Politicians use Jay-Z, Kanye West concerts to fundraise
What do you get when you mix a politician and two of the hottest acts in the music industry? You will get one of the hottest concert tickets in town. Looking to end the year on a fundraising high note, Rep. Ed Towns, D-N.Y., is offering PACs a VIP reception and two tickets to the Jay-Z and Kanye West concert on Nov. 3 for $2,500, and charging $1,500 for the reception and one ticket. Rep. André Carson, D-Ind., will also have a fundraising event at the concert. The cost for his event is $1,500 per individual and $2,500 per couple. Currently, fans can get tickets to the show starting at $71.60, including fees.
According to Party Time records, this is not the first time Rep. Towns has used a concert as a fundraising venue. Since 2009, he has had events at the Verizon Center at the concerts of Bruce Springsteen, Lady Gaga and of course Jay-Z. In addition, Rep. Carson had a fundraising event at the Jay-Z concert in March 2010 as well as the Beyonce concert in June 2009.
Although in this case Jay-Z or Kanye are performing public concerts that these representatives are using as an opportunity to fundraise, both entertainers have mixed Democratic politics and hip-hop in the past. During the 2008 Presidential Campaign, Jay-Z held several concerts for then-candidate Obama to help the campaign register voters. During inauguration week, Jay-Z along with Young Jeezy, Beyonce and Mary J. Blige performed a concerted billed as billed as the "Concert on the Eve of Change,” at the Warner Theatre. Jay-Z also held a private concert for Obama and his campaign staffers at the D.C. Armory.
West is no stranger to politics either. He performed during the Democratic National Convention in Denver, CO in 2008 along with other musical acts such as the Black Eyed Peas and Willie Nelson. Also, in 2008 the Kanye West Foundation partnered with ED in ’08 to challenge the presidential candidates to make education a priority in their agenda. More recently, he as well as the Rev. Al Sharpton and hip hop mogul Russell Simmons made an appearance at the Occupy Wall Street protest.
PARTYFINDER™ Hints
Beneficiary: congressional candidate, lawmaker, or entity which collects funds raised at party
Host: person who is hosting party-often, but not always, a registered federal lobbyist
Venue Name: where the party is
Entertainment Type: type of gathering, such as "breakfast," "ski trip," "bowling"
Other Lawmakers Mentioned: lawmakers mentioned on invitation who are used as a draw for the event
Note: You may wonder why you often see repeat entries for the same party. Sometimes we receive the same invitation from more than one source. We are working on eliminating these duplicates.
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