This article is from the source 'nytimes' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.

You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.nytimes.com/2017/01/19/arts/music/inauguration-concert-3-doors-down-toby-keith.html

The article has changed 5 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 1 Version 2
Trump Concert Draws Excited Fans to Lower-Wattage Lineup Toby Keith and Trump Light Up a Lower-Wattage Concert
(about 2 hours later)
WASHINGTON — No Beyoncé. No Jon Bon Jovi. No U2. But no matter: For many of the hundreds gathering at the Lincoln Memorial on Thursday afternoon for the preinaugural concert, the artists in the lineup were secondary to the chance to celebrate the coming presidency of Donald J. Trump. WASHINGTON — No Beyoncé. No Jon Bon Jovi. No U2. But no matter: For many of the thousands gathering at the Lincoln Memorial on Thursday afternoon for the preinaugural concert, the artists in the lineup were secondary to the chance to celebrate the coming presidency of Donald J. Trump.
And besides, several concertgoers said, if celebrity performers didn’t support Mr. Trump, there was no need for them to be here. The day’s programming was heavy on country music, “God Bless America,” and a hefty number of bagpipes. Two friends, Kim Shourds and Susan Perkins Lovelady, drove in from Norfolk, Va., to attend the evening’s concerts. They danced and sang along to “God Bless Texas,” but as they took a break, they said the volatile political climate wasn’t far from their minds.
Standing by the memorial’s reflecting pool a few hours before the show, John Stephan, a 62-year-old retired banker, said he left California on Tuesday to be part of the festivities and snagged a ticket to the concert at the last minute. Calling himself a Trump supporter since “Day 1,” he said he and his wife felt that after attending rallies and watching the televised debates, it would have been wrong to be at home. “This is a celebration of America,” Ms. Perkins Lovelady, 53, said. “After all of the negativity of the past year, all of the positivity is a good thing. It’s a heartsore country.”
“We thought: ‘You know what? Let’s end this story and go to the inauguration,’” Mr. Stephan said. Kenny and Katherine Dunham decided to make the four-hour drive from Kinston, N.C., after hearing that Representative John Lewis of Georgia would boycott Mr. Trump’s inauguration. The Dunhams were not fazed by the lack of top-flight entertainers.
As for the various entertainers who had snubbed the concert — or even said yes and then backpedaled — Mr. Stephan was dismissive.
“I think it’s sad when anybody says, you know, ‘My opinion of a person’s more important than let’s-just-get-the-country-going,’” he said.
There has never been a president crossing over so directly from the pop-culture world as Mr. Trump, who remains an executive producer of “The Celebrity Apprentice” and has cultivated big names in Hollywood for decades (even making a “Home Alone 2” cameo). Yet those big names are shunning his inauguration, including Thursday’s event, unlike the Lincoln Memorial concert in 2009 for Barack Obama that featured Beyoncé and other stars. The artists who are showing up are reflective of the cross-section of the United States that buoyed Mr. Trump to victory in November, while belying the opulence he is known for.
The concert — the “Make America Great Again! Welcome Celebration” — will have a distinct country feel to it, with performances by Toby Keith, the biggest act on the bill, and Lee Greenwood, best known for “God Bless the U.S.A.,” Mr. Trump’s walk-on song during the campaign. Also on the bill are Sam Moore, one half of the soul duo Sam & Dave, and 3 Doors Down, an alternative rock band that hasn’t made the Billboard Top 10 chart since 2003. The Piano Guys, a group that includes one pianist and one cellist, are likely to regale the audience with spirited and eclectic covers of pop songs.
Kenny and Katherine Dunham decided to make the four-hour drive from Kinston, N.C., after hearing that Representative John Lewis of Georgia would boycott Mr. Trump’s inauguration. The Dunhams were sitting on a blanket without a ticket, and neither seemed fazed by the lack of top-flight entertainers. (Visitors without tickets were able to view the show on the National Mall; those with tickets had seats near the concert stage.)
“I think if they don’t want to perform, they shouldn’t perform,” Mr. Dunham, 60, said. “But at the same time, my understanding is they weren’t asked to. Toby Keith is going to perform. Lee Greenwood is going to perform.”“I think if they don’t want to perform, they shouldn’t perform,” Mr. Dunham, 60, said. “But at the same time, my understanding is they weren’t asked to. Toby Keith is going to perform. Lee Greenwood is going to perform.”
His wife of 19 years agreed. Some of the loudest cheers of the evening were for Jon Voight, the only high-profile Hollywood actor to lend his name to the event, as he spoke to the crowd about the “barrage of propaganda” that Mr. Trump had faced in his race to the presidency.
“I’m disappointed that they chose not to perform, like Jennifer Holliday,” Ms. Dunham added. “I feel that it’s an honor to be here in our capital.” “He certainly didn’t need this job,” Mr. Voight said of Mr. Trump. “And yes, God answered all of our prayers.”
Lines to get into the show began forming in the morning. About 5,000 tickets were available, and the crowd by the memorial and on the mall was expected to be smaller than the hundreds of thousands of people who turned out for the preinaugural concert in 2009. That celebration for Mr. Obama also featured Denzel Washington, Tom Hanks, Jamie Foxx and Steve Carell. For Mr. Trump’s concert, the highest-profile actor scheduled to appear is Jon Voight. Mr. Voight then introduced Sam Moore, one half of the duo Sam & Dave, who performed a soulful rendition of “America the Beautiful.”
Mr. Trump made his first appearance about an hour into the show — called the “Make America Great Again! Welcome Celebration” — when he walked down the steps of the Lincoln Memorial with his wife, Melania. He turned and saluted Lincoln’s statue, then descended the steps with a small wave and gave his supporters a thumbs up.
Mr. Trump and his family watched the performance of the Frontmen of Country, a group featuring three lead singers: Richie McDonald of Lonestar, Larry Stewart of Restless Heart, and Tim Rushlow, formerly of Little Texas. They played a medley that included a cover of Marc Cohn’s “Walking In Memphis” and Lonestar’s hit “I’m Already There.”
Mr. Greenwood then joined for a performance of “God Bless the U.S.A.” — Mr. Trump’s walk-on song during the campaign. The president-elect could be seen mouthing the words of the song on the side of the stage, to the delight of the crowd. After the performance, Mr. Trump pumped his fist, and embraced the musicians as they walked off stage.
The audience was subdued for 3 Doors Down, an alternative rock band that hasn’t made the Billboard Top 10 chart since 2003, and the Piano Guys, a group featuring a cellist and pianist that is known for its eclectic covers of pop songs. However, it was Mr. Keith, the country star and the night’s biggest draw, who brought the National Mall roaring back to life.
There has never been a president crossing over so directly from the pop-culture world as Mr. Trump, who remains an executive producer of “The Celebrity Apprentice” and has cultivated big names in Hollywood for decades (even making a “Home Alone 2” cameo). Yet those big names are shunning his inauguration, including Thursday’s event, unlike the Lincoln Memorial concert in 2009 for Barack Obama that featured Beyoncé and other stars. The artists who are showing up are reflective of the cross-section of the United States that buoyed Mr. Trump to victory in November, while belying the opulence he is known for.
Standing by the memorial’s reflecting pool a few hours before the show, John Stephan, a 62-year-old retired banker, said he left California on Tuesday to be part of the festivities and snagged a ticket to the concert at the last minute.
As for the various entertainers who had snubbed the concert — or even said yes and then backpedaled — Mr. Stephan was dismissive.
“I think it’s sad when anybody says, you know, ‘My opinion of a person’s more important than let’s just get the country going,’” he said.
Lines to get into the show began forming in the morning. About 5,000 tickets were available, and the crowd steadily filled the empty spots near the memorial and on the mall by the start of the show.
Along the streets leading to the memorial, people pulled wagons full of homemade Trump merchandise, including Make America Great Again hats and Trump scarves. Rick Storm traveled in from Philadelphia with a backpack full of $10 T-shirts to sell.Along the streets leading to the memorial, people pulled wagons full of homemade Trump merchandise, including Make America Great Again hats and Trump scarves. Rick Storm traveled in from Philadelphia with a backpack full of $10 T-shirts to sell.
By 1 p.m., he had sold only one T-shirt.By 1 p.m., he had sold only one T-shirt.
“I just started,” Mr. Storm said.“I just started,” Mr. Storm said.
On the National Mall, in front of the Lincoln Memorial, people had plenty of space to mill about and spread picnic blankets on the ground as Frank Sinatra’s “Come Fly With Me” blared from a sound system. Sitting on the ground near the reflecting pool, Tom Boatman and his wife, Kathy, were resting and waiting for headliners to start. They had driven from Cookeville, Tenn., to attend the inauguration. The couple said they were both looking forward to the concerts, but the big priority for them was to see Mr. Trump take office.
As the occasional jogger passed by, three women sat on a bench waiting for the concert to start. Kathleen Noonan, 56, had traveled with her best friend, Peggy Gallagher, from Boston to stay with Ms. Gallagher’s niece, Allison Collings, during the inaugural festivities. All three were wearing matching knit stars-and-stripes accessories. “It’ll be over this time tomorrow,” Mr. Boatman, who works as a plant operations manager, said of Mr. Obama’s administration. “I didn’t vote for him, but I had hope.”
“Everyone’s stopping us because they like our hats and mittens,” said Ms. Gallagher, 56, who is a postal worker.
Ms. Noonan, also 56, said she was most looking forward to Mr. Trump’s Inaugural Address on Friday.
“I’m hoping he’ll say we’re going to be united,” Ms. Noonan said, “and that he’s going to kick-start the economy that’s dying.”
In the weeks preceding Mr. Trump’s inauguration, the artists walking sideways to avoid performing seemed to grow longer by the day. Some — like Elton John, for whom Mr. Trump has expressed admiration in the past — immediately issued emphatic statements to push back rumors. Others said they had been be invited and declined, among them Ice T, the rapper, who wrote in a Twitter post: “I just got call to perform at the Inauguration …. I didn’t pick up and Blocked the number.”
Ms. Holliday, the Tony Award-winning singer, was a surprise name on an initial list of performers announced by Mr. Trump’s inauguration team. She said she had backed out after reading an article in The Daily Beast titled “Jennifer Holliday Will Perform at Trump’s Inauguration, Which Is Heartbreaking to Gay Fans.”
“I think so much pressure was put on her that I was very disappointed that she chose not to perform,” Ms. Dunham of North Carolina said. “Because it’s an honor. It’s a freedom. Inauguration is a freedom that our country has.”
Mr. Trump’s campaign, as some of his supporters see it, was never about fitting in with the Hollywood crowd. Thursday’s lineup suited them just fine. Truth be told, they didn’t want Beyoncé anyway. They wanted Mr. Trump, who was expected to speak at the concert.Mr. Trump’s campaign, as some of his supporters see it, was never about fitting in with the Hollywood crowd. Thursday’s lineup suited them just fine. Truth be told, they didn’t want Beyoncé anyway. They wanted Mr. Trump, who was expected to speak at the concert.
“That’ll be the highlight,” Mr. Stephan said.“That’ll be the highlight,” Mr. Stephan said.
At the closing of the show, Mr. Trump gave the crowd what it wanted. “You’re not forgotten anymore,” he said as part of his brief remarks.
With that, a massive fireworks display started over the Lincoln Memorial, including one firework that formed the letters “U.S.A.”