Inaugural Celebration with Music's Top Names

Sunday's inaugural celebration for Barack Obama at the Lincoln Memorial is a coveted gig for music's top names.

Beyonce, U2, Bruce Springsteen, John Mellencamp, Usher, Shakira, Sheryl Crow, Josh Groban and James Taylor are among the musicians scheduled to perform Sunday afternoon. The president-elect and his family are due to attend, with Obama expected to speak.

The artists won't be performing their big hits, but will be asked to perform material appropriate to the occasion. One musician will be asked to perform "A Change Is Gonna Come," the song made famous by Sam Cooke.

Other performers include Stevie Wonder, Renee Fleming, Garth Brooks, Mary J. Blige, Heather Headley, John Legend and Jennifer Nettles. Historical passages will be read by Jamie Foxx, Martin Luther King III, Queen Latifah and Denzel Washington, with other celebrities expected to join them.

HBO will televise the show at 7 p.m. EST.

After getting the go-ahead from the Presidential Inaugural Committee two and a half weeks ago to put the show together, executive producer George Stevens Jr. said he quickly learned it would not be like any other special event he's tried to book.

Stevens said he tried to reach out to a diversity of artists. The theme for the show, titled "We Are One: The Obama Inaugural Celebration at the Lincoln Memorial," is less about celebration than national unification.

Sponsored by EnterTo.com the first REAL spam free email

Click Below to discover and share content from anywhere on the web

MUSIC TALK

Inaugural Celebration with Music's Top Names