January 18, 2009 concert
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 forthcoming
inauguration of
Barack Obama as the 44th
President of the United States 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]
The event was produced by
George Stevens and
Don Mischer and directed by Mischer.
[2]
Rob Mathes of the
Kennedy Center Honors served as musical director. A backing band used by many of the artists was in the
orchestra pit , and featured veteran session drummer
Kenny Aronoff .
[3]
The concert featured performances by (in alphabetical order)
Beyoncé ,
Mary J. Blige ,
Jon Bon Jovi ,
Garth Brooks ,
Mariah Carey ,
Sheryl Crow ,
Renée Fleming ,
Caleb Green ,
Josh Groban ,
Herbie Hancock ,
Heather Headley ,
Bettye LaVette ,
John Legend ,
John Mellencamp ,
Jennifer Nettles ,
Pete Seeger ,
Shakira ,
Bruce Springsteen ,
James Taylor ,
U2 ,
Usher ,
will.i.am and
Stevie Wonder .
[4] Several of the songs performed had been used by
Obama's presidential campaign .
[5]
The concert also featured readings of historical passages by
Jack Black ,
Steve Carell ,
Rosario Dawson ,
Jamie Foxx ,
Tom Hanks ,
Samuel L. Jackson ,
Ashley Judd ,
Martin Luther King III ,
Queen Latifah ,
Laura Linney ,
George Lopez ,
Kal Penn ,
Marisa Tomei ,
Denzel Washington ,
Forest Whitaker and
Tiger Woods .
[4]
[6]
[7]
Lineup
An estimated 400,000 people attended the event.
Sheryl Crow ,
Herbie Hancock , and
will.i.am
Shakira ,
Stevie Wonder , and
Usher
Bono of
U2
Episcopal
Bishop of New Hampshire
Gene Robinson gave an open prayer to start the celebration.
[8]
Performer(s) / Speaker(s)
[7]
Act
[6]
The US Army Band "Pershing's Own" Herald Trumpets
"
Fanfare for the Common Man " by
Aaron Copland
Joint Service Color guard, led by the Army Continental Color Guard (CCG),
Master
er 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 and The Joyce Garrett Singers
"
The Rising " by Bruce Springsteen
Laura Linney and
Martin Luther King III
Passages by
Franklin D. Roosevelt 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 F. Kennedy
Bettye LaVette and
Jon Bon Jovi
"
A Change is Gonna Come " by
Sam Cooke
Tom Hanks
Lincoln Portrait by
Aaron Copland
Marisa Tomei
Quoting
Ronald Reagan
James Taylor ,
John Legend ,
Jennifer Nettles ,
Arnold McCuller , Caroline (Kim) Taylor
"
Shower the People " by James Taylor
Joe Biden
Speech: The Dignity of Work
John Mellencamp and Baptist choir
"
Pink Houses " by John Mellencamp
Queen Latifah
Referencing
Marian Anderson
Josh Groban ,
Heather Headley , and the
Gay Men's Chorus of Washington, D.C.
"
My Country, 'Tis of Thee " by
Samuel Francis Smith
George Lopez and
Kal Penn
Quotes from
Dwight D. Eisenhower and
Barbara Jordan
Herbie Hancock ,
will.i.am , and
Sheryl Crow
"
One Love " by
Bob Marley
Tiger Woods
Dedicating the
Armed Forces
Renée Fleming and the
U.S. Naval Academy Glee Club
"
You'll Never Walk Alone " from
Rodgers and Hammerstein 's
Carousel
Jack Black and
Rosario Dawson
Tribute to
Theodore Roosevelt
Garth Brooks and Inaugural Celebration Chorus
"
American Pie " by
Don McLean , "
Shout " by
The Isley Brothers , "
We Shall Be Free " by Garth Brooks
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 "
Barack Obama
Speech:
Voices Calling for Change
Pete Seeger ,
Bruce Springsteen ,
Tao Rodríguez-Seeger , and Inaugural Celebration Chorus
"
This Land Is Your Land " by
Woody Guthrie
Beyoncé and entire ensemble
"
America the Beautiful " by
Katharine Lee Bates and
Samuel A. Ward
Broadcast
Attendance at the concert was free to the public, and
HBO also broadcast the concert for free on
cable television services on their usually subscription-only network.
[6]
[9] The concert was broadcast around the world. In
Finland it was broadcast live and
free to air by
YLE TV1 .
[10] In the
Netherlands it was broadcast live and free by
Nederland 3 .
[11] It was broadcast in
Portugal by
RTP 2 on January 24, 2009. In
Sweden it was broadcast by
TV8 . HBO released the concert as part of a 2 DVD set (including the Inaugural Address and Neighborhood Ball) in April 2010.
[12] Also, it was shown for the crowd at Obama's inauguration two days later on megascreens in the hours before the ceremony began.
Reception
The
Associated Press called it a "near-flawless production with multiple camera angles and a majestic backdrop in the giant statue of
Abraham Lincoln ".
[13]
References
^ Hendrix, Steve; Mummolo, Jonathan (January 18, 2009).
"Jamming on the Mall for Obama" .
The Washington Post .
^ Gallo, Phil (January 18, 2009).
"We Are One: The Obama Inaugural Celebration" . Variety . Retrieved February 21, 2024 .
^
"Aronoff ready to play star-studded Obama celebration" . Herald Times . January 11, 2009. Archived from
the original on January 3, 2013.
^
a
b Gallo, Phil (January 18, 2009).
"We Are One: The Obama Inaugural Celebration" .
Variety . Retrieved December 2, 2023 .
^ Lamb, Nicola (January 20, 2009).
"Masses pour into Washington to witness history in the making" .
The New Zealand Herald .
^
a
b
c
"We Are One" .
Home Box Office . Archived from
the original on January 18, 2009. Retrieved January 18, 2009 .
^
a
b Daunt, Tina (January 13, 2009).
"Letting the trumpets, and electric guitars, herald Barack Obama" .
Los Angeles Times . Retrieved January 2, 2016 .
^
"Bishop asks God to keep Obama safe, give him joy" .
USA Today . January 18, 2009.
^ Fitzmaurice, Larry (January 12, 2009).
"Springsteen, Bono, Beyonce to Play Obama Inaugural Concert" .
Spin . Retrieved January 18, 2009 .
^
"We are One: Barack Obaman juhlakonsertti YLE TV1 21.15 - 23.20" .
Yle . Archived from
the original on January 30, 2009.
^
"The Obama Inaugural Celebration NPS Nederland 3 20.30-22.36" .
Nederland 3 . [
dead link ]
^
"The Official Inaugural Celebration DVD (Full Frame)" . HBO Store. Archived from
the original on August 22, 2010.
^
Stelter, Brian (January 18, 2009).
"It's Not TV. It's BHO" .
The New York Times .