granted to people who got tickets by either volunteering for Obama or pledging to volunteer between now and Election Day, Friend said.
All other would-be concertgoers will be welcome to wrangle for spots farther away on a first-come, first-served basis.
"If you just show up, you'll still be allowed in to see the concert," Friend said. "It's free to the public."
Obama, who campaigned in Abington yesterday, will not appear at the Springsteen show, officials said. The senator was to return to Chicago last night to celebrate his wedding anniversary, Friend said.
City officials opted against setting up the stage on its usual perch for Parkway concerts - the Art Museum steps - because of the nearby boat race. As a result, the stage will be rotated 180 degrees, with City Hall as a backdrop - an unusual perspective for a show of this magnitude, one that is expected to be broadcast in snippets globally.
City officials suggested holding the concert in the heart of the historic district, with Independence Hall as the backdrop, Atwood said. But the Obama campaign insisted on the Parkway.
"They love the look," Atwood said. "That's really what they had their heart set on."
http://www.philly.com/philly/hp/news_update/20081004_The_Boss_will_turn_none_away_today.html
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