Springsteen, Bono, Vedder for Barack Obama: here’s how it went

Bruce Springsteen, Bono and The Edge of U2, Eddie Vedder, Stevie Wonder and still others performed yesterday at inauguration ceremony of the Obama Presidential Center. The concert marked the opening of the Presidential Center in Chicagowanted byformer President Barack Obama before officially opening to the public today.

In addition to the musicians mentioned the lineup also included Christina Aguilera, Common, Jennifer Hudson, John Legend, Marc Anthony, Marsai Martin, Roots And Tems. THE Roots they opened the show with a funky version of “Change (Makes You Want to Hustle)” Of Donald Byrdwhich later merged with theirs “You Got Me”before proposing their interpretation of “Get Up, Stand Up” Of Bob Marley and a cover of “Jungle Boogie” of the Kool & The Gang. Then Jennifer Hudson sang the national anthem and “The Impossible Dream (The Quest)” of the The Man of La Mancha. Followed by Christina Aguilera who proposed a rearranged version of “What a Wonderful World” Of Louis Armstrong.

The frontman of Pearl Jam Eddie Vedder took the stage alongside the Chicago non-profit organization Guitars Over Guns which offers students from underserved communities a mix of music and tutoring. Together, they premiered a new song Vedder co-wrote with them, titled “Better Believe”.

Next it was the turn of
John Legend
which he reinterpreted
“Someday We’ll All Be Free”
Of
Donny Hathaway
before being joined by
Common
for a version of theirs
“Glory”
.
Bono and The Edge of U2
together with the manufacturer
Jackknife Lee
they performed an acoustic version of
“City of Blinding Lights”
song taken from the album
“How to Dismantle an
“Atomic Bomb”
(
read the review here
) who played a prominent role years ago during Obama’s presidential campaign rallies. Before his performance
Good
he joked, “We’re here to represent the Irish in Chicago.”

To follow
Bruce Springsteen
he sang
“Land of Hope and Dreams”
after telling the audience, “I am so happy to be here this afternoon for President Obama and Michelle, Malia and Sasha, you know how much I love you. We have been entrusted with a glorious task, to continually strive to improve this great nation of ours. That quote was from President Obama’s speech in Selma. President Obama and Michelle, you have embodied this ideal with lives that have served us all with heart and dedication, love and compassion.”

Stevie Wonder
closed the show with performances of
“All I Do”
And
“Signed, Sealed, Delivered (I’m Yours)”
before inviting Hudson, Aguilera, Legend, Vedder, Springsteen, Common and Roots on stage to perform
“Higher Ground”
. Wonder said to those in attendance: “I want you all to remember to never let fear put your dreams to sleep.”