Though my band, Guster, has more than 2,000 performances behind us, this one is a real humdinger. Tonight we will be accompanied by the 60-member National Symphony Orchestra, which, on its own, is emotional and exhilarating; very few moments compare to fronting a world-class orchestra and, together, playing songs that are a part of you. There's also the venue itself, the historic Kennedy Center, which has served as a national cultural hub for more than half a century. But momentous events from beyond the stage hovered, too: In February, well after all 5,000 tickets had been sold for our two-night stand, Donald Trump dismissed multiple members of the Kennedy Center board and installed himself as the institution's chairman. The president, who said he wants programming to be less 'wokey,' gleefully promised a 'Golden Age in Arts and Culture' under his leadership. In the weeks that followed, everything was chaos. Long-serving staff resigned, artists canceled their appearances in...
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