Now that Joe Biden has officially named Kamala Harris as his VP pick, the party is gearing up to make the presidential ticket official at the Democratic National Convention next week with a long list of big-name musical acts, though very little of it will be happening in the ostensible host city of Milwaukee.
According to officials, the four-day event will feature performances by Leon Bridges, The Chicks, Common, Billie Eilish, Jennifer Hudson, John Legend, Billy Porter, Maggie Rogers, Prince Royce, Stephen Stills and more. This will be both Legend and Hudson’s second time performing at the Convention, their first being in 2008 when Barack Obama was nominated. Monday night will also feature a performance of “The Star-Spangled Banner” by a 57-member choir composed of young people representing each of the 57 states and territories.
The four-day event was postponed from its original mid-July date due to the coronavirus pandemic, but will still take place, at least in part, in the original location of Milwaukee. The event will be largely virtual, however, with appearances from politicians, activists, and celebrities such as Michelle Obama, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Senator Bernie Sanders, Senator Elizabeth Warren, Michael Bloomberg, and Bill and Hillary Clinton.
In a statement, the DNC’s program executive Stephanie Cutter said, “In just three days, we will kick off a Democratic Convention that will look and feel very different than past conventions. It will truly be a convention across America, and these incredible artists will help us tell the story of where we are as a country today under Donald Trump’s failed leadership and the promise of what we can and should be with Joe Biden as president. These artists are committed to engaging with, registering and mobilizing voters to get us over the finish line in November.”
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