Jessica Letkemann, N.Y.
Bruce Springsteen, Beyonce, Bono and more than a dozen other music
stars will kick off Barack Obama's presidential inaugural
festivities by performing at the opening celebration at Washington
D.C.'s Lincoln Memorial on Jan. 18. The free event, which is open
to the public, will also be broadcast on HBO.
Nineteen artists from across genres, including Mary J. Blige, Garth
Brooks, Herbie Hancock, Usher, Shakira, and Sheryl Crow, are
scheduled to appear at We Are One: The Obama Inaugural Celebration
at the Lincoln Memorial. Queen Latifah, along with Jamie Foxx,
Martin Luther King III and Denzel Washington, will give historical
readings at the event.
The We Are One opening celebration opens a four-day schedule of
Inaugural events that will include 10 official Inaugural Balls, as
well as an Inauguration-Day-eve youth concert at the Verizon
Center.
A number of other music events celebrating Obama's Inauguration are
being planned to take place around Washington D.C. as well,
including the Beastie Boys and Sheryl Crow headlining a "Hey,
America Feels Kinda Cool Again" event on Jan. 19 at the 9:30 club;
WAR and Marc Anthony appearing at the Latino Inaugural Gala at
Union Station on Jan. 18; Jay-Z Jan. 19 at the Warner Theatre; and
Bela Fleck and Wynton Marsalis performing at CNN's Inaugural event
on Jan. 19 at the Kennedy Center.
Here is the initial music lineup for "We Are One: The Obama
Inaugural Celebration at the Lincoln Memorial":
Beyonce
Mary J. Blige
Bono
Garth Brooks
Sheryl Crow
Renee Fleming
Josh Groban
Herbie Hancock
Heather Headley
John Legend
Jennifer Nettles
John Mellencamp
Usher Raymond IV
Shakira
Bruce Springsteen
James Taylor
will.i.am
Stevie Wonder
Read More:
Billboard's Day-By-Day Inauguration Music Guide