Barack Obama and his family received a spectacular welcome to Washington DC with inaugural concert 'We Are One' on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C. on Sunday afternoon, January 18. Shakira at the concert. Photo Credit: HBOJanuary 19, 2009, (Sawf News) - Barack Obama and his family received a spectacular welcome to Washington DC with inaugural concert 'We Are One' on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C. on Sunday afternoon, January 18.
The two hour event featured live performances by top ranking singers and musicians, as well as moving speeches by the likes of Martin Luther King Jr. III, Tom Hanks and Denzel Washington.
Denzel Washington opened the event, from a stage erected on the steps of the memorial, with an introductory speech that stressed the show's theme: "We are one."
Bruce Springsteen kicked off the concert with a high energy performance of the post-9/11 anthem "The Rising" with a backdrop of gospel choir in red robes.
Thousands of spectators braved the cold and gathered around the Reflecting Pool all the way east to the Washington Monument.
Stars who got on to the stage to enthuse and serenade the tens of thousands on the National Mall included, Mary J Blige, Jon Bon Jovi, Bettye LaVette, James Taylor, John Legend, Sheryl Crow, Will.I.Am, Usher, Shakira and Stevie Wonder. Obama with his wife and daughters Malia, 10, Sasha, 7 and and Vice President-elect Joe Biden and his wife, Jill, watched the performances from behind a bullet-proof glass near the stage.
Tom Hanks dressed in a dark suit paid tribute to Abraham Lincoln in settings reminiscent of his speech in the 1994 film Forrest Grump, without the jump into the Reflecting pool at the end!
Some big performances were reserved for the end. Bruce Springsteen and Pete Seeger took the stage to sing This Land Is Your Land, and Beyoncé rounded up the evening with her performance of America the Beautiful.
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