Pennsylvania wasn’t the only battleground state the Boss visited this weekend in service of his chosen candidate (he also hit Columbus, OH on Sunday), but it was particularly poetic seeing a massive crowd take to Philly’s Ben Franklin Parkway to hear him get political on Saturday. It was part of a mini-swing of performances Bruce is doing to help Senator Obama get some attention amongst people who like rock music. I was watching MSNBC and caught a bit of Saturday’s performance and I’m glad to see it posted on line: this vid catches the tail end of “Does This Bus Stop At 82nd Street?” and then moves into “The Rising,” but in between Bruce delivers a speech which is remarkably eloquent, inspired, and inspiring, whatever your political view.

OK, particularly if you are an Obama supporter, but whatever the guy knows words. There’s a transcript up at brucespringsteen.com. If you want to see something similar to it in person, here’s a quick list of Bruce’s forthcoming muso-political engagements:

10/06 – Ypsilanti, MI @ Oestrike Stadium at Eastern Michigan University
10/16 – New York, NY – Hammerstein Ballroom (“Change Rocks” benefit) (w/ Billy Joel)
11/05 – New York, NY – Town Hall (“Stand Up for Heroes” benefit)