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We'll have a thorough review of the We Are One concert, along with a ton of photos, up later, but in the meantime, here's what DCist staffers are reporting about their experience:
>> The lines at checkpoints were crazy, so much so that security shut them down shortly after 2:30 p.m. People began running toward the Washington Monument to grab any patch of land surrounding any of the 2 jumbotrons. -Tracy Clayton
>> Taking the Green line to Archives and walking over ended up being pretty painless. My train was not very crowded. Leaving, however, was crazier. The area is surrounded by a fence with only a few small openings, so there was a huge bottleneck at each one. Also, cell phone service started to be really spotty as everyone was leaving. -Andrew Wiseman
>> Definitely also experienced cell phone service dropping out as I was leaving. But the process of walking down here and back out gets an overall grade of A- for me. Relatively painless, considering what it could have been -- and not as cold, either. My fingers and toes were definitely cold by the end, but it was totally doable. -Steve Goldenberg
How was getting to and from the concert for you?
Street closures were scheduled to be lifted at 5 p.m.
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I didn't have to deal with the Metro, but walking there and back wasn't a problem - all the crowds were moving along nicely and everyone seemed to be in really good spirits. And we got there a little after 1pm and only had to wait about 10 minutes in line. Fun show! ...aside from maybe Tom Hanks' speech about Lincoln, which was just downright painful. I hope they made him say everything twice so that they could edit a bunch out for the TV version; otherwise, that was just an awful script.
I had trouble sending a couple texts during the concert, but they did go out eventually. Couldn't make any calls on Verizon once the show was out.
Oh, I also thought it was odd how crowded the area around the Washington monument was, considering how much open real estate there was along the reflecting pools. I definitely expected it to be more crowded. I guess security just couldn't keep with the lines??
It was great, got a couple of shots and lots of video. Unfortunately more footage of people than the show cause all but one of the jumbotrons were massively crowded. Nice show except for the jumbotron being out of sync with the audio. I mean I understand that audio takes less bandwidth than video but why was the video closer to actual time than the audio? This is 2009 people! But it was great lol great experience.
The gates were closed before the concert ever started, it seemed, although it was hard to tell what was just rumor and what was actually true. We passed two closed gates before the music started and never got inside the secured area. It was disappointing because from the south side (by the DC WWI Memorial) you could see plenty of open space. I wouldn't be surprised if there were more people outside the fences than in.
The audio and video at the Jumbotrons down the mall were out of sync, but if you were close enough to one Jumbotron you at least had some idea what was going on. It was pretty amusing seeing different crowds around each screen singing along with Garth Brooks. (Although, "American Pie?" Really?)
As for cell service, AT&T had a mobile tower set up just south of the WWII Memorial on 17th, running off a generator. There was service for the first part of the concert but eventually I gave up on even trying to send messages to twitter, 'cause my iPhone would *say* it had service and then pop up an error message.
Ditto on the lack of AT&T service. I was up around the Washington Monument from 2:45 until around 5, and I couldn't do squat with my phone.
And really, fedward? Back up where I was, it was "American Pie" that finally got the crowd excited. Hokey, but true.
There were also a lot of dead zones between the Jumbotrons where you couldn't hear anything. You pretty much had to choose between being able to hear (along with the few other hundred people around you) or being able to see (from the bare between-screen spaces).
I took a bunch of pictures that I can't share because I've still got three or four more hours until my DCist Flickr pool contributions refresh :(
I'm an Oklahoma native but not much of a country music fan, so I had no idea Garth Brooks had a history of performing "American Pie." Couldn't he have done one of his own songs, though? Thrown into this concert in chopped form it just seemed odd. I guess "Friends in Low Places" would be even stranger in this context, though. It's an odd sentiment about the presidency.
I thought American Pie was strange considering the recent current events involving planes
Orange Line from Vienna @ 10:00 wasn't too bad. Getting into the reflecting pool area wasn't a hassle either. The main problem was waiting till 2:30 for the concert to start. I couldn't wait that long, so I left before it even started :(
Metro was a breeze coming in on the redline from Silver Spring. Waited in line on the north side for maybe 20 mins, walked around Con Gardens to the path between the trees on the side of the reflecting pool. Moved up the path until the crowd stopped. We were so jammed in we could hardly move let alone see anything. Had cell phone service with Sprint, perhaps the only time I've ever been pleased to have their shitty service. Most of the people around me were only there to see Beyonce (shocker) and were pretty bummed that she didn't break out Single Ladies. Didn't get too many pictures due to the lack of being able to see anything. After the show I waited until the bulk of the crowd left then headed out to Constitution Ave. Decided to walk down to Judiciary Square instead of joining the herd on the blue/orange line. 20 min walk, got right on a train and was back to Silver Spring within the hour. Aside from the fact that I had to stand in one place for 4 hours and barely had the ability to walk afterwards, it was a relatively good day.
And Tom Hanks was the most obnoxious part.
Got there about 8:45-well worth it! Had a great spot near the Reflecting Pool. Could see the whole stage and four jumbotrons. Security was only 15 minutes. Walked there and back with no major problems. And Verizon had decent service for most of the show. Not to mention the ridiculously good line-up, which made the wait and the (mostly polite crowds) easy to deal with. Not a country fan generally, but Garth Brook's inclusion of "Shout" was a huge hit in our section, as was Mary J Blige's Lean on Me.
Got there at about 11:30. The security line, while very long, took only about 15 minutes. We had some trouble with people cutting but we dealt with them appropriately... Anyways i was standing on the north side of the pool about 6 feet from the pool itself and had a great time. There was no cell service for me and i didn't need to go to the bathroom so i couldn't tell you how those were. I thought that the concert was great. The performances were awesome and i was surprised that all of U2 was there, I originally had thought that just Bono would be there. Great concert, easy to get to and from and very enjoyable. I don't get HBO anyway so I'm not gonna watch it. Gets an A- from me.
Took the metro from Columbia Heights - got there around 3pm. The audio being out of sync on the jumbotrons was seriously confusing, especially down by the monument where you could here more than one at a time overlapping.
Phone calls on sprint weren't working by 4pm, texts were really slow, but blackberry pins seemed to work fine.
L'Enfant Plaza metro is the way to go for leaving the mall - it was far enough off the main strip and confusing enough to get to that it was much less crowded than the other stations seemed to be.
Went out to the mall early in an attempt to get photos of all the set-up before it was destroyed. Ended up just getting in line before the gates opened. Was about 50 yards from the wall/raised seating for most of the day. Right before the concert started I walked back to the first speaker tower so I could have a sight line to the stage. Once the sound guy came and turned on the audio, things were great in our section (just south of the reflection pool). Up the small hill to the row of trees however, the people were really packed in tight and ridiculously rude. At one point a group of people I met while waiting all day went to go to the bathroom. It took them an hour to get back. Not because of the line, but because people would not let them back down the hill to their spot because, "they should have gotten there sooner, now deal with coming late. You can't just push your way to the front because you are a tourist."
In all great event with some ridiculous points along the way (Tom Hanks speech, both bald Eagle presentations, Shakira being really out of place with Usher and Stevie Wonder).
Highlight of the day however was from a middle aged African-American gentleman. He was on his cellphone presumably talking to a sibling when I heard this, "Well dad always said it would be a cold day in Hell before a black man would be president. It sure is cold and paying $8.00 for that hot dog sure made this place feel like hell"
*sigh* Now that I'm home and watching the stream: Tom Hanks was performing Aaron Copland's "Lincoln Portrait." It's more than a little bit famous.
Oh right, they don't teach music in schools anymore.
Ah, thanks for pointing that out. I had the same initial reaction you did.
This was in response to fedward [14].
The concert was good but not great. The performers were great, and the backdrop of the Lincoln Memorial was sweet but there were two major issues:
1. THE SETUP. Although this was supposed to be open to everyone, they set it up so that only the celebrities and rich donors could actually see the stage. The rest of us were relegated to watching on the jumbotrons or squinting through branches.
2. THE SOUND! The sound could and should have been GREAT! It was way too quiet and muffled to boot. I suspect the volume was set for the rich folks sitting up front. Had they played their cards right the response from the crowd would have created at atmosphere no one would ever forget. It was too low to hear what was being said and to quiet to sing along. The organizers blew it!
That said Garth Brooks and U2 were the highlights. From my perspective, at least.
mrfochs: Highlight of the day however was from a middle aged African-American gentleman. He was on his cellphone presumably talking to a sibling when I heard this, "Well dad always said it would be a cold day in Hell before a black man would be president. It sure is cold and paying $8.00 for that hot dog sure made this place feel like hell"
That should be the quote of the inauguration! lol
Let's just say I already sent in the quote for Overheard in DC. I really could not stop smiling after I heard that.
In terms of the ticketed section and the non-ticketed section, the everyday man could have received a ticket for the ticketed section. Some came from their workplaces, other from their representatives, etc. You didn't have to be a celebrity or a donor to be in the ticketed section. Believe me, I volunteered today at the ticketed entrance and we definitely turned away celebrities and "rich donors" because they didn't have a tickets. So, don't just say that it was only rich people up front when you don't have all the facts.
They've announced on the news that they would close the general admission area when it reaches a certain number. From what we were told on our side, the 19th entrance closed first and then the 17th entrance was closed when number of people reached 300,000. I expect that the number was larger.
God Bless Pete Seeger and Bruce Springsteen! That two and a half minutes of music made up for Garth Brooks "Lead Conductor on the Crazy Train" performance and U2 (aka "The Boner Band")'s self-serving, deedley-dee "oirish" bullshit. Nobody gives a red rat's ass about Tom Hanks or Usher.
I watched the live stream on HBO.com and thought it was really good. Didn't really see the point of the eagles, though... I get the symbolism, but wasn't this a concert? It just seemed out of place.
I watched the event on HBO. Just an amazing event. I was disappointed that *none* of the choral groups that participated were credited. What's up with that. I was thrilled with the performance of the Gay Men's Chorus of Washington behind Josh Grobin and Heather Headley. What a kick in the pants that these groups weren't acknowledged. That's really crappy of HBO.
The eagles were part of the forced civics lesson that must take place at any DC event that involves the President or President-Elect. Do you remember the horrible poetry reading that the Clintons and some movie stars did for the New Year's celebration in 2000? Same thing, different wrapper...
Even though this will contradict the snotty tone of my reply to zilladc's question, I had alot of fun! I was in the thick of things, literally, by the reflecting pool getting fairly intimate with about 1000 of my newest friends. I have a hard time believeing the estimate of 400,000 people; it felt like alot more. And Garth Brooks was the big crowd pleaser; I take back every bad thing I ever said about him. AND WHAT'S WRONG WITH AMERICAN PIE!!!! Highlight of the day! Period.
Only complaint I had was the stampede that happened at roughly 1:30pm. I think security opened up a corded off area and the crowd surged forward; moved 30 feet in 5 seconds with about 200 people pressing behind me. My personal space went from ok to extremely cramped for the rest of the concert.
I got off at the Smithsonian stop around 10:30 and had no real problems getting an amazing spot on the south side of the reflecting pool about 40 yards from the VIP stage a bit to the left(south), had a great view of the screens and an excellent view of the main podium.
The first two people to climb trees within sight of us got major cheers from the crowd,well over an hour before the concert started. The people sitting on top off all the port-o-jons crushing in the roofs were also quite amusing.
Over all I got a great vibe from the crowd, the people around us during the concert were amazing. lots of singing along and grooving.
I must say Garth Brooks rocked it for sure, other performances were great as well but his stands out to me as one that really got the crowd going in my area. More Stevie Wonder please!
The only bad spots for me of the day were the SOUND, which was extremely low, especially at the beginning, I heard many, many chants of “louder!” “turn it up” etc.
Also, the pricks who thought putting a blanket on the ground meant they owned the ground around them, just trying to walk through the crowd between the reflecting pool the port-o-jons on the south side was hilarious in a very sad way, lots of nasty high strung people, very glad I was simply passing through and did not have to stay over there.
it was a great day though and i am so happy i went!
What was the plane in the holding pattern above the monument? It didn't look like a P-3 which I expected...
The commercial jets were sure coming in low straight over. I wonder if the passengers in the one jet realized they were passing over as Pres. Obama was speaking...
watching the concert on hbo was very inspiring and i loved the concert; agree that Shakira seemed oddly paired with Usher (who was a very pleasant surprise jamming with the great Stevie). Groban and Heather were another very pleasant surprise with the Gay Men's Chorus.
i also loved Garth and the chosen songs. it was obvious watching the crowd go crazy and get involved that it was one of the highlights of the show.
thank you Fedward and Sora for educating the ignorant...
from my living room, the whole show gets an A+. hbo gets demerits for cutting the invocation and not bothering to tell us who the various choirs were.
did the eagle presentations get cut from the show? i have no idea what that is referring to...