Pop-up concerts try to soothe anxious voters as US goes to polls

An enthusiastic DJ blared out pop tracks Tuesday, urging voters to bop along with dancers in multi-colored sequined shorts -- one small effort outside an Arizona polling station to soothe Election Day nerves running high across the United States.

"I definitely think there's a lot of anxiety around the election," said Elyssa Bustamante, who produced the event in the critical swing state's largest city, Phoenix, along with the organization Joy to the Polls.

"Dancing definitely takes away the stress," she told AFP.

A person gestures next to an election sign, on Election Day for the 2024 U.S. presidential election in Manhattan, New York City, U.S., November 5, 2024 Reuters

Clad in all pink at her stage in Phoenix's central park, the 36-year-old Bustamante called out frequent reminders to young people from the nearby university.

"Polls close at 7:00 pm; make sure you get your vote in!" she shouted.

Few people leaving the nearby voting location stopped to enjoy the impromptu concert.

But several at least raised a smile -- an all-too-rare sight in an unprecedented presidential campaign that has seen rival candidates Donald Trump and Kamala Harris accuse each other of imperiling the future of US democracy.

On the Republican side, Trump has survived two assassination attempts and frequently uses extremely violent rhetoric about immigrants.

Harris rallies with Springsteen, Obama in Georgia REUTERS/Kevin Mohatt

Democrat Harris reminds voters the right to abortion is on the line with this election.

As an antidote to these anxieties, music "is a universal language," said Bustamante.

"You might be on two different sides of the aisle... music brings people together," she added. "It doesn't divide us. And so, I think we need to use it as a tool."

Singer Lady Gaga performs at a rally for Democratic presidential nominee U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S., November 4, 2024. REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein

'Positivity'

Bustamante and her team have been traveling around Phoenix staging mini-concerts.

They hope to offer moments of lightness in Arizona, where the build-up to the election has been taut.

The "Grand Canyon State" has become a hotbed of election conspiracies since Trump lost to Joe Biden in 2020 by fewer than 10,500 votes.

That year, armed demonstrators protested for several nights in front of a county election center in central Phoenix, where ballots were being counted.

This time, the center has been fortified with concrete barriers and a high-wire fence, and authorities are on high alert.

Last week, a man was charged with terrorism after shooting at a Democratic Party office in Tempe, a suburb of Phoenix. No one was hurt.

DJ Cassidy performs at a campaign rally of Democratic presidential nominee U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S., November 4, 2024. REUTERS/Rachel Wisniewski

"It's nerve-wracking to wonder what's going to happen at the polls because of stories like that," Samuel Pena, a 40-year-old DJ, told AFP.

He, too, travels around Phoenix in a small music truck, part of a separate initiative called DJs at the Polls.

He said the group operates in 20 different states nationwide on election day.

Pena said he would remain cautious and alert on Tuesday, DJing with "my back against the wall... because of these stories."

The election "is stressful for whatever side you're on," he said. "So, we're just trying to create positivity for whoever wants to participate and vote."