Journey booked to play private show closing night of RNC

[Magwheels]

Elton John played Rush Limbaugh's wedding and they couldn't be on further sides of the political fence.

According to EJ, they have actually become friends and he actually believes most of Limbaugh's antics are truly "for entertainment purposes only."

It all started when EJ visited Rush in the hospital. Neither Rush or EJ are running for....anything. Last I heard.

[slucero]

$250K is a lot of alimony

[Jeremey]

I think if they had responded to the ""Don't you think letting her use it would make people think we were supporting her campaign?" with- "Who cares?- we DO support her campaign!" or something similar..it'd be a bit different. It's actually like they would have been embarrassed if people had thought that.

I don't know why anyone would be surprised if the band members, or most of them..are actually right-leaning. You for sure can't blame them for not being fans of the current administration.

It was actually asked in context of "what if people think we are taking sides one way or another politically?" and the brush off was more along the lines of, "hey it's an iconic song from the scene of The Sopranos, I don't think anyone will read into it."

I have honestly never seen anything from any member of the band that indicated a right or left leaning political philosophy. I honestly think if they were called to play for a democratic convention they would have performed there as well.

[Don]

It's being done for the Vets so I think political leanings aren't much of a factor in this case.

[Magwheels]

I think if they had responded to the ""Don't you think letting her use it would make people think we were supporting her campaign?" with- "Who cares?- we DO support her campaign!" or something similar..it'd be a bit different. It's actually like they would have been embarrassed if people had thought that.

I don't know why anyone would be surprised if the band members, or most of them..are actually right-leaning. You for sure can't blame them for not being fans of the current administration.

It was actually asked in context of "what if people think we are taking sides one way or another politically?" and the brush off was more along the lines of, "hey it's an iconic song from the scene of The Sopranos, I don't think anyone will read into it."

I have honestly never seen anything from any member of the band that indicated a right or left leaning political philosophy. I honestly think if they were called to play for a democratic convention they would have performed there as well.

Well you keep changing the quotes...but it doesn't change my point- they obviously didn't want people thinking they supported Hillary.

I guess we'll see if they'll be playing for the DNC then

[Magwheels]

It's being done for the Vets so I think political leanings aren't much of a factor in this case.

Patrons get the chance to mingle with A-list celebrities and politicians, and the charity raises money for its arts advocacy work, mentoring and education programs, and public service announcement campaigns.

And they do go on to say:

The coalition also has offered six-figure sponsorship deals to anyone willing to underwrite the VIP party or other events such as roundtable breakfasts or cocktail receptions. The cost to sponsor the VIP party: $175,000 — or $300,000 to do parties at both the RNC and Democratic National Convention.

So far, however, no takers.

http://www.tampabay.com/news/politics/rnc-music-scene-will-be-lively-but-exclusive/1244353

[Don]

It's being done for the Vets so I think political leanings aren't much of a factor in this case.

Patrons get the chance to mingle with A-list celebrities and politicians, and the charity raises money for its arts advocacy work, mentoring and education programs, and public service announcement campaigns.

And they do go on to say:

The coalition also has offered six-figure sponsorship deals to anyone willing to underwrite the VIP party or other events such as roundtable breakfasts or cocktail receptions. The cost to sponsor the VIP party: $175,000 — or $300,000 to do parties at both the RNC and Democratic National Convention.

So far, however, no takers.

http://www.tampabay.com/news/politics/rnc-music-scene-will-be-lively-but-exclusive/1244353

I'm pretty sure the bands are there because of this.

Citizens Helping Heroes, Inc.

Citizens Helping Heroes is a non-political, non-profit 501(c)(3) organization based in Washington, DC and dedicated to supporting those who selflessly defend our collective freedoms, primarily through their military service to our country.

"CHH" as it is known, was formed in 2003 by a group of citizens who wished to offer recognition and assistance to our troops serving abroad, and has since expanded in scope to honor and assist all of our active military and their immediate relatives, with a special focus on our wounded warriors and families of the fallen.

Our core mission is to utilize our unique position in the Washington, DC-metro area to provide both regional and national assistance, recognition and "hands-on" support to our troops and to their families.

[Magwheels]

But they could do that at any time- a charity concert/event like that. Whichever one(s) it is(/they are)

[Don]

But they could do that at any time- a charity concert/event like that.

They could if they wanted to make a political statement stating why they chose not to support the troops but Journey has never been that way so why start now.

A good chance, the band's management set this up, it's not Neal of Jon sniffing around for private gigs. Azoff would probably tell them to get their asses out there anyway as he's not going to deal with bad PR about why the band turned down a show centered on the military, regardless of political affiliations.

[Magwheels]

I don't think anyone would have heard anything about it if they ended up not going along with it. And again- they could do such a concert or event at any time- for the troops..for the vets.

I'm just loving it that they're doing it for the RNC, even if the $ goes to charity..that they have no problem doing so.

[brandonx76]

I don't think anyone would have heard anything about it if they ended up not going along with it. And again- they could do such a concert or event at any time- for the troops..for the vets.

I'm just loving it that they're doing it for the RNC, even if the $ goes to charity..that they have no problem doing so.

kind of agree...at a certain point you're musicians / entertainers...as long as it's not a bunch of white supremecists or other unnecessary pride groups...shut up and play yer guitar ...

[Ehwmatt]

While I'm sure that's how it went(although with Michaele being in the mix..)...and usually goes...they wouldn't be doing so if they were anti-Romney. And maybe..just maybe...they're sticking up for the Gibson dude. Maybe that's how it went- he/Gibson contacted Journey and it went from there.

Same with what Majestic said(and I'm sure Neal and the gang and Willie would say what you said there, if asked). It'd be nice if they all played for both sides..but you're not going to see Kid Rock or Ted Nugent playing for the DNC...or if they did, it'd be considered switching sides. Same for Bon Jovi or _________ on the other side.

Well, the difference being that Kid Rock and Ted Nugent are pretty outspoken in their political beliefs. Same with Bon Jovi or Bruce Springsteen or John Mellencamp, etc etc. Those are guys that don't have any question about their politics carrying over into their music. Journey isn't like that at all. I have no idea what the band individually or as a whole stand for politically. I can't see Neal getting bent out of shape about Gibson being fined by this administration and deciding to "show them" by playing for the RNC convention. Reality is, who knows...I can only offer what little first hand experience I have from witnessing the band in action. Which was, when Hillary Clinton used DSB in her campaign ad in 2007 as a spoof on the Sopranos finale, I was in the room when the band and Irving Azoff were discussing it. The conversation went something like, "what about this Hillary Clinton ad?" "Cool, I haven't seen it, what is it about?" "It's a spoof on the Sopranos ending." "Hey that's pretty neat!" One guy in the band said "Don't you think letting her use it would make people think we were supporting her campaign?" and that was answered with a general, "naw, that wouldn't happen..." I realize that's not indicative whatsoever of the band's political beliefs or agenda, but also a good case for not reading too much into the gig for the RNC convention. But who knows.

I don't picture these guys as overly political one way or the other. But I wouldn't be surprised if Cain at least leans right. The fact that they've never really taken a stance or made any comments one way or the other is telling. The conservatives I know tend to be pragmatic. They realize that assaulting people with your beliefs is generally not good for your business. For example, business owners (all conservatives) I know don't touch their politics with anyone but their closest friends or family. It's pragmatism: they realize that both customers and employees, as well as their stakeholders, might take offense to their being boisterous about their beliefs. Liberals are louder, boisterous, and not so concerned with alienating potential friends, business partners, etc. Hell, my own Facebook feed is evidence of this: For the last several months, I've seen all kinds of people making derogatory statuses about conservatives, Romney etc and the like, whereas I have seen only 1 or 2 statuses deriding Obama or liberals (and on the whole, I'm sure a lot more of my friends list is conservative, too).

This whole loudmouth liberal/quiet conservative dichotomy tends to hold true with celebrities, too (at least in my eyes). There are exceptions (e.g., The Nuge), but liberal celebrities tend to be way more boisterous about their beliefs (be it participating in some loony public demonstration, making political endorsements, making remarks at a concert, or making interview remarks). Even the ones that lean right (e.g., Clint Eastwood) don't go to crazy public demonstrations or completely rub their beliefs in your face (indeed, some people interpreted his Halftime in America commercial for GM to be pro-Obama). And yes, I know Eastwood recently publicly endorsed Romney. It's not the act, it's the manner of doing the act.

So I think Cain leans right. He never talks about it (that I'm aware of). Plus, a lot of the songs that bear his heavy influence tend to revolve around more "traditional" (i.e., conservative) views of Americana, including Every Generation, Out of Harm's Way, Faith in the Heartland, and many songs that tend to revolve around traditional family units. I don't want to get into a political pissing match about which beliefs can be attributed to which ideology, but I interpret those songs to deliver solidly conservative commentaries on the subjects they address. And finally, he moved to Nashville from Cali. I know, Nashville is music city. But it's also quite conservative considering its colorful culture. And there's no dearth of musical talent in Cali, either. I doubt you'd ever catch Bruce Springsteen or Graham Nash setting up shop in Nashville.

In sum, I think Cain is quietly conservative, and he's calculated that there is no appreciable benefit to going crazy putting his views out there.

[Jeremey]

Well I guess I will admit to jumping the gun because I didn't read the actual article. I just assumed that Journey was hired to perform for the actual Republican convention, and my point was that this didn't necessarily mean that Journey were Republicans or endorsing the Republican candidate for president. Now that I've read the article and can see that it's a private event put together by a non partisan charity for veterans, I wonder how anyone ever could try painting that as a political endorsement for any candidate or party. Hell, Willie Nelson is playing and the only thing he cares about is the legalization of pot.

It's not a political event, folks, it just happens to be put on during the convention to raise a lot of money for a charity.

Frankly I have no interest or desire to know what political leanings entertainers have. Magwheels, just from reading your posts it seems like you really, really hope that Journey are conservative or endorse the republican candidate for prez. I'm not trying to be critical of that, but if so, why is that important to you? I'm asking a serious question because I'm interested, not because I'm looking for debate one way or another.

[Jeremey]

I don't picture these guys as overly political one way or the other. But I wouldn't be surprised if Cain at least leans right. The fact that they've never really taken a stance or made any comments one way or the other is telling. The conservatives I know tend to be pragmatic. They realize that assaulting people with your beliefs is generally not good for your business. For example, business owners (all conservatives) I know don't touch their politics with anyone but their closest friends or family. It's pragmatism: they realize that both customers and employees, as well as their stakeholders, might take offense to their being boisterous about their beliefs. Liberals are louder, boisterous, and not so concerned with alienating potential friends, business partners, etc. Hell, my own Facebook feed is evidence of this: For the last several months, I've seen all kinds of people making derogatory statuses about conservatives, Romney etc and the like, whereas I have seen only 1 or 2 statuses deriding Obama or liberals (and on the whole, I'm sure a lot more of my friends list is conservative, too).

This whole loudmouth liberal/quiet conservative dichotomy tends to hold true with celebrities, too (at least in my eyes). There are exceptions (e.g., The Nuge), but liberal celebrities tend to be way more boisterous about their beliefs (be it participating in some loony public demonstration, making political endorsements, making remarks at a concert, or making interview remarks). Even the ones that lean right (e.g., Clint Eastwood) don't go to crazy public demonstrations or completely rub their beliefs in your face (indeed, some people interpreted his Halftime in America commercial for GM to be pro-Obama). And yes, I know Eastwood recently publicly endorsed Romney. It's not the act, it's the manner of doing the act.

So I think Cain leans right. He never talks about it (that I'm aware of). Plus, a lot of the songs that bear his heavy influence tend to revolve around more "traditional" (i.e., conservative) views of Americana, including Every Generation, Out of Harm's Way, Faith in the Heartland, and many songs that tend to revolve around traditional family units. I don't want to get into a political pissing match about which beliefs can be attributed to which ideology, but I interpret those songs to deliver solidly conservative commentaries on the subjects they address. And finally, he moved to Nashville from Cali. I know, Nashville is music city. But it's also quite conservative considering its colorful culture. And there's no dearth of musical talent in Cali, either. I doubt you'd ever catch Bruce Springsteen or Graham Nash setting up shop in Nashville.

In sum, I think Cain is quietly conservative, and he's calculated that there is no appreciable benefit to going crazy putting his views out there.

I can see where you are coming from on this Matt. I think liberal celebrities tend to be more outspoken, and conservative ones tend to be more quiet about their beliefs....But I do think that's more related to Hollywood and the music business generally being a liberal industry, and being around that tends to make conservatives less likely to be outspoken (and generally there's less conservatives in Hollywood so when one does actively promote a conservative agenda or cause, it's more likely to be noticed). I do think that in the general public though, there are just as many activist conservatives as there are activist liberals. I think there's equal outrage on both side of the spectrum, and that's why I think a lot of people just become numb to the noise. Facebook is a perfect example. Of course it depends on the "friends" you have - You are a younger guy and probably skew more liberal with the age group you are in. My personal Facebook page is pretty politics-free because I don't like to have outspoken political loudmouths on either side of the aisle clutter my FB feed. But on the Frontiers facebook page we have nearly 4,000 friends from all manner of the political spectrum, and the Obama bashing food stamp decrying adam and eve not adam and steve contingent is just as vocal if not more so than the release the romney tax returns obamacare touting atheist embracing 99%ers are (in fact, I breezed through all of those right wing stereotypes much easier than the left wing ones because I think if anything I see many MORE right wing political statements in my Facebook feed - Again, it could be that Journey fans are more right wing than liberal).

I don't advertise my own personal political beliefs ANYWHERE because my thoughts are, I'm not special, why should people care what I think, they're my beliefs. And by that same token, I think about musicians or bands that I like or actors or directors or writers and think, I don't care what THEY think, because they're not special, they just play guitar really well or write cool books or act really well. I kind of feel the same way about Journey. I have literally NO idea what they believe politically, and for every point you made about Cain, I could have a counterpoint about him that would point in the opposite direction. So I just don't think about those guys in that way.

[slucero]

I don't think the band cares one way to the other.. after all Journey went "corporate" before corporate was kool

money is money...

[annie89509]

Wasn't there a similar brouhaha centered around JOurney when DSB was played over the loudspeaker at the conclusion of the RNC convention 4 yrs ago, afterwards, SP had his lawyers sent out a letter to the RNC that no one in Journey gave permission for that song to be played and to refrain from further association?

It was also speculated here that SP is a liberal and if it were the Democrats, he wouldn't have minded.

[Ehwmatt]

I don't picture these guys as overly political one way or the other. But I wouldn't be surprised if Cain at least leans right. The fact that they've never really taken a stance or made any comments one way or the other is telling. The conservatives I know tend to be pragmatic. They realize that assaulting people with your beliefs is generally not good for your business. For example, business owners (all conservatives) I know don't touch their politics with anyone but their closest friends or family. It's pragmatism: they realize that both customers and employees, as well as their stakeholders, might take offense to their being boisterous about their beliefs. Liberals are louder, boisterous, and not so concerned with alienating potential friends, business partners, etc. Hell, my own Facebook feed is evidence of this: For the last several months, I've seen all kinds of people making derogatory statuses about conservatives, Romney etc and the like, whereas I have seen only 1 or 2 statuses deriding Obama or liberals (and on the whole, I'm sure a lot more of my friends list is conservative, too).

This whole loudmouth liberal/quiet conservative dichotomy tends to hold true with celebrities, too (at least in my eyes). There are exceptions (e.g., The Nuge), but liberal celebrities tend to be way more boisterous about their beliefs (be it participating in some loony public demonstration, making political endorsements, making remarks at a concert, or making interview remarks). Even the ones that lean right (e.g., Clint Eastwood) don't go to crazy public demonstrations or completely rub their beliefs in your face (indeed, some people interpreted his Halftime in America commercial for GM to be pro-Obama). And yes, I know Eastwood recently publicly endorsed Romney. It's not the act, it's the manner of doing the act.

So I think Cain leans right. He never talks about it (that I'm aware of). Plus, a lot of the songs that bear his heavy influence tend to revolve around more "traditional" (i.e., conservative) views of Americana, including Every Generation, Out of Harm's Way, Faith in the Heartland, and many songs that tend to revolve around traditional family units. I don't want to get into a political pissing match about which beliefs can be attributed to which ideology, but I interpret those songs to deliver solidly conservative commentaries on the subjects they address. And finally, he moved to Nashville from Cali. I know, Nashville is music city. But it's also quite conservative considering its colorful culture. And there's no dearth of musical talent in Cali, either. I doubt you'd ever catch Bruce Springsteen or Graham Nash setting up shop in Nashville.

In sum, I think Cain is quietly conservative, and he's calculated that there is no appreciable benefit to going crazy putting his views out there.

I can see where you are coming from on this Matt. I think liberal celebrities tend to be more outspoken, and conservative ones tend to be more quiet about their beliefs....But I do think that's more related to Hollywood and the music business generally being a liberal industry, and being around that tends to make conservatives less likely to be outspoken (and generally there's less conservatives in Hollywood so when one does actively promote a conservative agenda or cause, it's more likely to be noticed). I do think that in the general public though, there are just as many activist conservatives as there are activist liberals. I think there's equal outrage on both side of the spectrum, and that's why I think a lot of people just become numb to the noise. Facebook is a perfect example. Of course it depends on the "friends" you have - You are a younger guy and probably skew more liberal with the age group you are in. My personal Facebook page is pretty politics-free because I don't like to have outspoken political loudmouths on either side of the aisle clutter my FB feed. But on the Frontiers facebook page we have nearly 4,000 friends from all manner of the political spectrum, and the Obama bashing food stamp decrying adam and eve not adam and steve contingent is just as vocal if not more so than the release the romney tax returns obamacare touting atheist embracing 99%ers are (in fact, I breezed through all of those right wing stereotypes much easier than the left wing ones because I think if anything I see many MORE right wing political statements in my Facebook feed - Again, it could be that Journey fans are more right wing than liberal).

I don't advertise my own personal political beliefs ANYWHERE because my thoughts are, I'm not special, why should people care what I think, they're my beliefs. And by that same token, I think about musicians or bands that I like or actors or directors or writers and think, I don't care what THEY think, because they're not special, they just play guitar really well or write cool books or act really well. I kind of feel the same way about Journey. I have literally NO idea what they believe politically, and for every point you made about Cain, I could have a counterpoint about him that would point in the opposite direction. So I just don't think about those guys in that way.

I pretty much just remove these kinds of people from my news feed (at minimum--or defriend them). The social conservatives can be just as annoying as the most dyed-in-the-wool liberals to me.

I really don't care about artists' political leanings anyway, at least to the extent I like their music. I'm a pretty conservative guy (especially fiscally), so if I chose which music to like based on political leanings, I'd have about 1/18th my overall collection and a LOT more Nuge in my collection than his greatest hits and the Damn Yankees stuff, lol. All the same, I wouldn't mind hearing that some of my favorites are conservative-leaning since I have to sit there and take so much liberalism when I go to Springsteen, Crosby Stills and Nash etc and listen to their lyrics.

[tater1977]

Monday, August 13, 2012Lynyrd Skynyrd to perform during Republican National Convention

http://www.hennemusic.com/2012/08/lynyr ... uring.html

Lynyrd Skynyrd are set to perform during events outside of the 2012 Republican National Convention in Tampa, Florida on Sunday, August 26 as part of the fundraising event Citizens Helping Heroes presents Southern Tribute IV Honoring America’s Heroes.

The concert takes place at The American Action Network Pavilion at Liberty Plaza (corner of South Morgan & East Whiting Streets next to the Tampa Times Forum) and is open to paid sponsors and their guests. Lynyrd Skynyrd’s show launches the four-day event which also includes performances by Trace Adkins (8/28) and Kid Rock (8/29).

A week earlier, fans can tune in for Lynyrd Skynyrd’s performance live from New York City as part of the FOX & Friends “All American Concert Series” on Friday, August 17th during the 8am (ET) hour. The concert is open to the public (corner of 48th St and 6th Avenue) with free food offered all morning from Famous Dave’s BBQ.

This free live performance is the 13th of the 14-week outdoor concert series held in the heart of Midtown Manhattan, directly outside the FOX News studios (48th & 6th).

Viewers will also be able to visit the FOX & Friends website at www.foxandfriends.com, which will feature post-performance coverage of the group's appearance.

Lynyrd Skynyrd will release their first new album in three years, “Last Of A Dyin’ Breed,” on August 21.

[steveo777]

Monday, August 13, 2012Lynyrd Skynyrd to perform during Republican National Convention

http://www.hennemusic.com/2012/08/lynyr ... uring.html

Lynyrd Skynyrd are set to perform during events outside of the 2012 Republican National Convention in Tampa, Florida on Sunday, August 26 as part of the fundraising event Citizens Helping Heroes presents Southern Tribute IV Honoring America’s Heroes.

The concert takes place at The American Action Network Pavilion at Liberty Plaza (corner of South Morgan & East Whiting Streets next to the Tampa Times Forum) and is open to paid sponsors and their guests. Lynyrd Skynyrd’s show launches the four-day event which also includes performances by Trace Adkins (8/28) and Kid Rock (8/29).

A week earlier, fans can tune in for Lynyrd Skynyrd’s performance live from New York City as part of the FOX & Friends “All American Concert Series” on Friday, August 17th during the 8am (ET) hour. The concert is open to the public (corner of 48th St and 6th Avenue) with free food offered all morning from Famous Dave’s BBQ.

This free live performance is the 13th of the 14-week outdoor concert series held in the heart of Midtown Manhattan, directly outside the FOX News studios (48th & 6th).

Viewers will also be able to visit the FOX & Friends website at www.foxandfriends.com, which will feature post-performance coverage of the group's appearance.

Lynyrd Skynyrd will release their first new album in three years, “Last Of A Dyin’ Breed,” on August 21.

Now there is a band in name only. Anyone who wants to consider Journey Blasphemous need only look to that band (or Foreigner) for a reality check.

[Navarro]

I don't picture these guys as overly political one way or the other. But I wouldn't be surprised if Cain at least leans right. The fact that they've never really taken a stance or made any comments one way or the other is telling. The conservatives I know tend to be pragmatic. They realize that assaulting people with your beliefs is generally not good for your business. For example, business owners (all conservatives) I know don't touch their politics with anyone but their closest friends or family. It's pragmatism: they realize that both customers and employees, as well as their stakeholders, might take offense to their being boisterous about their beliefs. Liberals are louder, boisterous, and not so concerned with alienating potential friends, business partners, etc. Hell, my own Facebook feed is evidence of this: For the last several months, I've seen all kinds of people making derogatory statuses about conservatives, Romney etc and the like, whereas I have seen only 1 or 2 statuses deriding Obama or liberals (and on the whole, I'm sure a lot more of my friends list is conservative, too).

This whole loudmouth liberal/quiet conservative dichotomy tends to hold true with celebrities, too (at least in my eyes). There are exceptions (e.g., The Nuge), but liberal celebrities tend to be way more boisterous about their beliefs (be it participating in some loony public demonstration, making political endorsements, making remarks at a concert, or making interview remarks). Even the ones that lean right (e.g., Clint Eastwood) don't go to crazy public demonstrations or completely rub their beliefs in your face (indeed, some people interpreted his Halftime in America commercial for GM to be pro-Obama). And yes, I know Eastwood recently publicly endorsed Romney. It's not the act, it's the manner of doing the act.

So I think Cain leans right. He never talks about it (that I'm aware of). Plus, a lot of the songs that bear his heavy influence tend to revolve around more "traditional" (i.e., conservative) views of Americana, including Every Generation, Out of Harm's Way, Faith in the Heartland, and many songs that tend to revolve around traditional family units. I don't want to get into a political pissing match about which beliefs can be attributed to which ideology, but I interpret those songs to deliver solidly conservative commentaries on the subjects they address. And finally, he moved to Nashville from Cali. I know, Nashville is music city. But it's also quite conservative considering its colorful culture. And there's no dearth of musical talent in Cali, either. I doubt you'd ever catch Bruce Springsteen or Graham Nash setting up shop in Nashville.

In sum, I think Cain is quietly conservative, and he's calculated that there is no appreciable benefit to going crazy putting his views out there.

I can see where you are coming from on this Matt. I think liberal celebrities tend to be more outspoken, and conservative ones tend to be more quiet about their beliefs....But I do think that's more related to Hollywood and the music business generally being a liberal industry, and being around that tends to make conservatives less likely to be outspoken (and generally there's less conservatives in Hollywood so when one does actively promote a conservative agenda or cause, it's more likely to be noticed). I do think that in the general public though, there are just as many activist conservatives as there are activist liberals. I think there's equal outrage on both side of the spectrum, and that's why I think a lot of people just become numb to the noise. Facebook is a perfect example. Of course it depends on the "friends" you have - You are a younger guy and probably skew more liberal with the age group you are in. My personal Facebook page is pretty politics-free because I don't like to have outspoken political loudmouths on either side of the aisle clutter my FB feed. But on the Frontiers facebook page we have nearly 4,000 friends from all manner of the political spectrum, and the Obama bashing food stamp decrying adam and eve not adam and steve contingent is just as vocal if not more so than the release the romney tax returns obamacare touting atheist embracing 99%ers are (in fact, I breezed through all of those right wing stereotypes much easier than the left wing ones because I think if anything I see many MORE right wing political statements in my Facebook feed - Again, it could be that Journey fans are more right wing than liberal).

I don't advertise my own personal political beliefs ANYWHERE because my thoughts are, I'm not special, why should people care what I think, they're my beliefs. And by that same token, I think about musicians or bands that I like or actors or directors or writers and think, I don't care what THEY think, because they're not special, they just play guitar really well or write cool books or act really well. I kind of feel the same way about Journey. I have literally NO idea what they believe politically, and for every point you made about Cain, I could have a counterpoint about him that would point in the opposite direction. So I just don't think about those guys in that way.

I pretty much just remove these kinds of people from my news feed (at minimum--or defriend them). The social conservatives can be just as annoying as the most dyed-in-the-wool liberals to me.

I really don't care about artists' political leanings anyway, at least to the extent I like their music. I'm a pretty conservative guy (especially fiscally), so if I chose which music to like based on political leanings, I'd have about 1/18th my overall collection and a LOT more Nuge in my collection than his greatest hits and the Damn Yankees stuff, lol. All the same, I wouldn't mind hearing that some of my favorites are conservative-leaning since I have to sit there and take so much liberalism when I go to Springsteen, Crosby Stills and Nash etc and listen to their lyrics.

I remember circa 2000-2001 around the time of Arrival reading a Journey interview, maybe even from MR, where somehow the discussion of SAs jump in income comes up. Neal proceeds to begin to complain about high taxes. The rest of the band appeared to be in agreement. I got the impression at least Neal was fiscally a conservative. Not that I can blame him! I am sure he pays more in taxes than a lot of us make in a year. Does anyone remember this?

[Magwheels]

Well I guess I will admit to jumping the gun because I didn't read the actual article. I just assumed that Journey was hired to perform for the actual Republican convention, and my point was that this didn't necessarily mean that Journey were Republicans or endorsing the Republican candidate for president. Now that I've read the article and can see that it's a private event put together by a non partisan charity for veterans, I wonder how anyone ever could try painting that as a political endorsement for any candidate or party. Hell, Willie Nelson is playing and the only thing he cares about is the legalization of pot.

It's not a political event, folks, it just happens to be put on during the convention to raise a lot of money for a charity.

Frankly I have no interest or desire to know what political leanings entertainers have. Magwheels, just from reading your posts it seems like you really, really hope that Journey are conservative or endorse the republican candidate for prez. I'm not trying to be critical of that, but if so, why is that important to you? I'm asking a serious question because I'm interested, not because I'm looking for debate one way or another.

Well that's pretty lame..not even reading the actual article Or maybe you did read it but you weren't comprehending it

I don't think anyone said they were endorsing anyone or any party. You also missed the sarcasm in my posts..and I was wondering why you, from the get-go took it so seriously. Just from reading YOUR posts it seems like you really, really didn't want Journey to be Conservative or endorse the Republican candidate or want anyone to think it could be possible. But again, they obviously don't have a problem taking up the gig, and could do something for the "non partisan charity" at any other time.

Love Paul Ryan being picked for the VP slot btw..from my home state