Just two weeks after a September 11th Freedom Walk in 2005 headed by the Department of Defense—which ended in a huge Clint Black concert in support of the military—Thievery Corporation produced Operation Ceasefire, an all-day music festival with a huge anti-war sentiment, urging the government to bring troops home. The 10-hour concert was presented by Thievery’s ESL Music, in conjunction with The Mintwood Media Collective, the now defunct DC Anti-War Network, and United For Peace and Justice to send a message to congress right from the Washington Monument grounds.
The concert lasted until 1 a.m. and featured a wide range of artists, from underground heavy-hitters like socialist hip-hop group The Coup to more well-known artists like Le Tigre, the Bouncing Souls, and Ted Leo and The Pharmacists.
Check out Ted Leo playing “My Vien Ilin,” introduced by Dead Kennedys frontman Jello Biafra:
The bold concert event also featured speakers between acts, including the co-founder of Gold Star Families for Peace, Cindy Sheehan. The show was free, and the message was simple. It followed its own morning rally and march, aiming to make as much as possible, right where political officials could see.
Watch more with Thievery Corporation and Operation Ceasefire from Embedded:
November 12th, 2009 at 12:19 pm
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