A star-studded concert at the Lincoln Memorial on Sunday was energized by performers who supported Barack Obama’s candidacy and were eager to give his inaugural celebration a rocking start.
The four-day celebration officially got under way with the “We Are One” event, which featured some of music’s biggest names performing songs that, in the president-elect’s own words, “remind us of what we love about America.”
Sunday was about the star power generated by the entertainment industry’s embrace of Obama. Bruce Springsteen, Beyonce, U2, Garth Brooks and Stevie Wonder were among the dozens of musicians who performed. Interspersed with the musical numbers were readings by some of Hollywood’s biggest stars, including Tom Hanks, Denzel Washington, Jamie Foxx, Marissa Tomei and Forrest Whitaker.
The event was the American equivalent of a royal command performance, as the Obama family had seats on the stage, where they were joined by Vice President-elect Joseph Biden and his wife.
The performers ignited the huge crowd that lined the National Mall and stretched from the Lincoln Memorial along both sides of the Reflecting Pool all the way up to the Washington Monument, nearly a mile away.
Springsteen opened the show. He had hit the campaign trail for Obama, as he had four years earlier for Democratic nominee John Kerry. Springsteen playing a rousing acoustic version of “The Rising,” accompanied by a gospel choir. The song, his post-9/11 “song of hope,” as he once called it, earned a rare standing ovation from the Obamas and Bidens.
The hot start continued with R&B artist Mary J. Blige, whose version of “Lean on Me” had thousands singing along.
Foxx delighted the crowd with his impersonation of Obama that had the president-elect laughing.
John Mellencamp later turned up the heat with a rocking rendition of “Pink Houses,” his ode to Americana, backed by a gospel choir.
Oh, but ain’t that America for you and me,
Ain’t that America something to see baby,
Ain’t that America, home of the free,
Little pink houses, for you and me.
Later, classical soprano Renee Fleming wowed the crowd with a stellar version of “You’ll Never Walk Alone.”
A medley by Garth Brooks that included a version of “Shout” had the people in the crowd raising their arms (a la “Animal House”) all the way down the Mall.
Latin sensation Shakira and R&B star Usher Raymond joined Wonder for a version of the latter’s classic “Higher Ground,” which had Obama clapping in time.
U2’s tribute to Martin Luther King Jr., “Pride (In the Name of Love),” had everyone in the VIP area out of their seats. And Bono, who has become a persistent advocate for political causes in recent years, worked the stage like no other performer Sunday.
After Obama’s speech, Springsteen returned accompanied by Pete Seeger, whose career as a folksinging activist stretches back more than 50 years, for a version of Woody Guthrie’s “This Land Is Your Land.”
The biggest crowd pleaser was saved for last, as Beyonce came out to sing “America the Beautiful” and was quickly joined by the entire lineup.
