Concert highlights inaugural festivities

WASHINGTON — Though dozens of celebrities and musicians appeared at Sunday’s inauguration… WASHINGTON — Though dozens of celebrities and musicians appeared at Sunday’s inauguration concert on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, one star shined brighter than the rest through the frigid, overcast day. President-elect Barack Obama, sitting on the makeshift stage with his family behind a bulletproof glass encasing, smiled wide and sang along to songs about community, pride and America’s surplus of both, before taking the stage himself at the ‘We Are One: The Obama Inaugural Celebration.’ The setup on the mall was enormous, with Jumbotron screens erected from the memorial back to the Washington Monument so that all of the’ ‘ estimated 300,000 people could watch and hear. It all seemed like just a teaser for the predicted crowds at today’s inauguration. The program began with Bruce Springsteen, dressed in black with only an acoustic guitar, singing a haunting rendition of ‘The Rising’ backed by a full chorus. Passionate and gravel-voiced as ever, The Boss set the tone for the afternoon of inspired speeches and performances. Celebrity speeches were interspersed in the day’s performances and, as the day was a celebration of past triumphs and present victories, many quoted famous Americans, with presidents John F. Kennedy, Abraham Lincoln’ and Franklin Roosevelt showing up most often. The allusions sent a clear message ‘mdash; to build hope for the future, links must be made to the successful past. ‘I won’t pretend that meeting any of these challenges will be easy,’ said Obama after listing America’s current ills. ‘It’ll take more than a month, more than a year. It’ll likely take many. All the way there will be setbacks and false starts, days that test our resolve as a nation. But, 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 the dream of our fathers will live on in our time. He paused. ‘What gives me the greatest hope of all is not the stone and marble that surround us, but what fills the spaces in between. It is you.’