Guster performed Friday night at the Kennedy Center, with the band using their show to stage a protest of sorts amid the Trump administration’s sweeping changes at the historic Washington, D.C. venue.
During the concert, Guster brought out the cast of Finn — an LGBTQ+ musical with trans themes whose own Kennedy Center performances were canceled after Trump named himself chairman — to perform with the band and the National Symphony Orchestra.
“I have a friend named Michael who wrote the songs for a musical called Finn,” singer Ryan Miller told the audience (via The Handbasket). “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. 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.”
Miller continued, “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. Please welcome the cast of Finn and composer Michael Kooman. They belong here.”
Guster and the Finn cast then performed the band’s “Hard Times” together, which concluded with a pair of standing ovations from the audience:
Following Trump’s self-appointment as Kennedy Center chairman, at least 26 performances have been canceled, including 15 by the scheduled acts themselves. Issa Rae cancelled her Feb. 14 show, citing “an infringement on the values of an institution that has faithfully celebrated artists of all backgrounds through all mediums.” On Feb. 13, Low Cut Connie, the Philadelphia rock and soul band fronted by Adam Weiner, cancelled their March 19 concert.
Lin-Manuel Miranda and Jefferey Seller were meant to bring Hamilton to the Kennedy Center in 2026, but cancelled the run, saying, “The Kennedy Center was not created in this spirit, and we’re not going to be a part of it while it is the Trump Kennedy Center. We’re just not going to be part of it.”
Finn — a children’s musical about a shark finding its “inner fish” that was created by Chris Nee, the openly gay creator of the kids show Doc McStuffins, and produced by the Kennedy Center — had its national tour canceled in February, though the Kennedy Center said at the time it “was a purely financial decision” that was in motion prior to Trump taking office.
Guster drummer Brian Rosenworcel told The Handbasket following Friday’s performance, “We’ve tried to stay focused on these shows being for our fans and the working symphony members and the excellent staff here, but when the new board promises to make programming ‘less inclusive’ you gotta use your platform to fight that. We just wanted to restore the voices that belong on this stage. LGBTQ voices are welcome on our stage anytime, anywhere.”
Additional reporting by Nikki McCann Ramirez
