On Wednesday, October 3, legendary supergroup Crosby, Stills and Nash (CSN) and activist/musician Tom Morello (Rage Against The Machine, The Nightwatchman) performed a special concert at Nokia Theatre L.A. LIVE in Los Angeles for thousands of members of organized labor.
The show was a benefit to help defeat Proposition 32 on the State of California’s November election ballot. CSN and Morello hoped to increase awareness of the deceptive measure designed to mislead voters and increase corporations’ power by gutting important campaign transparency laws.
The event started with a reception from 5:00 to 6:30 p.m., and music began at 7 p.m. Tom Morello: The Nightwatchman opened the night and got the crowd revved up with a passionate acoustic set that included a moving cover of Bruce Springsteen’s “The Ghost of Tom Joad” and a rendition of the uncensored version of Woody Guthrie’s “This Land is Your Land,” where Stephen Stills, David Crosby and Graham Nash joined him onstage to sing along. He also pulled his mother on stage to help sing along with them for that final song of his set.
Morello’s performance was followed by a brief anti-Prop 32 video, and then inspiring speeches by guest speakers, including acclaimed actor/producer/director Edward James Olmos, that advocated for Proposition 32’s defeat. The evening closed with a set from CSN that included classics such as “Wooden Ships,” “Southern Cross” and “Our House.” David Crosby dedicated their performance of “Guinnevere” to his wife, and Graham Nash spoke about the importance of supporting schools when he introduced the last song of the evening: “Teach Your Children.”
Thousands of middle-class workers including nurses, firefighters, teachers, 911 operators and members of the League of Women Voters oppose Proposition 32. It promises to get money out of politics, but it actually floods California with money from out-of-state corporations, CEOs and Wall Street tycoons. The real purpose is to gut campaign finance rules to create an uneven playing field that benefits a few big money interests. It does this by allowing unlimited undisclosed corporate campaign spending while prohibiting labor unions from participating in the political process entirely.
For additional information on the No on Proposition 32 campaign, click here.
Source: PR Newswire
