CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The crowd danced to the beat and threw their hands up in the air. Screamed song lyrics. Stood in line to buy beer. The Jay Z get-out-the-vote concert felt less like a political rally for Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton, and more like a party.

Jay Z began the concert with "Made in America." He performed behind a screen that manipulated his face to look like an American flag. A-list artists, including Beyonce, Big Sean, Chance the Rapper, and J. Cole surprised a pumped up crowd.

Clinton emerged near the end of the set, and asked Ohioans to vote.

"Here in Cuyahoga County every day is Election Day," Clinton said. "We can have the biggest turnout in history."

Read more takeaways below:

The show

Jay Z performed behind a black and white photograph of the White House. He repeated Clinton's campaign slogan: "Stronger Together."

Each special performer emerged, one after another, thrilling the crowd of about 10,000. Politics overlaid performance. Words flashed behind the musicians on a large screen:

"Bad officials are elected by good citizens who do not vote"

"And on that day I did nothing"

"Shape Tomorrow, Vote Today"

"Your voice, your vote"

The crowd erupted in screams as Beyonce took the stage. Queen B delivered a heartfelt speech about what seeing a woman in the White House means to her.

"There was a time when a woman's opinion did not matter if you were black, if you were white, Mexican, Asian, Muslim, educated, poor or rich. If you were a woman, it did not matter. Less than 100 years ago, women did not have the right to vote. Look how far we've come from having no voice to being on the brink of making history, again, by electing the first woman president. But we have to vote. The world looks to us as a progressive country that leads change," Beyonce said. "I want my daughter to grow up seeing a woman lead our country."

She transitioned into an appropriately patriotic song: Freedom. And followed it up with a medley of female empowerment songs: "Independent Women," and "Run the World (Girls)."

The screen behind her flashed: "I'm with her."

Get out the vote

The campaign handed out the free tickets near the Cuyahoga County Board of Elections, where Clevelanders could vote early, and offered priority access to anyone who agreed to volunteer. The campaign hoped the concert would get out the vote for Clinton in Cleveland.

So did the ploy work?

Yes and no.

Many concertgoers supported Clinton, but also wanted to see the rapper.

Charniese Griffin, 45, voted early for Clinton at the Board of Elections just before picking up tickets to the Jay Z show, right across the street. The Maple Heights resident volunteered for the campaign and received priority access to the concert.

Why Clinton?

"She's a strong woman, she really is," Griffin said.

Clinton's strategy to get out the vote made sense to 20-year-old Bowling Green University student Alex Green. She supports Clinton, and voted early. But she also wanted to see the concert.

"She did this to get people to go out and vote for her," Green said. "And it's Jay Z."

But at least once concertgoer didn't agree with Clinton's politics.

Tamika Giddens supports Republican Donald Trump and just came to see Jay Z. The 30-year-old likes Trump's blunt approach.

"I like the fact that he's outspoken," Giddens said. "What he feels, he says it. I'm behind that."