Rock Legends to Play 2026 Opening of Obama’s Presidential Center
Eddie Vedder, U2’s Bono and The Edge and Bruce Springsteen will be among the all-star lineup of musical guests taking part in the grand opening ceremony for the Barack Obama Presidential Center taking place tomorrow (June 18) in Chicago. And you’ll be able to livestream the event even if you can’t be there in person.
It’s quite the musical lineup that is turning out to support the opening of the Presidential Center, with Christina Aguilera, Common, Jennifer Hudson, John Legend, Marc Anthony, Stevie Wonder, TEMS and The Roots also set to take part in the festivities.
How Can I Catch the Opening Ceremony?
The festivities will livestream globally at 11AM CT on Thursday (June 18).
Both Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama are expected to deliver speeches at the event. There will be an invocation led by Pastor Joel Hunter and Joshua DuBois and special remarks and guest appearances by Marsai Martin, Marty Nesbitt and Valerie B. Jarrett. In addition the Illinois National Color Guard will be on hand as well as representatives from the Guitars Over Guns and Uniting Voices Chicago organizations.
As stated, the music lineup features U2’s Bono and The Edge, Pearl Jam’s Eddie Vedder, Bruce Springsteen, Stevie Wonder, John Legend, The Roots, Christina Aguilera, Common, Jennifer Hudson and TEMS.
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The livestream can be found at obama.org/grandopening.
There will also be a watch party in Chicago taking place where ticketed guests will be able to catch the ceremony on the big screen at Midway Plaisance Park near the Center.
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What Else You Need to Know About the Barack Obama Presidential Center
According to the center’s website, the new Chicago landmark was “built on the South Side of Chicago where the Obamas’ journey began” and is a 19.3 acre campus that serves as both a museum and a presidential public library.
The site continues, “The Obama Presidential Center Museum explores the promise and power of democracy through the legacy of President and Mrs. Obama. Journey through four levels of dynamic exhibits that tell the story of the First Family and the social movements that made their work possible. Exhibits include memorabilia from the Obamas’ time in the White House, stories of iconic moments from the President’s administration and interactive activities for visitors of all ages and abilities.”
A look at the schedule beyond the grand opening shows that there will be programs with speakers and some musical entertainment taking place at the center as well in the coming months.
Below, check out 20 rock and metal songs with social messages.
Rock + Metal Songs With Social Messages
Music has the power to move people. It also has the power to move them to action.
Gallery Credit: Taylor Markarian
Black Sabbath – “War Pigs”
YouTube: Black Sabbath
Black Sabbath – “War Pigs”
When people think of anti-war songs in the Vietnam War era, they generally conjure up images of psychedelic-eating hippies in tie dye T-shirts and fringe vests. But don’t forget that Black Sabbath’s “War Pigs” came out in 1970, drawing a menacing picture of war machines, burning bodies and ruthless politicians “making war just for fun/ treating people just like pawns in chess.” The song ends with a grim, if not satisfying projection of the war pigs’ future in Hell.
Rise Against – “Prayer Of The Refugee”
YouTube: Rise Against
Rise Against – “Prayer Of The Refugee”
The 2006 music video for “Prayer Of The Refugee” is a clear condemnation of the plight of immigrants and those abused by American capitalism. In a behind-the-scenes segment, Rise Against vocalist Tim McIlrath discusses the social message conveyed through director Tony Petrossian’s department store shots: “Traditional business models are flawed in the sense that the price that we pay for products does not actually reflect the price of production for these products. These are prices that are kept low through various human rights violations.” This music video directly followed the one for “Ready To Fall,” which targeted the major social issue of environmental destruction.
Fever 333 – “Made An America”
YouTube: FEVER 333
Fever 333 – “Made An America”
Shortly after letlive. called it quits in 2017, vocalist Jason Aalon Butler teamed up with guitarist Stephen Harrison (The Chariot) and drummer Aric Improta (Night Verses) to create a project that would be even more bold than his last. It wasn’t long before the trio were nominated for a Grammy for Best Rock Performance for their unrelentingly candid single, “Made An America.” Combining hip-hop beats with forceful punk jabs, the band use the first line to declare themselves “melanin felons,” a direct confrontation of the way Black people are viewed as criminals by a racist society. The song goes on to enumerate a long list of pent-up grievances, from police brutality to government-backed drug epidemics that Aalon asserts, “ain’t a theory, I saw it happen on my block.”
Metallica – “One”
YouTube: Metallica
Metallica – “One”
Metallica’s 1988 record …And Justice For All deals — as the name suggests — in politics, war and social injustices. “One,” which is one of the metal band’s biggest singles ever, tells the story of the WWI fighter at the center of the 1971 anti-war film Johnny Got His Gun. Written from his perspective, the lyrics are a personal, frightening depiction of the realities of war: “Landmine has taken my sight / Taken my speech / Taken my hearing / Taken my arms / Taken my legs / Taken my soul.”
Megadeth – “Peace Sells”
YouTube: Megadeth
Megadeth – “Peace Sells”
The title track off the band’s second full-length, Peace Sells…but Who’s Buying?, is a clever song meant to dispel the popular idea that metalheads have nothing but metal for brains. In an interview with Rolling Stone, Dave Mustaine says, “It was hard for me to watch the way we were stereotyped on TV, just as dumbasses.” The Q&A format of the lyrics for “Peace Sells” deftly contrasts what society thinks about people like him, and what the reality of the situation actually is. (“What do you mean I don’t pay my bills?/ Why do you think I’m broke?”)
Rage Against The Machine – “Killing In The Name”
YouTube: Rage Against The Machine
Rage Against The Machine – “Killing In The Name”
Rage Against The Machine is so synonymous with activism in rock music that my high school history teacher quoted, “Some of those that work forces / Are the same that burn crosses” in his review of white supremacy and the K.K.K. in America. Depressingly, I was the only one in the room who got the reference at the time, but “Killing In The Name” is without doubt one of the most famous rock anthems ever. Aside from its major criticism of racism in policing, it also reinforces an everlasting sentiment of punk music: “Fuck you, I won’t do what you tell me!”
Body Count – “No Lives Matter”
Vevo: Body Count
Body Count – “No Lives Matter”
The Black Lives Matter Movement is an extension of the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s, which, of course, spurred its own musical revolution. The common, ignorant retort to the oh-so-radical statement is “all lives matter,” an ugly response that rapper, actor and hardcore/metal musician Ice T slams in Body Count’s song “No Lives Matter.” “You’re dilutin’ the issue,” he says directly into the camera for the song’s music video. “The issue isn’t about everybody, it’s about Black lives at the moment. But the truth of the matter is, they don’t really give a fuck about anybody if you break this shit down to the low fuckin’ dirty ass truth.” The band were nominated for two Grammys — one of which they won — for protest songs “Black Hoodie” and “Bum-Rush.”
Testament – “Greenhouse Effect”
YouTube: Testament
Testament – “Greenhouse Effect”
Climate activism may seem like a 21st century invention, but people have been advocating on behalf of the environment for decades. That includes Testament, who released “Greenhouse Effect” on their 1989 record, Practice What You Preach. The metal band were so bold as to call mankind’s destructive actions an “environmental holocaust” and urged their listeners to “take a stand.” The world is still waiting for people to heed that call, as the minute hand moves closer to midnight.
Gojira – “Amazonia”
YouTube: Gojira
Gojira – “Amazonia”
In the same vein, the music video for Gojira’s “Amazonia” showcases the majesty of the Amazon rainforest and the unique culture of the indiginous people that live there. But when fires ravage the trees and precious natural resources are lost, those people are also threatened; “The greatest miracle / is burning to the ground.”
But Gojira don’t just use this song to send a message, they use it to send desperately needed funds. Proceeds from this track go to The Articulation of Indigenous Peoples of Brazil, an organization that advocates for the environmental and cultural rights of the indigenous tribes. So just by being a Gojira fan, you are contributing aid to those who have been subject to land loss, forced labor, violence and harassment.
Lamb of God – “Memento Mori”
YouTube: Lamb of God
Lamb of God – “Memento Mori”
Filled with nightmarish creatures that look like they belong in a James Wan movie, the music video for “Memento Mori” is a commentary on the energy-sucking negativity that comes with being constantly plugged in. Every day — and especially in 2020 — people endure a barrage of information, sights and sounds. With something new always vying for our attention, this song is meant to serve as a reminder to enjoy our time unplugged, because tomorrow isn’t guaranteed.
Stray From The Path – “Goodnight Alt-Right”
YouTube: Sumerian Records
Stray From The Path – “Goodnight Alt-Right”
Stray From The Path came out with this no-holds-barred song and music video shortly after Donald Trump became President in 2017. Enraged by the ascent of the so-called “alt-right,” a far-right extremist sect of the Republican Party, SFTP took direct inspiration from Dead Kennedys’ punk classic, “Nazi Punks Fuck Off” to make a bold statement: “If you preach hate / Then expect hate.” The music video follows a Hitler-adoring white supremecist who (spoiler alert) ends up getting beaten to a pulp and receiving a bloody forehead tattoo of a swastika, à la Girl With the Dragon Tattoo.
Stick To Your Guns at Warped Tour 2013
Liz Ramanand, Loudwire
Stick To Your Guns – “RMA (Revolutionary Mental Attitude)” feat. Toby Morse
Another big name hardcore band that is persistent in its social messaging actually champions the phrase “fuck the message” in their flash-in-the-pan track, “RMA (Revolutionary Mental Attitude).” The emphasis here is on turning positive words into concrete action. STYG lived up to their own creed when they became the first such band to play a live show in Kenya, while visiting there on a humanitarian mission with the Hardcore Help Foundation.
Phinehas – “Hell Below”
YouTube: Solid State Records
Phinehas – “Hell Below”
The 2017 record Dark Flag by Phinehas is monstrous, both in terms of its sound and its subject matter. Songs like “Hell Below” work to capture the anguish of the North Korean genocide against its own people. A near 4-minute barrage of metalcore fury serves as a testament to the ruthlessness of the Kim regime, which has arrested, punished and executed people for even the slightest whispers of political opposition. The music video itself is a portrayal of the forced labor prisoners are made to do and the vengeful desire to “watch a man playing God bleed.”
Sharptooth – “No Sanctuary”
YouTube: Pure Noise Records
Sharptooth – “No Sanctuary”
Virtually any track off of Sharptooth’s debut full-length record Clever Girl is fit to be included in this list. Vocalist Lauren Kashan writes about everything from politics to sexual abuse on the heavy-hitting album. “No Sanctuary” is a blistering reaction to the 2016 shooting at the gay nightclub, Pulse, in Orlando, Florida. As a queer person, Kashan writes from a very personal perspective about how homophobic language and culture leads to such horrific acts of violence.
“What would make some person think it’s OK to go into a nightclub and kill a bunch of gay people?” the vocalist said in a previous interview. “A culture that fosters that kind of homophobia. Even in small ways like in our language, in our slang. That’s the line “Every time you say faggot / It’s a bullet through my head.” Whenever you use slurs like that at somebody like me, that could, down the road, result in somebody like me getting killed. That could honestly apply to any marginalized group. People die. You’re not absolved of guilt just because you didn’t have a gun in your hand.”
Fit For An Autopsy – “Black Mammoth”
YouTube: FitForAnAutopsy
Fit For An Autopsy – “Black Mammoth”
“Black Mammoth” can be found on Fit For An Autopsy’s 2017 record <i>The Great Collapse</i>, the whole of which is essentially a lament and condemnation of the horrors wrought by mankind on both itself and the environment. This song and its music video were made in protest of the infamous Dakota Access Pipeline that the Trump Administration allowed to be built right through the Standing Rock Indian Reservation in North Dakota. Now up and running, this enormous oil pipeline directly threatens the safety of the local water supply. The Sioux Tribe are still locked in a legal battle over it, and to their great disappointment, the Biden Administration has not ordered the pipeline to be shut down as it undergoes an environmental review.
Trivium – “Pull Harder On The Strings Of Your Martyr”
YouTube: Roadrunner Records
Trivium – “Pull Harder On The Strings Of Your Martyr”
Trivium’s 2005 record <i>Ascendency</i> remains one of the most monumental metal releases of the 21st century. The song “Pull Harder On The Strings Of Your Martyr” offers a timeless depiction of dictatorship and oppression. “‘Pull Harder’ is a look at a villainous tyrant,” guitarist and lead vocalist Matt Heafy told Loudwire back in 2012. “One who can simply kill and destroy on will, push his faith upon all, be hated by all other powers around — and still be loved by many that he rules.” Unfortunately, that story is all too familiar to us all.
System of a Down – Protect the Land
YouTube: System of a Down
System of a Down – “Protect the Land”
It was only recently, in the spring of 2021, that the United States government officially recognized the mass killings of Armenians at the hands of Turkish forces in the early 20th century as a genocide. System Of A Down frontman Serj Tankian has long been advocating for the rights of Armenians, exemplified in the song “Protect The Land,” which is about the country’s 2020 struggle against Azerbaijan for the rights to the long fought over region of Nagorno-Karabakh. Ultimately, Azerbaijan won the territory, but tensions between the two nations are still simmering.
The Cranberries – Zombie
YouTube: TheCranberriesTV
The Cranberries – “Zombie”
The Cranberries most enduring song, “Zombie” is a reflection on the 1993 bombing incident in Warrington, England, carried out by members of the Irish Republican Army. Two young boys, a 3-year-old and a 12-year-old, died as a result of the explosion. Being an Irish band, The Cranberries — and vocalist Dolores O’Riordan in particular — were offended by the attack being carried out in the name of Ireland.
Thrice – Blood on the Sand
YouTube: suprefan
Thrice – “Blood on the Sand”
The first single off of the band’s ninth studio album, “Blood On The Sand” encapsulates the exasperation Thrice felt at the time of its release due to the growing sense of blind nationalism in America. The first two lines get straight to the point: “We wave our flags, we swallow fear like medicine / We kiss the hands of profiteers and their congressmen.” The song doesn’t get much more specific than that, but it’s the overall feeling of being tired and disgusted with political strife that echoes.
Jinjer – Home Back
YouTube: Napalm Records
Jinjer – “Home Back”
Having lived in a literal warzone in Ukraine, Jinjer’s Tatiana Shmailyuk knows what she’s talking about when she bellows anti-war songs like “Home Back” from their latest album, <i>Macro</i>. The metal band channels their inner Korn to vent about Russian aggression toward their homeland. She gives an intimate depiction of living with war in jarring lines like, “<i>Morning greetings of a rooster are replaced / With fire in a hole</i>.”
