Harris rallies with Obama, Tyler Perry and Bruce Springsteen in Clarkston

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Tyler Perry speaks during a campaign rally supporting Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris on Thursday, Oct. 24, 2024, in Clarkston, Ga.

Credit: AP Photo/Mike Stewart

A star-studded lineup including Tyler Perry and Bruce Springsteen primed the audience ahead of appearances by Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Barack Obama on Thursday evening at James Hallford Stadium in Clarkston, Ga.

The event, with an estimated crowd of more than 20,000 people, was touted by the Harris campaign as its largest to date, and exceeded the 15,000 population of Clarkston, located 18 miles northeast of downtown Atlanta.

In the late afternoon sun, enthusiastic attendees of all ages danced to DJ sets by Mix Master David as both sides of the venue gradually filled to the top. The playlist was heavy on Motown classics and R&B, acknowledging the music that defined the American civil rights movement of the 1960s and also included a variety of hits from artists such as Brooks & Dunn, Taylor Swift and John Legend.

Actor Samuel L. Jackson and filmmaker Spike Lee, a Morehouse College alum, kicked off the rally with their support for Harris. Jackson joked about a favorite curse word he shares with the vice president, while Lee said, "Twelve days left. Georgia, it ain't over yet, and we haven't got a second to lose."

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U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff spoke at the rally for Vice President Kamala Harris in Clarkston, Ga. on Oct. 24, 2024.

Credit: GPB

After DeKalb County CEO Michael Thurmond welcomed the crowd again and U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff invoked the name of John Lewis when reminding everyone to vote, Georgia State University student and first-time voter Chastity Singleton spoke about what a Harris presidency would mean for young women before rock icon Bruce Springsteen took the stage as the crowd yelled, “Bruuuuuuuce!”

With an acoustic guitar and harmonica, Springsteen endorsed Harris and running mate Tim Walz (who did not attend the rally), saying, “I want a president who reveres the Constitution … and believes in the rule of law."

He then delivered three heartfelt songs from his six-decade career — each with intricate lyrics about overcoming struggles — including 1978’s “The Promised Land,” and 1984’s “Dancing in the Dark.” Attendees chanted “USA! USA!” between songs, and 1999’s “Land of Hope and Dreams” struck a relevant chord as The Boss sang, “Big wheels roll through fields where sunlight streams / Meet me in a land of hope and dreams.”

Sen. Raphael Warnock was next up, saying in his preacher's voice, "Let's do the hard moral work that we will have to do even after Nov. 5, to redeem the soul of our nation."

Then Tyler Perry, the Atlanta-based filmmaker and entrepreneur, whipped the crowd into a further frenzy with his passionate delivery and relatable tales of economic woes early in his career. He remembered trying to stretch a $20 bill for groceries at a Winn-Dixie on Buford Highway and hid under his grandmother's blanket when a landlord knocked for rent.

"You want to hear something about an American dream?" he asked. "Fort McPherson. What was once a Confederate Army base, where there were Confederate soldiers trying to plot and plan on how to keep 3.9 million Negroes enslaved — now that land is owned by me."

Perry introduced Obama, who walked on stage to his signature theme, U2’s “City of Blinding Lights”, and slammed former President Donald Trump’s record on health care, the COVID-19 pandemic and economy.

He praised Harris's emphasis on rebuilding the middle class, saying, “If elected, Kamala Harris is not going to be focused on her ego, her money. She’s going to be focused on you.”​
 

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Vice President Kamala Harris speaks during her rally in Clarkston, Ga. on Oct. 24, 2024.

Credit: GPB

Obama then brought Harris to the stage to electric applause. She discussed health care, insulin prices and reproductive rights and landed a policy zinger against Trump about her “to-do list,” which debuted on her social media accounts during the Clarkston rally and contained items ranging from cutting taxes to legalizing recreational marijuana.

She also praised Georgia’s young leaders and encouraged the crowd to vote: “Democracy is not a state. It is an act. And Georgia, now it is our time to act.”

Harris exited to Beyoncé’s “Freedom.” The vice president was set to rally with the singer in Houston, Texas, on Friday.

Former President Donald Trump held a rally in Gwinnett County on Tuesday, and his vice presidential running mate, Sen. JD Vance, is expected to make a stop in Atlanta over the weekend .