Whoever was in charge of reserving the talent for the possession of Joe Biden clearly had an easier task than his 2017 counterpart. Donald Trump’s transition team promised the world an Elton John performance. Instead, performers at several opening events included Tony Orlando, from Knock Three Times and Tie to Yellow Ribbon; a decadent post-grunge band called 3 Doors Down; country singer Toby Keith; and a woman who came in second at America’s Got Talent. Elton John, it was clear, had not confirmed and evidently had no intention of playing. Here was a lesson for unscrupulous concert promoters everywhere about announcing an act before signing up.
To be fair, they managed to set up a true musical legend – Sam Moore, half of the 60s soul duo Sam & Dave, who performed at a pre-opening event called Make America Great Again! Welcome celebration. But the inauguration ceremony itself featured only a military choir and band – a descent from Trump’s predecessor, Barack Obama, who made Aretha Franklin sing at her 2009 ceremony followed by Beyoncé in 2013. A painful nadir was achieved when an act a tribute to Bruce Springsteen called the B Street Band withdrew from a concert the day before the inauguration. When the tribute bands start telling you to make one, you’re in trouble.
Under these circumstances, almost anything would have been an improvement, but Biden’s team proved to be able to attract some important stars: the special Celebrating America TV that was supposed to follow the opening was scheduled to be hosted by Tom Hanks and featured Justin Timberlake, Foo Fighters , Demi Lovato, Jon Bon Jovi, John Legend and the real Bruce Springsteen.
At the opening, Lady Gaga sang the national anthem in a huge red skirt and something you would have described as a dove-shaped brooch if it weren’t the size of your head; by her standards, at least, she dressed for the occasion. She sang The Star-Spangled Banner in the powerful Broadway style, before Jennifer Lopez appeared to perform a medley of America the Beautiful and This Land Is Your Land.
Played by Pete Seeger and Springsteen – he again – at the inauguration of Barack Obama in 2009, the latter is a song that has come a long way: what started life as a rustic folk response to God Bless America sounded, on this occasion, notably like the end of a Disney movie with an unexpected explosion of widdly-woo guitar solos added at the end, but you couldn’t deny Lopez’s emotional impact by uttering the phrase “a nation with freedom and justice for all” in Spanish at halfway, given the attitude of the previous government towards those south of the border.
Finally, there was Garth Brooks, resplendent in stetson, jeans and cowboy boots. He sang Amazing Grace a cappella, encouraging those at home to participate. More impressive than his performance was the fact that he was there: a staunch Republican country singer performing in the possession of a Democratic president. You can see it as a symbol or reconciliation – or an attitude favorable to the man who left the White House earlier in the day due to the stresses of My Way.