WEST PHILADELPHIA — Pop star Katy Perry rallied supporters for former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton Saturday night, stressing the importance of Tuesday’s election and declaring that they have “no excuse” if they don’t vote in an effort to put Clinton over the finish line.
“Tuesday is going to be fun, but Wednesday is going to be even better,” Perry said. “But that doesn’t mean you get to stay home and watch it go on. We have no excuse.”
Perry performed a 25-minute set for the crowd, which filled the Mann Center in West Philadelphia, an outdoor ampitheatre near the Philadelphia Zoo. During her set, which was bookended by hit singles “Roar” and “Firework,” She made reference to Donald Trump and his remark in the final debate about Clinton being a “nasty woman” and talked openly about how people tell her to stay out of politics.
“I am using my voice … cause I’m just like you,” Perry said, adding that she recently knocked on doors for Clinton in Las Vegas. “I come from a staunch Republican family, and I’ll still love my parents even though we agree to disagree with them because I really believe it’s not about where you come from — it’s what you grow into.”
As for Clinton, she introduced the “Firework” singer, giving brief remarks, imploring the crowd to turnout on Tuesday.
“Here in Pennsylvania, you vote Tuesday,” Clinton said, noting that Pennsylvania does not have early voting. “I believe they are standing up for a hopeful, inclusive vision of America. And I’m asking you to stand up for that same vision … It’s your turn Philadelphia!”
The event was a star-studded affair, with the likes of Shonda Rhimes, Debra Messing, Madeleine Albright and Sen. Cory Booker, among others, giving the crowd a pep-talk before the event.
While many of the event’s 10,000 attendees showed up to see Perry perform, they insisted that they were also there to support Clinton.
“We actually had this discussion about this,” said Stephanie Gorin, a 27-year-old who recently graduated from law school. Gorin was attending the rally with Haley Stern, 26, who also is a recent law school graduate. “We wouldn’t be able to choose if we had to pick one.”
“In her policy positions, I think that she really speaks to the things that both of us believe in and I think, as we are starting our careers and, soon, our families, it’s important that our presidential candidate represents us,” Stern said.
Perry has been campaigning for Clinton for over a year now, having held events on her behalf ahead of the Iowa caucus late last year. She is also the latest music star to campaign on behalf of Clinton as Beyonce, Jay-Z, Jennifer Lopez, Stevie Wonder and Jon Bon Jovi have all performed or are set to perform events for her ahead of Tuesday’s election.
