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Last night's first ever Neighborhood Inaugural Ball at the Washington Convention Center ended up being billed by the Presidential Inaugural Committee as the hottest ticket of all of the ten official Inaugural Balls, and from a vantage point in the middle of the packed ballroom, it was easy to see why.
The sheer number of hugely famous stars gathered to perform at the ball, which was broadcast live on ABC, gave the event the feel of a sort of All Stars of Superbowl Half-Time Shows Extravaganza, except in a venue not much bigger than the 9:30 Club. Mariah Carey was there. Alicia Keys was there. Beyoncé and Jay-Z were both there. Shakira, Faith Hill, and Mary J. Blige. Mothereffing Steve Wonder. Did someone say something about Sting? Oh yeah, he was there too, even though he was never billed to appear ahead of time.
In juxtaposition to the performers on stage, the attendees of the Neighborhood Ball, with its stated goal of including regular folks from the District of Columbia and beyond by pricing tickets at $25 each, were notable only in that they weren't. There were plenty of ill-fitting dresses, shabby suits, even sweatshirts mixed in with the tuxedos and fabulous gowns. Apart from sightings of actress Natalie Portman and local D.C. voting rights fixture Eugene Kinlow, none of these people looked vaguely familiar, let alone famous.
Glitzy as the affair was, the fact that it was being broadcast live made attending the Neighborhood Ball feel much more like being part of a live studio audience than at a ball, per se. This was a party with commercial breaks. Surely other balls don't have Vanessa Williams interrupting with special messages about volunteering in your community.
The novel concept really came off, though. Security may have been a little overcooked (we were asked to see our tickets no less than eight times on the way inside), but the process of entering the convention center was orderly and remarkably swift. There were more than enough coat check stations. The lines for drinks (and, separately, drink tickets) were definitely slow, but with an end time of 10 p.m., nobody was there to get sloshed. And there were so many smart, well-executed touches. A screen in the corner showed shifting images of "Neighborhood Ball Parties" being held simultaneously around the world (the one in nearby Falls Church, Va. seemed a little sad, but in fairness, the ride in to the city on the Orange Line was surely a drag last night); at the other end of the room, you could pose for prom-style photos in front of a presidential seal. The organizers invited average folks from the neighborhood, and made them feel spectacularly special.
The musical performances ranged from meh (Will.i.am) to inspired (Alicia Keys) to I can't believe I'm actually seeing this (Stevie Wonder kicking off a group performance of "Signed, Sealed, Delivered" with Mary J. Blige, Mariah Carey, Beyoncé, Alicia Keys, Shakira, Faith Hill, Sting and others each contributing verses). Shakira, as is her way, was nearly inappropriately sexy while singing a version of Van Morrison's "Bright Side of the Road." Jay-Z (rocking some awesome looking eyeglasses) ably performed his Obama-themed song, "History."
The two-hour show peaked early on in the proceedings, though, when President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama arrived for their first official dance. The president, looking sharp in a white bow tie, brought the house down with the first words out of his mouth: "How good lookin' is my wife?" You didn't have to tell us, Mr. President. We have eyes.
The first couple's first dance of the night was a sight to behold. Not only are they both awfully "good lookin'," they were just so clearly into each other. Granted, it's probably hard not to feel romantic after you've spent two full years campaigning together for the White House and you've finally arrived, and then Beyoncé shows up to serenade you with "At Last." Not too shabby.
The show lost a bit of steam after the first couple made their exit, thanks in no small part to a slightly weird, rambling stand-up routine by Ray Romano. At one point, for some reason, there were some acrobats. But eventually the Bidens showed up for a brief appearance, and in the end, Stevie Wonder and Sting both came out to do a couple of songs, ending the night with one last dash of surreal by performing "Brand New Day" together, with Stevie on harmonica.
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Barrack needs some serious dancing lessons... all he knows is the 'sway back and forth'? That's not the change we need.
Romano pretty much bombed. Mariah was awful and should have used a tape or auto tune.