As fallout from Donald Trump’s takeover of the Kennedy Center continues, the band Guster spoke out against the new administration during their performance at the venue by inviting the cast of Finn — a musical recently canceled from the center’s tour lineup — to join them onstage for a rendition of their song “Hard Times.”
The moment happened during Guster’s performance with the National Symphony Orchestra at the center on Friday, March 28th, just weeks after it was announced that Finn’s Kennedy Center tour had been canceled (a decision the center claims was made for financial reasons prior to Trump’s takeover, per Deadline).
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Speaking to the audience as he introduced the cast members, Guster’s Ryan Miller explained, “I have a friend named Michael [Kooman] who wrote the songs for a musical called Finn. In the before times they were booked to play here at the Kennedy Center. But as all of you know, things happened, and the show is no longer presenting here.”
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Continuing, Miller said, “As the new administration has made abundantly clear, Finn’s themes of inclusivity, love, and self-acceptance aren’t going to be welcome in this building while they are in control. So, tonight our band is here to say our stage is your stage. We are your allies, we stand with the LGBTQ community, and we want you to sing with us.”
The Finn cast members then took the stage, and the musicians launched into Guster’s 2018 song “Hard Times,” which received a warm response from the crowd. Watch a video of the performance below.
Finn premiered at the center last November, but plans for a tour were officially canceled early last month. Plot-wise, the show tells a coming-of-age story about a young shark who “faces the challenges of growing up and following his heart.”
Trump had himself elected the chairman of the Kennedy Center’s Board of Trustees last month shortly after taking office, and since then there have been over 20 confirmed cancellations of events at the venue. In lieu of that, Trump evidently is interested in staging events like “non-woke” musicals and a performance of the J6 Prison Choir.
As for Guster, they are on the road playing shows across the country — including dates with the Barenaked Ladies and Mountain Goats — through the end of the summer. Get tickets here.
