Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s surprise trip to Ukraine Tuesday took a musical twist when he joined a band onstage in Kyiv to perform a rendition of Neil Young’s Rockin’ in the Free World.
Blinken’s unscheduled trip was his first since Congress finally approved nearly $61 billion in fresh aid to Ukraine to bolster the nation’s defenses against the ongoing Russian invasion.
The secretary of State ended his day at the Barman Dictat in Kyiv, where he joined the band 19.99 onstage.
Sporting dad jeans, black sneakers and a black button-down, Blinken strapped on a red guitar and told the crowd, ‘I know that this is a really, really difficult time.’
‘Your soldiers, your citizens – particularly in the northeast and Kharkiv – are suffering tremendously, but they need to know, you need to know, the United States is with you, so much of the world is with you,’ Blinken said. ‘And they’re fighting not just for Ukraine but for the free world. And the free world is with you too.’
Secretary of State Antony Blinken ‘s surprise trip to Ukraine Tuesday took a musical twist when he joined a band onstage in Kyiv to perform a rendition of Neil Young ‘s Rockin’ in the World
Blinken ended his day at the Barman Dictat in Kyiv, where he joined the band 19.99 onstage
‘So maybe we can try something,’ the secretary continued. ‘I don’t know if we can pull this off,’ he also offered.
Blinken played guitar and sang the chorus of the song, which was released in 1989 before the Berlin Wall fell.
Tuesday’s croonfest wasn’t the only time Blinken has rocked out in an official capacity.
At a State Department event in October 2023 touting ‘music diplomacy’ Blinken grabbed a black Fender and performed Hoochie Coochie Man by Muddy Waters.
Foo Fighters frontman Dave Grohl was in the audience.
Afterward the secretary posted a video of his performance on X.
‘I couldn’t pass up tonight’s opportunity to combine music and diplomacy,’ Blinken wrote.
Sporting dad jeans, black sneakers and a black button-down, Blinken strapped on a red guitar
Blinken is a longtime musician and used to play with a band called Cash Bar Wedding that included former White House press secretary Jay Carney as a member
During the Trump years, the longtime musician recorded a handful of singles – which can now be found on Spotify under the artist name Ablinken.
His song Lip Service has gotten more than 100,000 streams.
Blinken had a D.C.-based band that consisted of former Obama White House press secretary Jay Carney and Eli Attie, a former speechwriter for Vice President Al Gore who wrote for the TV series, The West Wing.
The group went by the name of Cash Bar Wedding.
Carney told The New York Times in 2023 that ‘we’re worried his State Department gig is a sign that he’s ditching us to launch a solo career.’