Michelle Obama gets surprise visit, flowers from husband Barack at DC book event

“You won’t get this at every show,’ Michelle Obama told the crowd.

Barack Obama joked that the reception was akin to when rapper Jay Z makes an appearance during one of his wife Beyonce’s music tours. “This is like – you know when Jay-Z comes out during the Beyoncé concert? … Like, Crazy in Love?” he said.

The former president also talked how he and Michelle met at the Chicago law firm of Sidney & Austin, quipping at one point, “basically I wore her down,” when discussing how he convinced her to date him.

Michelle Obama was joined on stage for the book discussion by moderator and former White House adviser Valerie Jarrett. The two discussed life after living in the White House as well as the current state of politics under President Trump.

“We have a choice in what we decide to accept as a people,” Obama said, according to CNN. “We’re now living in an example of — you’ve seen going high, and you’ve seen going low. And the question that we have to ask ourselves is which feels better? You know, what world do we want to live in? What world do we want our kids to grow up in?”

Her visit to D.C. comes two days after she visited Los Angeles, Calif., on a 10-city tour that kicked off on the day of the book’s release, Nov. 13, in Obama’s hometown of Chicago, Ill.. She was introduced by Hollywood celebrities Oprah Winfrey and Tracee Ellis Ross in Chicago and Los Angeles respectively.

“Becoming” made one of the biggest book debuts for the year with 725,000 copies sold, closely following journalist Bob Woodward’s Fear: Trump in the White House, which sold around 900,000 copies after one day. according to Fox News.

“This memoir has helped me to embrace the fullness of my story—failures, triumphs, and all,” Obama tweeted the day before she began the tour earlier this month. “I hope it inspires you to do the same.”

Tickets to hear Obama and other moderators discuss her memoir ranged from $29.50 for perches in the nosebleed seats up to $3,000 for front-row seats, which included a “pre-show photo opportunity,” meet-and-greet reception with Obama, a signed book and other perks, including an “exclusive VIP gift item,” according to the Washington Post.

Pre-sale of the tickets began on Sept. 20, but the inexpensive seats were quickly sold out. For Saturday’s event, few tickets were available at the relatively inexpensive price of $199. The remaining tickets for next week’s D.C. event cost as much as $399 at the lowest price.

“Truly humbled by the response to my upcoming book tour,” Obama wrote of the sales on Twitter. “I can’t wait to share BECOMING with all of you & hope to see you somewhere along the way!”

Obama and Live Nation, the entertainment company producing the tour, will donate 10 percent of the sales to local charities, schools, and community groups. Fans from those organizations were also provided with free tickets. For Saturday’s event, Obama set aside 80 tickets for 826DC, a non-profit tuition centre for kids, according to WUSA 9.