Yesterday's free concert at the Lincoln Memorial drew roughly 500,000, who heard a range of major artists from U2, Stevie Wonder and Bruce Springsteen, to Beyonce, Mary J. Blige, Jon Bon Jovi and Garth Brooks. Springsteen opened the concert with "The Rising." Several pundits referred to the celebration as "Obama-stock" in comparison to the Woodstock Music Festival. Speakers included Tom Hanks, Tiger Woods and Denzel Washington. President-elect Obama spoke later, saying,
"Yours are the voices I will take with me every day I walk into that Oval Office -- the voices of men and women who have different stories but hold common hopes."
In somber counterpoints to the celebrations, Obama earlier placed a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, and this morning visited wounded troops at Walter Reed Medical Center. Everything that he needs to be doing, he is doing, and doing it with class and stature.
