Who should perform at Obama's Inaugural Ball?

[Bicoastal]

I think Stevie Wonder will be there, as well as Chris Rock, Aretha Franklin and the Jonas Brothers (Sasha and Malia's favorite band). I hope for the love of god Fred Armisen is not there doing his HORRIBLE impression. Maybe Stephen Colbert as MC? Pleeeeeeez?

But frankly, the ones I DO hope get invited are The Dixie Chicks. I'm no country/western fan, but after the nauseating faux-populism of the last 8 years, they would be a pointed (if tuneful) reminder of the bad old days. They've EARNED this.

[cali]

1. Will.i.am. (however it's spelled)

Springsteen?

[DrToast]

6. By hologram or the real deal?

[Kermit77]

31. Please no Beyonce. She supported Bush in 2000.

No Beyonce please. She called up an Associated reporter and "volunteer" her services to Obama. She is trying to jamm her way onto the list. She performed at Bush's inauguration in 2000. No Bushites please

[BelleCarolinaPeridot]

33. I don't think she supported Bush in 2000.

Actually nobody knows who she supported in 2000. At the time Destiny's Child was the highest selling female vocal group. Appearing at the inauguaration was nothing but furthering album sales to a different crowd albeit non R&B crowd.

[RollWithIt]

34. She didn't perform in 2000, not sure where you got that idea

But it's not true.

[Kermit77]

79. Beyonce did perform in 2000. She said to the crowd, "When I say George, you say Bush! BUSH! Yay!"

Just google Destiny Child Bush inauguration. Dozens of articles pop up. Here is one from MTV's archive:

Ricky, Destiny's Child, Lyle Lovett Welcome Bush To White HousePop, country stars perform in Washington, D.C., over inaugural weekend.
By Gideon Yago

Presidency has its advantages.

Case in point: George W. Bush assembled some of pop music's finest — including Ricky Martin, 98 Degrees, Jessica Simpson and Destiny's Child — in Washington, D.C., over the weekend to help mark his move into the White House. Country stars Lyle Lovett, Clint Black, Marcia Ball, Reckless Kelly, Asleep at the Wheel, Tanya Tucker, Mark Chesnutt, Lee Greenwood and appropriately Southern-fried rockers ZZ Top also contributed to the soundtrack for the nation's 54th inaugural.

Martin became the focus of the national press corps' attention on Thursday, offering a version of his World Cup anthem "Cup of Life" during a rally at the Lincoln Memorial. The Bush campaign used the song to cap off the then-governor's campaign appearances during the final months of the election, and Martin drew Bush out to the memorial steps for a little jig that will undoubtedly be played and replayed on "The Daily Show." But the pop-star wattage reached its peak at Friday's Inaugural Concert Celebrating America's Youth, at D.C.'s MCI Center, with the emphasis on the word "youth." Guest MCs ranging from "Jerry Maguire" cute kid Jonathan Lipnicki and "Real World: San Francisco" housemate Rachel Campos to Secretary of State Colin Powell and Bush were greeted by a crowd that might have been more at home at the Nickelodeon Kid's Choice Awards. Each MC gave a quick speech, usually about citizenship or the greatness of the American dream, between brief musical sets, usually of two to five songs. Of course, that made for some tough segues ("Thank you, Destiny's Child! And now, Secretary of Housing and Urban Development-designee Mel Martinez!"). And while the ceremony itself felt a little like a hybrid between a pep rally and a high school dance, the pop royalty who took the stage definitely played it up for the fans.

The stage at the MCI Center, which was a simple frame of lights and an enormous screen running psychedelic animation, was unpretentious and complemented the quick carousel of performers well. 98 Degrees, who performed at the special request of one of the new first daughters, played the quickest set of the evening, burning through speedy renditions of "The Hardest Thing" and "My Everything" before scampering offstage. Meanwhile, Destiny's Child emerged as three well-choreographed balls of energy, blowing through "Independent Women, Part 1" and "Jumpin', Jumpin' ". Despite an ambitious schedule that would see the trio jet off for Los Angeles for an early-morning engagement the next day, Destiny's Child worked the crowd into a decent lather. Destiny's frontwoman Beyoncé Knowles abandoned her usual repertoire of stage banter and anthemic pep routines, instead offering the more event-appropriate "I wanna hear you say Bush!" Jessica Simpson capped off the evening's longest set by performing a version of "I Think I'm in Love With You," in which she substituted the word "boy" with "George," yielding a somewhat contrived result ("George, I think I'm in love with you! I'll be doing silly things when I get next to you").

When Bush took the stage around 5:30 p.m. to thank the "pretty good darn set of entertainers," he used the opportunity to encourage the audience to "be good citizens," a theme he echoed with much greater flourish during his inaugural address the following day. After Friday's Concert Celebrating America's Youth, the inaugural festivities became a circuit of state balls, where most of the musicians were such marquee Texas talent as Loretta Lynn and ZZ Top. Despite rumors of a protest concert filled with headliners from Nader's Green Party road show, there was nothing in the streets but an occasional drum circle.

[donheld]

77. Can you prove she supported Bush

ever?

[lamp_shade]

2. Dixie Chicks

[Lucy Goosey]

11. Definitely! They could open with their fabulous cover of "Landslide"

[lamp_shade]

63. Third vote for Cat Stevens here.

[Lerkfish]

3. Paul mccartney has offered to sing to Michelle

that would be kick ass

[bdamomma]

40. that would be great!!!

[SweetieD]

45. That would be great.

[Lerkfish]

51. though I am not always a fan: Neil Young.

I liked his protest album's main songs, but when you listen to the whole album, a sameness to the songs takes over and it gets a bit annoying.

oops: this was supposed to be addressed to the OP, sorry.

[onenote]

4. will i am

of course.

BTW, there typically are multiple inaugural balls. Given the economy, its not clear how many there will be this go 'round. The one inaugural ball I was privileged to attend was the MTV Inaugural ball in 1993, which featured performances by Don Henley, a band consisting of members of U2 and REM, and, of course, Fleetwood Mac.

[Bicoastal]

19. I did not know that...

...which one(s) does the new President usually attend?

[onenote]

29. THe Clintons made the rounds to a number of them (including the MTV ball)

[tishaLA]

75. There was a party the night before the inauguration in 1993

That had Bill, Hillary, Chelsea, Al, Tipper, and lots of performers including:

Cosby
Wynton Marsalis
Barry Manilow
Aretha Franklin
Michael Jackson
Warren Beatty and Annette Benning
and the evening ended with Streisand singing "God Bless America"

[godai]

5. Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band.

Bruce was out there for Obama during the campaign.

[Metta]

7. Toby Keith and Hank Williams Jr. For penance.

ha!

[walldude]

32. Um.. just for the record Toby Keith supported Obama.

I know he's a crazy redneck but he publicly came out in support of Obama. I heard it was because of his trips to Iraq and his work with the troops, he um.. saw the light.

[rvablue]

38. He only saw the light until Palin came onto the ticket and then he switched his support. n/t

[damonm]

Be dipped.

That DOES surprise me.

[Metta]

42. Ah, thanks for that info.

:hi:

[carnie_sf]

68. And please

anyone but bocephus. He already ruined monday night football.

[kestrel91316]

8. Heart. So they can take back "Barracuda" in front of the whole nation, lol.

Jackson Browne would be nice.
Dylan.

[MadBadger]

9. Bruuuuuccce

Though I think it would be funny if Jay Z performed

[ErinBerin84]

10. Jeff Tweety of Wilco

said on the Colbert Report that he asked Obama a couple of years ago (2004 maybe?) if they could play at his Inaugural Ball, and Obama said that they should be asking Hillary Clinton because she would probably be the nominee,heh. Though if Wilco plays, they should not do Sky Blue Sky stuff, because I did not approve.

[ellacott]

12. The Jonas bros. would be a great treat for the girls

John Legend should definately be there.

[Sorceress]

22. Yep, definitely John Legend. He was so supportive of Obama.

[JohnMcCant2008]

13. George Clinton - Parliament would be awesome! With the added bonus that Freeper heads would EXPLODE!

Come join the Mothership baby!

[Bicoastal]

16. "ANOTHER Clinton in the White House?! And this one's BLACK and wants a Parliamentary government?!"

:nuke:

[carnie_sf]

70. He could do

paint that motherfucker black.

[timber84]

14. Ben Harper n/t

[DevonRex]

30. I second that. He is just amazing. nt

[Yes We Did]

15. Beyonce & Jennifer Hudson should sing together n/t

[footinmouth]

17. Definitely the Dixie Chicks

They have earned the right to perform. I'd love to see Jennifer Hudson if she's able to let a little joy back into her life.

[yellowcanine]

18. Dixie Chicks with special guest Tina Fey fur sure, you betcha!

[sniffa]

20. Bill Clinton. He still plays the sax, right?

[hisownpetard]

21. Pete Seeger doesn't perform anymore but should be honored, I think. Bob Dylan should be there, too!

[cleveramerican]

23. SPRINGSTEEN

Bruce would be the top of my list

[Liberal_Stalwart71]

24. ABB: ANYBODY BUT BEYONCE!!!

[Sorceress]

28. Agreed. Unless she plans on falling down another set of stairs.Then I can make a one time exception.

[calimary]

25. My kid's band.

http://www.acidicsounds.com/index.html

[Max_powers94]

26. earth.wind and fire

[YOY]

27. Bruce and Will.I.Am. together. Duets would kikk azz!

No question in my mind.

[walldude]

35. How about the man who stumped for Obama at every show he played

this year. Roger Waters, mastermind behind Pink Floyd, toured the country with his giant "vote for Obama" flying pink pig. Sometimes dropping pro-Obama fliers from airplanes onto the crowds:

http://idolator.com/384996/roger-waters-littering-for-obama

[rvablue]

36. oOPS! SELF-DELETE

[WinkyDink]

37. Bruuuuuce ought to be obvious.

[cliffordu]

39. George Clinton & Parliament Funkadelic

[bdamomma]

41. Barbara Streisand should be considered too.

[zulchzulu]

43. Rage Against The Machine

[SuperTrouper]

44. What about the punk rockers The Ataris? They supported Obama wherever they went and even was in

communication with the Obama campaign during the GE and primaries. They have Obama.Biden in their MySpace website. I think the young people will be happy with The Ataris performing in one of the gasas.

[SweetieD]

46. Stevie Wonder, Led Zeppelin, Paul McCartney, Aretha, John Legend

[JeffR]

47. Yusuf Islam (aka Cat Stevens)

We owe him one. Plus it would drive the RW crazy.

[harun]

84. I would like to see this very much

It would be a nice gesture to the Muslim community.

[ronnykmarshall]

48. The Supremes!

If he can re-unite "Miss Ross" with Mary and Cindy .... he can do ANYTHING!

[Sodan]

49. Madonna

[ChipperbackDemocrat]

50. For starters...This Inaugural Ball needs a producer...

I say get Diddy on board and let him produce this thing..and make it a an All-American bash for the 21st century.

[brooklynite]

52. Doesn't generally work that way...

There may be a seperate entertainment even (hence Fleetwood Mac appearing Bill Clinton) but the Inaugural Balls are more traditional dance music, and there are multiple ones (each representing several states) to squeeze everybody in. A featured entertainer would only be able to appear at one, and would find it difficult to time the performance for when the Obamas were there.

[Medusa]

53. James Taylor

he campaigned for Obama in NC and gave a series of free concerts there on his behalf.

[stuntcat]

61. James Taylor, I second this!

NC! NC! NC! :headbang: I was totally glad to see him speak up for Obama.

[8 track mind]

54. the Byrds

Performing "Change is Now"

Pink Floyd performing "Fearless"

Led Zeppelin Perfoming "In The Light"




In all seriousness, i wish Jimi Hendrix and Ray Charles could be here to perform at the ball.

[myrna minx]

55. Melissa Etheridge.

[dancingme]

56. Dave Matthews

big Obama and Biden supporter!

[susanwy]

72. Seconded!

you beat me to it!

:bounce: :bounce:

[Chiyo-chichi]

85. Thirded. I saw Dave & Tim play in support of Barack during the Indiana primary.

[Chiyo-chichi]

89. For that matter, aren't all the Farm Aid major players Obama supporters?

Dave Matthews
Neil Young
Willie Nelson
John Mellencamp

[voteearlyvoteoften]

57. Black Eyed Peas Where is the Love

Check out the lyrics.So many great songs..easy to dance. Super Cool and I bet Barack and Michele are fans.
"Let your soul gravitate to the love y'all"

[Bleacher Creature]

58. Pat Boone!!!!

[8 track mind]

59. hahahahah

yeah performing his version of "enter sandman"!!!!!

:rofl:

[I_Will]

60. The artist formerly known as...Cat Stevens!!!

Performing "Peace Train" and "Morning Has Broken"

Hippy, trippy and cumbaya-esque, sure, but it would be extremely symbolic on a whole number of levels (after they take care of fixing the stupid visa thing that prevented entry in the past). And, even the fundies know the lyrics to "Morning Has Broken"

Seriously, I think it would be awesome.

[DrPresident]

62. Patti Labelle, Common, Jay-Z, Kanye West, Death Cab For Cutie

(one of the members of Death Cab canvassed and made calls for Barack, so I know he's gonna be in there).

[Sugarcoated]

64. Best kept secret singer/songwriter Patty Griffin

The Chicks have covered her songs, she's liberal and off the charts beautiful voice and songwriting. She wrote Truth No. 2, she and the Chicks could perform it together. That would be my fantasy inaugural performance.

John Mellencamp would fit in there pretty well.

[Sebastian Doyle]

65. Willie Nelson

Or is he banned from the White House after that little incident during the Carter administration?

[Sugarcoated]

73. Willie, Patty Griffin and The Chicks!

:loveya:

And Emmylou, too! Perfect.

[flvegan]

66. Beastie Boys, Rage Against the Machine and Rise Against

Were I getting inaugurated, you Dems better know how to mosh!

[dascientist]

67. The Roots

http://www.okayplayer.com

[musette_sf]

69. i would like to see Bruce and Bono duet on

"Pride (In The Name Of Love)".

[Sebastian Doyle]

88. Or they could always do "Stand By Me" again

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qHNbvIplvVQ

[mollymongold]

71. Beyonce

[kas125]

74. It has to be --

[marlakay]

76. you made me think of correspondents dinner

bring stephen back!

[malik flavors]

78. Alice Walker, Erykah Badu, Ben Harper, Barabra Streisand, Paul McCartney/Ringo Starr Reunion.

[DianeK]

80. definatley Will.I.Am

Love his new song It's a New Day...

http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=will.i.am+new+song&search_type=&aq=5&oq=will.

[Neecy]

81. Jessye Norman

Aside from being an American treasure, she's a life-long Democrat.

[shanti]

82. neil young

n/t

[graywarrior]

83. The Bobster

Singing The Times They Are A-Changin'

[Empowerer]

86. There's not one Inaugural Ball - there are several, official and unofficial

Each state has its own Inaugural Ball, with several balls held regional clusters in the same location. Then there are countless other balls hosted by various organizations. The new President and First Lady traditionally attend all of the official balls. They don't stay long at any of them - usually just long enough to say a few words and then have one dance before going on to the next one. For example, in 1997, there were 13 official balls and the Clintons attended them all, plus the Youth Ball. I don't know how many official balls there were for Bush's inauguration since I tried to pretend it wasn't happening. :-)

[MadAnne]

87. I saw Gladys Knight with Michelle Obama. n/t

[malik flavors]

90. Oh yea, Bob Dylan performing "Times They Are A Changin"

[malik flavors]

91. dupe

[Nedsdag]

92. Arcade Fire.

Granted most of the members are Canadian, but lead singer Win Butler is an American and a Obama supporter. They performed at an Obama rally.

[TheZug]

93. Bruce Springsteen should both perform and organize--like Frank Sinatra.

[Tanuki]

94. Ralph Stanley, Big Kenny, Tim McGraw and Faith Hill :) n/t

[terrya]

95. Melissa Etheridge