Springsteen Live: 'The Boss' Says Vote, Vote, Vote, in Rally for Obama at ISU

Bruce Springsteen mellowly rocked a crowd of thousands at the Hilton Coliseum Thursday in support of President Barack Obama's #CampusTakeover Tour.

He opened with “No Retreat No Surrender” before stopping to talk some politics to the crowd.

“For 30 years I have been writing about the distance between the American Dream and the American reality, and gauging that distance in my music and in my songs has driven me for much of my life,” Springsteen said, adding that he was a blue-collar kid from Jersey who watched as his parents struggled.

He said people could close that distance by voting.

“I'm deeply concerned about women's rights and women's health issues,” he said. “I'm concerned about the continued disparity in wealth between the best- off citizens and average citizens.”

See photos and a video.

Most of the audience members were Obama supporters and longtime fans of Springsteen, and they came from as far as Canada to see "The Boss" and to volunteer for the campaign.

Tracey Halvorson, drove three hours from Omaha to support both men. She didn't expect Springsteen to sway anyone's vote but said it might encourage the otherwise apathetic or cynical person to cast a ballot.

“There's nothing cynical about Bruce's message,” Halvorson said. “We are all in this together. We are all working for the same thing and we are all working for good,” she said.

Springsteen played an acoustic guitar and a harmonica and was sometimes accompanied on a chorus by the crowd. Songs included "No Retreat No Surrender," "Promised Land," "Thunder Road" and a song Springsteen made up for the campaign called "Forward." He said writing the latter was difficult because not many words rhymed with Obama.

Springsteen's performance was part of the #CampusTakeover Week tour, which included a visit from actor Justin Long. Long visited Iowa State University campus Tuesday. And President Barack Obama visited Cornell College in Mount Vernon on Wednesday. The visits were aimed at driving people to vote early. In Ames, people can vote early from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Parks Library and Kildee Hall on Friday and at the East Hy-Vee from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday.

Sue Dvorsky, Iowa Democratic Party Chair, reminded people that despite what they've been told their single vote matters.

“One voice can change a room, one room can change a town,” she said. “One town can change a state, one state can change a country. You're in the state that changed the country.”

Whether that voice will be the voice of the Boss remains to be seen. Romney has held on to his bump in the polls since the first debate and the latest polls reported in the Boston Herald Thursday show that President Obama is behind Romney by at least one full point or more after the second debate.

A Rasmussen poll conducted Monday through Wednesday, shows Romney holding a 2-point lead, 49 percent to Obama’s 47 percent. Gallup’s daily polling of registered voters for Oct. 17 has Romney holding a lead at 48 percent with Obama at 47 percent; Gallup’s 7-day average of likely voters has Romney up 1 point at 52 percent and Obama at 45 percent.

Dale Todd, of Cedar Rapids, who already voted for Obama and saw Springsteen for the 61^st time Thursday, said he doesn't pay attention to the polls but said he feels that Romney peaked too early.

Whoever peaks the weekend before the election will win, he said.

“People sense the momentum and they want to be on the side that's right,” Todd said.

This show energized the base and the volunteers who will go out this weekend and early next week and bring people to the polls, he said.

In an open letter Springsteen said on the eve of the performance that he supports Obama because “Right now, we need a President who has a vision that includes all of our citizens, not just some, whether they are our devastated poor, our pressured middle class, and yes, the wealthy too; whether they are male or female, black, white, brown, or yellow, straight or gay, civilian or military.”

The ISU Jazz Combo, Dvorsky and ISU Student Kaylee Weber addressed and entertained the waiting crowd before Springsteen took the stage. Springsteen arrived late but no one seemed to mind.

Wayne Anderson, of Plymouth, drove 90 miles to see Springsteen and brought his brother from Canada. He said that they both planned to volunteer for the campaign.

“I'm here to learn more, offer my support, to volunteer and also to see Bruce,” Anderson said.