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Obama Nears His Moment With Musical Extravaganza

Associated Press

President-elect Barack Obama, his wife Michelle Obama, arrive at "We Are One: Opening Inaugural Celebration at the Lincoln Memorial" Sunday in Washington.

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The Associated Press

Published: January 18, 2009

Updated: 01/18/2009 06:37 pm

WASHINGTON - Barack Obama said he's as hopeful as ever about the future of the U.S. as thousands of Americans converged on Washington's Lincoln Memorial for a free concert to celebrate his inauguration as the first black president.

Only a handful of generations have been asked to confront challenges as serious as the ones we face right now, Obama said today.

"Despite the enormity of the task that lies ahead, I stand here today as hopeful as ever that the United States of America will endure, that it will prevail, that the dream of our founders will live on in our time," he said.

People gathered hours in advance for the event at the same site chosen by civil rights activist Martin Luther King Jr. for his 1963 I Have a Dream speech. The concert featured songs by Bruce Springsteen, Stevie Wonder, James Taylor, Sheryl Crow, U2 and Mary J. Blige; Martin Luther King III spoke, along with actors including Denzel Washington and Tom Hanks.

Obama sang along as Garth Brooks performed "American Pie."

Obama and his wife, Michelle, rocked along to Blige and jumped to their feet as Wonder sang and played the keyboard. Interspersed in the event were clips of past presidents, including the inaugural addresses by John F. Kennedy and Franklin Delano Roosevelt.

Obama and his wife followed incoming Vice President Joe Biden and his wife, Jill, down the steps of the memorial and waved to crowds that stretched down the National Mall to the Washington Monument before the concert. They took seats to the side of the stage with the Obama children, Sasha and Malia.
Change has come to America, actor Jamie Foxx told the roaring crowd, quoting Obama and doing an impression of him that drew laughter from attendees and the president-elect himself.

Biden spoke about 40 minutes into the program about the value of work, saying it was about dignity and respect.

"I see a country built by men and women who believe in the dignity of work, who take pride in providing for their families," Biden told the crowd.

Obama, 47, for the second day chose to invoke the spirit of Abraham Lincoln, the president who led the U.S. through the Civil War and ended slavery. Obama arrived in Washington last night after a whistle-stop train trip that began in Philadelphia; Lincoln arrived by railroad in 1861 for his own inauguration. Both were elected from their adopted home state of Illinois.

This morning, Obama and Biden laid a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknowns at Arlington National Cemetery, just outside Washington. The cemetery dates back to the Civil War, and the tomb honors the remains of unidentified U.S. soldiers.

Obama, his wife and daughters and his mother-in-law, Marian Robinson, then attended Washington's Nineteenth Street Baptist Church. As the largely black congregation welcomed the Obamas, a little boy stepped to the microphone and echoed the 1963 words of King envisioning the end of discrimination and quoting an old spiritual: "Free at last, free at last, thank God almighty we are free at last."

The annual federal holiday honoring King is tomorrow, and Obama plans to use it for a national call to service. He and Biden and their families will participate in community service projects in the Washington area.

The following day, Tuesday, Obama will drive to the Capitol with outgoing President George W. Bush and by noon will lay his hand on the same Bible used by Lincoln to take the oath of office. Obama's inaugural address is highly anticipated because of his reputation for eloquence.

"You've got huge expectations that have been raised during the campaign by the level of rhetoric," said Thurston Clarke, author of "Ask Not: The Inauguration of John F. Kennedy and the Speech That Changed America."

The festivities, which include a parade and 10 official balls on the evening of Jan. 20, are a far cry from many of the early inaugurals. In 1801, Thomas Jefferson walked through muddy streets to the Capitol with a few followers for his swearing-in; afterward, he returned to a boarding house to eat supper.

People attending today's concert and planning to come to events throughout the next few days are bundling up for temperatures ranging between 20 and 36 degrees.

Hudson Trail Outfitters in Washington's Chevy Chase neighborhood was out of gloves today and had a limited hat selection; hand and foot warmers are sold out throughout the Washington metropolitan region, salespeople said.

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