Sheryl Crow rocks the vote

The performers at the "Get Out and Vote" concert at the Richmond Coliseum on Tuesday night expressed a desire for change and peace in America after the coming election.

Between songs, The Beastie Boys, Sheryl Crow, Jack Johnson, Norah Jones and Santogold all encouraged the people in the audience to take advantage of their right to vote on Election Day.

"I believe that we have the opportunity to change the course of our nation," Crow said.

The tour, which played in cities in swing states, was sponsored by Rock the Vote, a non-partisan organization aimed at encouraging youths involvement in politics.

Santogold, who amplified her electronic sound with metallic-clad back-up dancers, opened the show with her new-age techno hits, such as "The Creator" and "Shuv It."

She said the lyrics of "Shuv It" were especially poignant because they were about speaking up and causing change.

"We got some serious fixing up to do," Santogold said. "It's admirable that we all make sure we take the time to make the right decision."

At this comment, a portion of the crowd at the base of the stage began to cheer for Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama.

Norah Jones performed next and played both guitar and piano as she alternated trademark material, such as "Sunrise" and "Come Away With Me," with renditions of Johnny Cash and Wilco songs. She also played a song, titled "My Dear Country," that she said she had written after the last presidential election with lyrics that read:

"Nothing is as scary as Election Day, but the day after was darker and darker it goes, who knows maybe the plans will change, maybe he's not deranged ..."

Jack Johnson followed Jones with a set of his emblematic, surfer-sound songs such as "Better Together" and "Banana Pancakes."

During instrumental lulls, he replied to the yelps of his swooning female fans: "I love all of you, too. I love the fact you're all going to go out and vote."

Sheryl Crow emerged on the stage in black cowboy boots and a black trench coat and proclaimed her love of America before singing, "God Bless this Mess," a song from her sixth-album, "Detours," that describes a family coping with a son at war and the memory of Sept. 11. She also played several songs with an environmental message, such as "Shine over Babylon" and "Gasoline is Free."

"I have a baby boy," Crow said, "and I sure hope he inherits a beautiful planet."

She infused her hits, such as "A Change Would Do You Good," with political connotations, prefacing them by asking the audience if they were ready for a big change.

The spotlights scanned over the sea of swaying arms and clapping hands as Crow sang "Out of Our Heads," which she said was inspired by a speech she had heard given by the Dalai Lama.

"I have to believe that peace starts from within and works its way out," she said. "I have to believe that war never solved a damn thing."

Crow was joined on stage by Johnson, Jones and Santogold for a experimental rendition of Stevie Wonder's "Higher Ground" as a kind of pre-finale to The Beastie Boys' headlining performance.

Although the stadium was only brimming at the lower-level, the audience sounded as if it had doubled when The Beastie Boys walked on stage. Some people decided to move upstairs to the vacant balconies and enjoy the performance with more space to dance. The retro-punk sound of the iconic-trio reverberated through the stadium as the group bounced around the stage in rotating pyramid formation.

They sang songs from all eras of their career, from their 1987 anthem, "Posse in Effect," to songs from their late-'90s, grammy award-winning release, "Hello Nasty," such as "Body Movin'" and "Intergalactic."

Group member Adam Horovitz told the audience that he had recently submitted his absentee ballot and voted for Obama.

"In the last election, one-third of registered voters didn't vote," Horovitz said. "It came down to one swing state and a couple thousand votes. We just wasted eight years on insanity."

Between the artists' performances, a large screen above the stage played Rock the Vote commercials and footage from its rallies across the country. Students expressed their reasons for getting involved with the movement and celebrities such as Anne Hathaway and Adrian Grenier endorsed the organization's mission.

"I am feeling optimistic," Crow said. "I've never seen people so invested in the future of our country."

Contact staff writer Emily Viviani at emily.viviani@richmond.edu