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- Aretha Franklin, 'My Country, 'Tis of Thee'
- Barbra Streisand, "God Bless America"
- Beyoncé, 'At Last'
- Bob Dylan, 'Chimes of Freedom'
- Bruce Springsteen and Pete Seeger, 'This Land Is Your Land'
- Fleetwood Mac, 'Don't Stop'
- Kelly Clarkson, 'My Country, 'Tis of Thee'
- Lady Gaga, 'The Star-Spangled Banner'
- Ray Charles, 'America The Beautiful'
- Ricky Martin, 'Cup of Life'
Franklin performed at the inaugurations of three presidents: Barack Obama, Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter. The singer, who died in 2018, shined at Obama's first inauguration, belting out a soulful rendition of "My Country, 'Tis of Thee." For many, Franklin's epic hat with an enormous bow was the piece that pushed this performance over the top.
There's no such thing as a phoned-in performance from Streisand, who makes this patriotic classic divinely her own with every carefully enunciated word and soaring vocal riff. When she launches into a piercing belt for the showstopping final verse, the camera cuts to Bill Clinton, smiling and fist-pumping from his seat at his first inauguration con...
Beyoncé is no stranger to fantastic presidential performances, having sung "America the Beautiful" at Obama's inauguration concert in 2009 and the national anthem when he was sworn in for a second term in 2013. But our favorite moment was when she serenaded the president and first lady Michelle Obama with "At Last," made famous by Etta James, at t...
Dylan has written some of the best protest songs in history, but the iconic folk singer has an on-again, off-again relationship with politics. One of his most memorable "on" moments came in 1993 when he performed for Clinton's inauguration. "Chimes of Freedom" was the song he selected, delivered with his trademark raspy voice. A grinning Clinton ca...
After four years of division, there is something profoundly moving about watching this joyful performance from Barack Obama’s first inauguration. Standing in front of the Lincoln Memorial, flanked by gospel singers in blue and red, Springsteen and Seeger, who died in 2014, lead the massive crowd in a simple yet heartwarming rendition of “This Land ...
A thoroughly delightful performance of Fleetwood Mac's 1977 crowd-pleaser, which closed out Clinton's first-term inaugural concert with a message of hope and optimism ("It'll be better than before / Yesterday's gone, yesterday's gone"). Stick around until the end to see Michael Jackson join the band for the final chorus, dancing side by side with S...
Clarkson is no stranger to performing in front of crowds, under pressure. She did get her start on "American Idol" after all. And yet she looks incredibly nervous here. Starstruck, too, as she shakes hands with then-Vice President Joe Biden. But once she gets started, it's the Kelly Clarkson we know and love delivering a poignant rendition of "My C...
The national anthem is a frequently solemn affair, with many artists too afraid of flubbing that final "free" to really let loose or even crack a smile. Lady Gaga, meanwhile, struck the perfect balance of reverent and relaxed, dramatic and high camp at President Joe Biden's inauguration: her voice soaring as she channeled Patti LuPone in "Evita," a...
Frank Sinatra and the Beach Boys topped the bill of Ronald Reagan's second inaugural gala. But the high point of the evening was undoubtedly Charles, who has performed his now-definitive version of "America the Beautiful" everywhere from Lincoln Center to the World Series. Soulful and stirring, it's hard not to get emotional as the audience joins h...
Martin brought tremendous energy as the final performer at George W. Bush's first inauguration. Performing "Cup of Life" while spinning and shaking his hips, he led the crowd in a call-and-response of "Do you really want it? Yeah!" We're still singing "Ale, ale, ale!"
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- Patrick Ryan,Gary Dinges
Barack Obama and Michelle Obama at the We Are One concert event. We Are One: The Obama Inaugural Celebration at the Lincoln Memorial was a public celebration of the then forthcoming inauguration of Barack Obama as the 44th President of the United States at the Lincoln Memorial and the National Mall in Washington, D.C., on January 18, 2009.
Performer(s) / Speaker(s)[7]Act[6]"Fanfare for the Common Man" by Aaron ...Joint Service Color guard, led by the ..."The Star-Spangled Banner" by Francis ...Homage to leaders given Monuments or ...Bruce Springsteen and The Joyce Garrett ..."The Rising" by Bruce SpringsteenJan 18, 2009 · Beyoncé closed the "We Are One" inaugural concert with a unifying performance of "America the Beautiful." Even the Obamas sang along!
