Is it the Democratic National Convention or a star-studded music festival? As planeloads of superstars--including Bruce Springsteen [ tickets ], Bon Jovi [ tickets ], Kanye West [ tickets ] and Rage Against the Machine--descend on Denver, it's kind of hard to tell.

Sheryl Crow [ tickets ], Dave Matthews [ tickets ] and Sugarland [ tickets ]'s Jennifer Nettles were on hand to sing at the DNC's kickoff concert last night (8/24) at Red Rocks Amphitheater, according to the Associated Press. The national convention officially starts today at the Pepsi Center.

Presumably, the youthful charisma of Democratic nominee Senator Barack Obama is driving the excitement, creating an environment for celebrities to get their partisan and nonpartisan messages heard.

Many of the artists in town aren't a part of the official convention, but are instead trying to draw the attention of the media swarm at the event to their pet causes. West will be in Denver Wednesday (8/27) for a party promoting antipoverty campaign One, the Black Eyed Peas will perform that night for the Creative Coalition and Fall Out Boy will play for Rock the Vote, according to The New York Times. The Rage Against the Machine antiwar rally will be one of the biggest musical events, and various outdoor shows will align rock and hip-hop acts with on-the-ground activists, the paper said.

"People feel comfortable expressing themselves in an artistic way at this convention more than they ever have," Impact Film Festival founder Kimball Stroud, who is screening documentaries at both conventions, told the Times. "I don't recall another convention where hip-hop artists were embraced like they are."

Other acts scheduled to play during the week include Daughtry [ tickets ] frontman Chris Daughtry, Cold War Kids [ tickets ], Grammy-winning rapper Nelly [ tickets ], and John Legend, who will premiere his new call-to-action song, "If You're Out There."

Springsteen and Jon Bon Jovi are expected to perform acoustic numbers at Invesco Field Thursday (8/28), when Obama is scheduled to give his acceptance speech, according to the Rocky Mountain News.

Unfortunately for fans, most of the concerts will be filled with political insiders, charity reps and the 15,000 expected members of the news media, the Times said.

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