|
Barack Obama and Michelle Obama at the We Are One concert event. We Are One: The Obama Inaugural Celebration at the Lincoln Memorial was a public celebration of the then forth-coming inauguration of President Barack Obama at the Lincoln Memorial and the National Mall in Washington, D.C., on January 18, 2009. By some estimates the attendance was over 400,000.[1] Performers included Bruce Springsteen, U2, Sheryl Crow, Stevie Wonder, Shakira, Beyoncé, Garth Brooks , Pete Seeger, and late entry Jon Bon Jovi. Speakers included Denzel Washington, Tom Hanks, and Jamie Foxx.[2] The event was musically directed by Rob Mathes of the Kennedy Center Honors. The concert was free and HBO broadcast it on an open feed, meaning anyone in the US with cable television could watch it.[3][4] The Associated Press called it a “near-flawless production with multiple camera angles and a majestic backdrop in the giant statue of Abraham Lincoln.”[5] The concert was broadcast around the world. In Finland it was broadcast live and free to air by YLE TV1.[6] Lineup An estimated 400,000 people attended the event. Bono of U2 performing "Pride (In the Name of Love)" at the event. Episcopal Bishop of New Hampshire Gene Robinson gave an open prayer to start the celebration.[7] Performer(s) / Speaker(s)[8] Act[3] Master Sergeant Caleb B. Green III "The Star-Spangled Banner" by Francis Scott Key and John Stafford Smith Denzel Washington Homage to 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" by Samuel Francis Smith 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" from Rodgers and Hammerstein's Carousel 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" by Katharine Lee Bates
|