Crowds Thrill to 'Obamastock'

Pop stars will share stage with jazz, opera legends at Lincoln Memorial

(NEWSER) - Two days before Barack Obama becomes president, 19 musicians will kick off the inaugural festivities with a free public concert at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington. Bruce Springsteen, Bono, and Beyoncé will perform alongside jazz legend Herbie Hancock and opera superstar Renée Fleming, Billboard reports. The concert, called We Are One, will be broadcast live on HBO on Jan. 18. More»

No, silly—the Beyoncé song (and video!)

(NEWSER) - Maybe at the next inauguration, Barack Obama will provide the musical entertainment. As the then-president-elect hobnobbed with the stars who appeared at the Jan. 18 concert at the Lincoln Memorial, John Legend caught him on video as he and wife Michelle greeted Beyoncé. “Mr. President, you didn’t tell Beyoncé about 'Single Ladies'? Your rendition?” Michelle said. Obama smiled, then did the singer's signature hand flip. More»

Inauguration spectators wait for hours to get in and out of Mall area

(NEWSER) - The record-breaking crowd—an estimated 1.8 million people—at today’s inaugural events is overwhelming Washington’s streets and mass-transit systems, creating long waits for spectators trying to exit the Mall area, the Post reports. Hours after the swearing-in, some were still waiting to enter Metro stations. “It’s something you have to endure for the chance of a lifetime,” one traveler said. More»

Rooftop snipers, the vice president sprinting, Denzel in action, and more

(NEWSER) - Yesterday’s all-star concert on the National Mall put the super in supergroup, but the HBO broadcast didn’t catch everything. Here’s some of what went down off-camera, as seen by Jada Yuan of New York:

• Black-clad Secret Service snipers trolled the Lincoln Memorial’s rooftop, packing binocs and “really big machine guns.”
• Audience members gasping at actor Denzel Washington’s presence, with one man exclaiming, “Damn, all the famous black people are here.” Denzel also “did a little dance” and “raised the roof” for singer Mary J. Blige.
• President-elect Barack Obama obeying Jamie Foxx’s command that “Chi-Town, stand up!”

Dump the extravagance and raise money for charity

(NEWSER) - Over the course of the presidential campaign, we saw some big spectacles from the Obama camp—but this inauguration is "so contrived it's almost ridiculous," and it doesn’t suit the new president's style, writes John Heilemann in New York. For a man who likes to do things differently, wouldn’t it have been more fitting to stage a “minimalist” inauguration in DC, and have “mini-inaugurals” in every state, all benefiting local causes? More»