Heading into the final night of the 2024 Democratic National Convention, rumors swirled about high-profile, unannounced musical guests — which, given that Wednesday’s performers included Stevie Wonder and John Legend, helped create sky-high audience expectations.
The guests who had been announced — namely, The Chicks and Pink — brought plenty of star power of their own. But they weren’t joined by Beyoncé or Taylor Swift, as a broad swath of breathless social-media speculation predicted but could never quite confirm.
Instead, the special, previously unannounced guest was … nobody. The night’s headliner, Vice President Harris, had the spotlight to herself — which may have been the point all along.
Of course, there’s still time for high-profile musical endorsements to make themselves heard in the days and weeks to come. And Thursday night’s festivities were punctuated with musical moments.
The Chicks kicked off Thursday’s prime-time programming with an a cappella rendition of “The Star Spangled Banner,” in which the country superstars — whose complicated history has intersected with politics for decades — performed in melodically ambitious three-part harmony. The performance hit a few rough spots, pitch-wise, but soared during the biggest notes.
Within the hour, Pink took the stage for a rousing, virtually note-perfect rendition of her 2017 protest anthem “What About Us.” Joined by a guitarist and four backing singers, including her 13-year-old daughter Willow Sage Hart, Pink stayed thematically on-message, as the group sang the song’s chorus — “What about us? / What about all the times you said you had the answers?” — in unison.
But as far as live music in prime time was concerned, that was it. Speeches, balloon drops, the full run of Beyoncé’s 2016 hit “Freedom” over the loudspeakers, celebrities in the crowd, misty-eyed family members … the evening had everything a typical political convention promises. If Beyoncé and Taylor Swift are to enter our national conversation in person, they’ve got 74 more days to do it.
Copyright 2024 NPR
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