Does this young lady have a ticket? Bruce Springsteen and Sasha Obama become instant BFFs at an Obama rally in Cleveland, Nov. 2, 2008.

Looking back at the lineup of musicians who played George W. Bush’s 2001 Inauguration, it’s as if the event’s organizers were trying to lower America’s expectations for its 43rd president right out of the gate. Ricky Martin. Brooks and Dunn. Jon Secada. Wayne Newton. And—seriously—Andrew Lloyd Webber.

But that was then, America! The plethora of Inauguration-themed gigs kicking off in Our Nation’s Capitol tonight and continuing at least into the first 12 hours of the Obama Administration will boast performances by a Coalition of the Willing from Arcade Fire (reliably rumored) to Jay-Z (confirmed), notably Beyonce, U2, Ted Leo, Usher, Aretha Franklin, the Beastie Boys, and Brooooooooooooooooooooce, to name but a few.

That’s change we can believe in.

With concerts happening in venues all around town, from the massive to the intimate, from the $10K-for-nosebleeds to the absolutely free, freedom’s gonna ring this weekend, and it’s gonna ring loud.

Behold, DCist’s Inaugural concert guide, brought to you by Chris Klimek, Ian Buckwalter, Graham Hough-Cornwell, W. Jacarl Melton and Sriram Gopal.