Obama's Inaugural Celebration "We are One" attracts 400,000

Sunday, January 18, 2009 

2008 United States Presidential Election

2008 U.S. Presidential Election stories

• 23 March 2010: Non-profit ACORN plans to shut down
• 11 January 2010: US Senate Majority leader Harry Reid criticized over "Negro" comments
• 22 July 2009: Former U.S. Presidential candidate Gene Amondson dies following a stroke
• 22 January 2009: Photo source for Barack Obama presidential campaign "HOPE" poster discovered
• 20 January 2009: Obama succeeds Bush as 44th president of the United States

Barack Obama and Michelle Obama enter down the steps of the Memorial

At 2 P.M. on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington D.C., approximately 400,000 people attended H.B.O.'s presentation of Barack Obama's inaugural kick off concert called "We are One". The concert featured many musicians including Beyonce, Stevie Wonder and U2. The show featured other high profile celebrities in between performances reading and reflecting on the significance of Barack's Inauguration on the 20th. Near the end, President-Elect Barack Obama went on the steps and gave a speech.
Throughout most of the songs, several different large choirs provided back up vocals and harmony, as well as a full orchestra below the stage. The bald Eagle, the national bird of the United States was displayed several times and allowed to fly within its trainers arm range as a symbol of patriotism and pride. The entire event is expected to be funded with donations gathered by Obama's inaugural committee.
On January 19, Michelle Obama and Jill Biden hosted the "Kids' Inaugural: We Are the Future" concert at the Verizon Center in Washington, D.C. Musical performers include Disney television and pop stars Miley Cyrus and the Jonas Brothers. The show was broadcast live on Disney Channel and on Radio Disney.

	Directly in front of us is a pool that still reflects the dream of a King, and the glory of a people who marched and bled so that their children might be judged by their character's content.
—--Barack Obama

Inauguration Lineup

Performer(s)	Act
Master Sergeant Caleb B. Green III	The Star-Spangled Banner
Denzel Washington	Homage to the leaders given Monuments or Memorials
Bruce Springsteen	"The Rising" by Bruce Springsteen
Laura Linney and Martin Luther King III	F.D.R and John F. Kennedy
Mary J. Blige	"Lean on Me" by Bill Withers
Jamie Foxx and Steve Carell	Referencing Thomas Jefferson, Thurgood Marshall and Robert Kennedy
Bettye LaVette and Jon Bon Jovi	"A Change Is Gonna Come" by Sam Cooke
Tom Hanks	Tribute to Abraham Lincoln
Marisa Tomei	Quoting Ronald Reagan
James Taylor, John Legend and Jennifer Nettles	"Shower the People" by James Taylor
Joe Biden	Speech
John Mellencamp	"Pink Houses" by John Mellencamp
Queen Latifah	Referencing Marian Anderson
Josh Groban and Heather Headley	"My Country, 'Tis of Thee"
Kal Pen and George Lopez	Quotes Dwight Eisenhower and Barbara Jordan
Herbie Hancock, will.i.am and Sheryl Crow	"One Love" by Bob Marley
Tiger Woods	Dedicating the Armed Forces
Renee Fleming	"You'll Never Walk Alone"
Jack Black and Rosario Dawson	Tribute to Theodore Roosevelt
Garth Brooks	"American Pie" by Don McLean
Ashley Judd and Forest Whitaker	Referencing John F. Kennedy and William Faulkner
Usher, Stevie Wonder and Shakira	"Higher Ground" by Stevie Wonder
Samuel L. Jackson	Referencing Abraham Lincoln, Rosa Parks and Martin Luther King Jr.
U2	"Pride (in the Name of Love)" and "City of Blinding Lights" by U2
Barack Obama	Speech: Voices Calling for Change
Pete Seeger and Bruce Springsteen	"This Land is your Land" by Woody Guthrie
Beyonce	"America the Beautiful"

See also

• Barack Obama 2009 Presidential Inauguration

Sources

• "We Are One: The Obama Inaugural Celebration" — NPR Music, January 18, 2009
• Larry Fitzmaurice. "Springsteen, Bono, Beyonce to Play Obama Inaugural Concert" — Spin Media, January 18, 2009
• Steve Hendrix and Jonathan Mummolo. "Jamming on the Mall for Obama" — Washington Post, January 19, 2009