Singer/rapper Kid Rock performs at a campaign rally for US Republican Presidential candidate Mitt Romney November 5, 2012 at the Verizon Wireless Arena in Manchester, New Hampshire. — AFP Photo

MANCHESTER: He may not be The Boss, but The Kid lent his high-octane rock & roll late Monday to the final rally of Mitt Romney's 18-month campaign, on the eve of the US presidential election.

Kid Rock performs at a campaign rally for US Republican Presidential candidate Mitt Romney. — AFP Photo

Kid Rock was the star attraction at an arena in New Hampshire, the state where the Republican nominee's presidential bid began 18 months ago, and several thousand supporters gave him and the Romneys a rousing welcome.

Romney and President Barack Obama are locked in a neck and neck election that will come down to a handful of swing states, and as the candidates brought their months of raucous campaign rallies to a conclusion, they roped in major musical acts to drive home their message.

For the president, it was legendary rocker Bruce Springsteen - nicknamed “The Boss” - and hip-hop king Jay-Z, who raised eyebrows by changing the lyrics of one of his songs to: “I got 99 problems but Mitt ain't one.”

Springsteen offered some political nuggets on stage in Wisconsin and later in Ohio, including describing how he has been writing music for 30 years “about the distance between the American dream and American reality.”

"Our vote tomorrow is the one undeniable way we get to determine the distance in that equation,” said Springsteen, who played a short set in Madison, Wisconsin with songs like “No Surrender” and “Promised Land.”

US Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney gestures as he thanks musician Kid Rock, who performed at his final campaign rally, in Manchester, New Hampshire November 6, 2012. — Reuters Photo

Unlike Springsteen, Grammy nominee Kid Rock opted not to “talk politics,”saying he preferred to “leave that to the professionals.”

The music - including “Born Free,” the rousing anthem that became a staple on the Romney campaign - transitioned to politics, with Kid Rock introducing Romney and his wife Ann, who took the stage to a deafening roar.

For more special coverage on the US Elections including exclusive blogs, features, comments, analysis and multimedia from correspondents around the world, go to: US Elections 2012 In-depth

Opinion

Editorial

IMF’s unease
Updated 24 May, 2024

IMF’s unease

It is clear that the next phase of economic stabilisation will be very tough for most of the population.
Belated recognition
24 May, 2024

Belated recognition

WITH Wednesday’s announcement by three European states that they intend to recognise Palestine as a state later...
App for GBV survivors
24 May, 2024

App for GBV survivors

GENDER-based violence is caught between two worlds: one sees it as a crime, the other as ‘convention’. The ...
Energy inflation
Updated 23 May, 2024

Energy inflation

The widening gap between the haves and have-nots is already tearing apart Pakistan’s social fabric.
Culture of violence
23 May, 2024

Culture of violence

WHILE political differences are part of the democratic process, there can be no justification for such disagreements...
Flooding threats
23 May, 2024

Flooding threats

WITH temperatures in GB and KP forecasted to be four to six degrees higher than normal this week, the threat of...