Bruce Springsteen [ tickets ] and the E Street Band, R.E.M., Pearl Jam [ tickets ], Dave Matthews Band [ tickets ] and Dixie Chicks [ tickets ] are among the acts on board for this fall's Vote for Change tour, a series of outings aimed at motivating voters in so-called "swing states."

Other participating artists include John Mellencamp [ tickets ], Kenny "Babyface" Edmonds, Jackson Browne, Bonnie Raitt, Keb' Mo', Jurassic 5, My Morning Jacket, James Taylor, John Fogerty, Bright Eyes and Death Cab for Cutie.

The artists will be broken up into six different touring groups: Pearl Jam and Death Cab for Cutie; Springsteen, R.E.M., Fogerty and Bright Eyes; Dave Matthews Band, Jurassic 5 and My Morning Jacket; Dixie Chicks and Taylor; Browne, Raitt and Keb' Mo' (along with additional acts yet to be named); and Mellencamp and Babyface.

The six simultaneous mini-tours will run Oct. 1-8, and are due to make stops in Pennsylvania, Ohio, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, North Carolina, Wisconsin, Iowa and Florida--states in which this November's presidential election is expected to be a close call. The itineraries are shown below; venues have not yet been announced.

Tickets for the shows will hit the box office on Aug. 21. More information is posted at the websites of co-tour-organizers America Coming Together and MoveOn PAC. A mid-August ticket pre-sale is also planned, but organizers haven't yet announced specific details.

"I felt like I couldn't have written the music I've written, and been on stage singing about the things that I've sung about for the last 25 years and not take part in this particular election," Springsteen said in statement.

"This is the fourth presidential election which Pearl Jam has engaged in as a band, and we feel it's the most important one of our life time," singer Eddie Vedder added. "We believe in the power of the first amendment, and have always exercised our right to free speech in every aspect of our lives and music. This year there is no more powerful way for all Americans to exercise that right than by voting. Given the extreme political climate of a country at war, we are proud to stand among the many artists involved in this tour and to encourage Americans not only to vote for a president this November 2nd, but to vote for the change they wish to see in the world."

Singer/songwriter Matthews, in his statement, gave a more-specific reason for his involvement.

"A vote for change is a vote for a stronger, safer, healthier America," he said. "A vote for Bush is a vote for a divided, unstable, paranoid America. It is our duty to this beautiful land to let our voices be heard. That's the reason for the tour. That's why I'm doing it."

Proceeds from the Vote for Change tour will benefit ACT, which bills itself as "the largest voter contact program in history" and seeks to motivate voters to "beat George W. Bush and elect Democrats up and down the ticket in 2004 in federal, state and local elections," according to its website.

MoveOn PAC supports "congressional candidates who embrace moderate to progressive principles of national government," and seeks to "encourage and facilitate smaller donations to offset the influence of wealthy and corporate donors," according to its mission statement.

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