Bruce Springsteen said Donald Trump is “running to be an American tyrant” as he endorsed Kamala Harris.
The US star appeared at Ms Harris’ rally in Georgia on Thursday evening, along with a host of starry names including Barack Obama, Samuel L Jackson, Spike Lee and Tyler Perry.
Meanwhile Ms Harris’ run of celebrity-studded events was due to continue in Houston, Texas, on Friday, with a rally starring Beyonce, according to three people familiar with the matter.
The singer is a Houston native, and her 2016 song Freedom has become Ms Harris' campaign anthem.
At Thursday’s rally, Springsteen performed his 1978 hit The Promised Land before telling the Georgia audience he was backing Ms Harris because he wants "a president who reveres the Constitution."
"There is only one candidate in this election who holds those principles dear, Kamala Harris,” he said.
“She's running to be the 47th president of the United States. Donald Trump is running to be an American tyrant.” He went on to play Land of Hope and Dreams and Dancing in the Dark.
Meanwhile Ms Harris implored Georgia voters to consider the "brutally serious" consequences if Donald Trump wins a second term in the White House.
She asked voters to imagine who'll be sitting in the Oval Office just three months from now and think about the new president's priorities.
"It's either Donald Trump in there stewing over his enemies list, or me working for you, checking off my to-do list," she said. "You have the power to make that decision."
The presence of Springsteen, whose career spans five decades, and former President Obama, still one of the biggest names in Democratic politics, highlights how Harris is leaning on some of the most noteworthy names in the party to help her deliver her closing message and lambast her opponent.
Mr Obama, who got a rousing reception from the rally crowd at a packed high school football stadium outside Atlanta, told his audience: "I get why people are looking to shake things up, but what I cannot understand is why anybody would think that Donald Trump would shake things up in ways that are good for you."
The lengthy rally ran well behind schedule and seemingly took a toll on attendees. While the vast majority of seats remained full, hundreds of people streamed out of the event early as Ms Harris spoke after hours of programming.
Mr Obama argued his successor was always "trying to sell you stuff," was someone who only cares about "his ego, his money, his status," and regularly gives lengthy speeches that are "just word salad."
"We do not need four years of a wannabe king, a wannabe dictator," Mr Obama said before offering Ms Harris as someone "ready for the job."
After arguing Trump is focused only on himself, Mr Obama added: "If you elect Kamala Harris ... she will be focused on you."
The Trump campaign called Ms Harris' use of Mr Obama and Springsteen "a desperate, last-ditch effort to salvage her spiraling campaign."
"Relying on celebrities is nothing new for the party of Hollywood elites — and as voters realize the depths of Kamala's incompetence and radicalism, she needs an added draw," the campaign said in a statement.
Ms Harris' rally in Clarkston — an eastern Atlanta suburb — reflected the suburb's reputation as the "most diverse square mile in America." The community has taken in waves of immigrants and refugees, and 40 per cent of its population was foreign-born in 2020.
The DJ working the crowd before the event started called out not only to graduates of historically Black colleges and universities, but to West Indians. Among those in the snaking line to enter were people of Asian descent and women in hijabs.
Thursday's event was the first in the campaign's ‘When We Vote We Win’ concert series that aims to encourage Harris supporters to vote before Election Day.
Harris is not the only member of the Democratic campaign to lean on star power in the final days. Gov. Tim Walz, her running mate, had events in North Carolina on Thursday alongside singer-songwriter James Taylor.
Democrats are known for leaning on high-profile surrogates in the final days of presidential races.
Springsteen has long been a supporter of Democratic presidential campaigns. The artist backed Obama in 2008 and 2012.
He also backed former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in 2016, performing at a Philadelphia rally on the eve of Election Day, and endorsed Mr Biden in 2020. The New Jersey artist threw his support behind Harris earlier this month, calling Trump the "most dangerous candidate for president in my lifetime."
Beyonce, too, backed Clinton in 2016, performing at an event in Cleveland alongside husband and rapper Jay Z just days before Election Day that year. And Taylor has become a staple at Democratic events and fundraisers.
