Pitchfork

Yesterday, we noted that Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band would take to a hastily-constructed stage at Tampa, Florida's Raymond James Stadium to rock the hell out of the Super Bowl XLIII Halftime Show on February 1, 2009. But while the opponents in that clash of large, sweaty men is being determined throughout the fall and winter, another, more urgent contest has taken precedence in the mind of Mr. Springsteen: the Presidential election. Bruce, as you might recall, enthusiastically counts himself among the loyal supporters of the Democratic Presidential candidate, Senator Barack Obama, and he's putting his music where his mouth is by performing at an Obama rally in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania this Saturday (October 4).

Springsteen will perform an unplugged set on Ben Franklin Parkway between 20th and 22nd Streets in an effort to get Democrats good and registered before the hotly contested swing state's Monday registration deadline. The show is free, but tens of thousands are expected to show up-- it's a free Bruce show a hop, skip, and a jump away from Jersey, after all-- and the Obama folks encourage interested concertgoers to sign up to volunteer at various Eastern Pennsylvania Obama headquarters in order to get access to "the best viewing area."

Me, I'd encourage you to show up early, 'cuz traffic on the Parkway is always a problem, and I hear some dude's gonna be blocking it.

General admission tickets can be secured right here.

If you're not gonna be in Philly this weekend, you can always catch an earful in support of Senator Obama's campaign at upcoming events in Pittsburgh, Brooklyn, Chicago, or Cincinnati.

UPDATE: Springsteen will also play the Obama benefit "Change Rocks" at New York City's Hammerstein Ballroom on October 16. It will also feature performances from Billy Joel and "exciting guests", but who could be exciting-er than Billy Joel?! (Via Billboard.com.)