Bruce Springsteen and Billy Joel paired up for an All-Star benefit at the Hammerstein Ballroom in New York City to support Barack Obama. In addition to an appearance from the candidate himself - who told the crowd to ignore the high poll numbers, reminding them, "Don’t underestimate the power of Democrats to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory" - Billy & The Boss teamed up on each other's songs, trading verses on "Allentown" and "Glory Days" and dedicating "Movin' Out" to Messrs. Bush and Cheney. With all of the high-profile fundraisers for Obama, Garry Trudeau's joke about no musicians offering to perform for John McCain becomes less funny with each passing benefit.

Any humor to be found over Jim James falling off the stage in Iowa City last week has also faded. The injuries have proved serious enough that My Morning Jacket has cancelled their upcoming European tour. "Our hope was to merely postpone the tour but as our scheduling does not allow that to happen in the immediate future, we feel it is best to cancel this tour in hopes of re-scheduling at some point,” the band announced.

Staying on the subject of jokes that may no longer by funny, Axl Rose may be serious about the release of Chinese Democracy. The track listings have been released, possible cover art disclosed and there's been all sorts of confirmation that November 23rd will be the release date at Best Buy and on iTunes. Let's revisit this issue on November 24th.

Labels: Billy Joel, Bruce Springsteen, Guns N' Roses, My Morning Jacket