Biden’s inaugural special: 10 things you missed
THE coronavirus pandemic made it impossible to hold a true inaugural concert on Wednesday, but that wasn’t going to stop the celebrities from showing up, in Washington and remote locations.
During ‘Celebrating America,’ a 90-minute prime-time special that aired on most broadcast and cable news networks, A-list musicians appeared to sing some of their most famous songs (and cover some even more famous songs) – and President Joe Biden and Vice-President Kamala Harris arrived to address the nation. Here are 10 things you missed from the telecast.
An optimistic opening by Bruce Springsteen
Springsteen kicked things off with the Lincoln Memorial in the background: “I’m proud to be here in cold Washington, DC, tonight,” the musician said – an accurate statement, since the temperatures were in the low 30s. “I want to offer this small prayer for our country.” He then launched into ‘Land of Hopes and Dreams,’ and a half-hour later, his Twitter account posted the most hopeful lyrics: Leave behind your sorrows
Let this day be the last Tomorrow there’ll be sunshine And all this darkness past Big wheels roll through fields where sunlight streams
Meet me in a land of hope and dreams”
Host Tom Hanks
In a chaotic time, whom does America want to see? Well, there are probably a few answers, but actor Hanks is one of the most obvious choices.
“For the last few weeks, and the last few years, we have witnessed deep divisions and a troubling rancor in our land. But tonight, we ponder the United States of America: the practice of our democracy, the foundations of our republic, the integrity of our Constitution, the hope and dreams we all share for a more perfect union,” he said at the top of the show, before kicking off a segment in which NBA legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, labor leader Dolores Huerta, Miami Marlins General Manager Kim Ng and student Brayden Harrington (the teenager who bonded with Biden over his stutter) read passages from past inaugural addresses.
Biden’s speech
Biden spoke at the Lincoln Memorial, and he made another call for unity. “There are moments in our history when more is asked of us as Americans. We saw that in the Civil War. We saw that with Dr. King dreaming from these steps across the Mall. We are in one of those moments now,” he said.
“The pandemic, economic crisis, racial injustice, a climate crisis and threats to our very democracy. And the question is: Are we up to it? Will we meet the moment like our forebears have? I believe we must, and I believe we will. You, the American people, are the reason why I’ve never been more optimistic about America than I am this very day.”
Harris’s speech
Harris spoke about similar ideas as she delivered a brief address about her hope for the country. “A great experiment takes great determination. The will to do the work, and then the wisdom to keep refining, keep tinkering, keep perfecting. The same determination is being realized in America today,” she said.
“I see it in the scientists who are transforming the future. I see it in the parents who are nurturing generations to come. In the innovators and the educators. In everyone, everywhere who is building a better life for themselves, their families and their communities. This, too, is American aspiration.”
A very adorable baby
Biden and first lady Jill Biden, who had returned to the White House, were filmed watching more of the special – and in one scene that lit up Twitter, Biden held his baby
grandson, Beau, in his arms as they took in Demi Lovato’s remote performance from Los Angeles, where she belted out a cover of
Bill Withers’s ‘Lovely Day.’
More cover songs
Lovato wasn’t the only one to go with a famed song by another artist: John Legend sat at a piano near the Lincoln Memorial as he performed Nina Simone’s ‘Feeling Good,’ while Jon Bon Jovi covered the Beatles’ ‘Here Comes the Sun’ from a very serene-looking location in Miami.
Uplifting anthems
Clearly, a major theme of the special was ‘optimism,’ and the Foo Fighters pulled through with ‘Times Like These.’ Justin Timberlake and Ant Clemons sang their duet, ‘Better Days,’ while country stars Tim McGraw and Tyler Hubbard of Florida Georgia Line gave a debut performance of their new collaboration ‘Undivided.’
A group of Broadway actors – including Javier Muńoz and Leslie Uggams – delivered a virtual rendition of ‘Seasons of Love’ from ‘Rent,’ singing from different locations.
Even more celebrities
The show also featured plenty of tributes to everyday Americans: front-line workers, doctors, nurses, teachers, grocery store clerks and many more. Multiple stars from all over the country introduced segments and performances, including actresses Kerry Washington and Eva Longoria Bastòn, actorcomposer Lin-Manuel Miranda and chef Josè Andrès.
Three past presidents, reunited
Former presidents Barack Obama, George W Bush and Bill Clinton got together to hang out and talk about how inaugurations have represented a peaceful transition of power for more than two centuries. (Everyone steadfastly ignored the Donald Trump factor.)
“I think the fact that the three of us are standing here talking about a peaceful transfer of power speaks to the institutional integrity of our country,” Bush said in the joint video from Arlington National Cemetery.
Clinton added the country is ‘trying to come back to normalcy, deal with totally abnormal challenges, and do what we do best, which is try to make a more perfect union.’
“We’ve got to not just listen to folks we agree with, but listen to folks we don’t,” Obama said.
“And one of my fondest memories of the inauguration was the grace and generosity that President Bush showed me and Laura Bush showed Michelle, and it was a reminder that we can have fierce disagreements and yet recognise each other’s common humanity. And that as Americans, we have more in common than what separates us.”
A firework-filled finale
Katy Perry closed out the night with a rendition of her hit ‘Firework,’ which was taken very literally.
It was accompanied by a truly astonishing number of fireworks that lit up the DC sky. Seriously, it might have set a record for the number of fireworks released at one time. (And if it wasn’t, it sounded like it.)