Bruce Springsteen gave about 5,000 fans a treat at a free concert Tuesday in Virginia that doubled as rally for President Obama’s re-election. During the event in Charlottesville, the Boss performed a jokey “campaign” song on behalf of the Democratic incumbent, during which he also impersonated the commander-in-chief.
He joked that the song came about through several late-night calls from Obama. It’s unclear if the song, which seemed semi-improved, was being made up on the spot.
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Among the lyrics: “First debate really freaked me out, then Romney got schooled twice by Obama / Smilin’ Joe Biden brought the drama / Fox News must be smokin’ marijuana.”
According to Charlottesville’s NBC affiliate WWBT, not everyone in the crowd was an Obama supporter, but the majority was. The entire event lasted about an hour, with Springsteen singing for only half that time.
The singer was scheduled to take the stage along with local politicians and volunteers at 2 p.m. at the nTelos Wireless Pavilion. Tickets were given out Sunday on a first-come, first-serve basis.
Springsteen has previously appeared at Obama rallies in Parma, Ohio, with Bill Clinton and in Ames, Iowa. He also campaigned extensively for Obama in 2008, but these were his first appearances for the president on the 2012 campaign trail.
In 2009, he opened the Obama inaugural concert in Washington with his song “The Rising” and performed Woody Guthrie’s “This Land Is Your Land” with Pete Seeger.