The ’46 for 46′ concert tour has a singular goal: get a Democratic candidate into the White House.
Activists Kyle Frenette and Christopher Moon recently unveiled plans to hold 46 concerts in 46 states in an effort to promote and support the Democratic nominee for president in the 2020 election.
The idea behind the concert series is simple enough: Like-minded musicians will agree to perform in their home states, and political awareness will be raised through these shows. Moreover, Frenette and Moon seem highly confident that the plan will work.
However, experts have indicated that 46 for 46 will need to overcome some formidable obstacles to be successful.
First, it’s unclear how many artists will be willing to perform for free; no-cost tickets are meant to be a big part of the concerts’ draw. Next, deep divisions in the Democratic Party, including amongst the many candidates who are currently debating ahead of the primaries, could splinter support and inhibit the concerts’ productivity.
Lastly, some have noted that there may not be a direct correlation between listening to music and supporting a particular party in the presidential election. In other words, fans might attend for the entertainment without ever intending to support the Democratic nominee.
At the time of writing, multiple artists, including Dashboard Confessional and Bon Iver, have agreed to perform at 46 for 46 shows in their respective states. Dashboard Confessional is based out of Florida, a state that Trump carried in 2016, and Bon Iver hails from Wisconsin, also a state that Trump won in 2016.
It remains to be seen if Republican musicians will respond to 46 for 46 with a concert series of their own. Ted Nugent, Wayne Newton, Larry Gatlin, and several other well-known artists endorsed Trump ahead of the 2016 election. Kid Rock, an extremely vocal Trump supporter, visited the White House with Ted Nugent and Sarah Palin in 2017.