Last night saw the ‘Make America Great Celebration’ of Donald Trump’s inauguration concert, featuring 3 Doors Down, Toby Keith and more. See footage, photos and the world’s reaction below.
Held on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, the soon-to-be-President Trump and his family were in attendance for the much-discussed concert – after many artists rejected and pulled out of the opportunity to perform on the evening – including Moby, Charlotte Church and even a Bruce Springsteen covers band.
While Obama’s ‘We Are One’ inauguration gig featured Mary J. Blige, James Taylor, Josh Groban, Sheryl Crow, will.i.am, John Legend, Jennifer Nettles, Garth Brooks, Stevie Wonder, Usher, Shakira, U2, and the real Bruce Springsteen, Trump’s featured Toby Keith, Lee Greenwood, The Frontmen Of Country, Sam Moore, the Piano Guys and 3 Doors Down.
While Trump and wife Ivanka took to the stage to sound of The Rolling Stones’ track ‘Heart Of Stone‘, actor Jon Voight delivered the opening address – speaking about the “gruelling” year and a half that the President Elect endured under “a barrage of propaganda that left us all breathless with anticipation not knowing if God could reverse all the negative lies against Mr. Trump, whose only desire was to make America great again.”
Voight added:“He certainly didn’t need this job. And yes, God answered all our prayers.”
Addressing the crowd after the show, Trump said: “Eighteen months ago … a lot of people didn’t give us much of a chance, but we understood what was happening, and that last month of the campaign, when I traveled around to every place you can imagine, state after state, speech after speech, and we had 10,000, 20,000, 30,000 people, there was never an empty seat. … We knew that something special was happening. I can only tell you this: The polls started going up, up, up, but they didn’t want to give us credit, because they forgot about a lot of us. I called it ‘the forgotten man and the forgotten woman.’ Well, you’re not forgotten anymore.”
He continued: “We’re going to do things that haven’t been done for our country for many, many decades,” he said. “It’s going to change. So I’ll see you tomorrow. I don’t care frankly if it’s going to be beautiful or if it’s gonna rain like crazy — makes no difference to me. I’m going to be cheering you on. You’re going to be cheering me on, but I’m going to be cheering you on. Because what we’ve done is so special. All over the world they’re talking about it. I love you folks, and we’re gonna work together.
“And we are going to Make America Great Again — and I’ll add: greater than ever before.”
Grand Finale at Lincoln Memorial #Inauguration Concert pic.twitter.com/xfo383v5wP
— Judy Baldasaro- ?? (@JudyBaldasaro) January 20, 2017
While 3 Doors Down ran through a four song set of ‘The Broken’, ‘When I’m Gone,’Kryptonite’ and ‘Here Without You’, patriotic moments of music came when Sam Moore sang ‘America The Beautiful’ and Toby Keith’s selection of Americana
“Thanks to Barack Obama for your service, and thanks to the 45th president of the United States, Donald Trump,” Keith told the crowd before performing ‘Made In America’.
While critics have slammed the concert as a ‘disaster‘, Trump’s followers deemed it a ‘triumph’, while the President Elect himself took to Twitter to address the nation:
Thank you for joining us at the Lincoln Memorial tonight- a very special evening! Together, we are going to MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN! pic.twitter.com/5d774OCx5o
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 20, 2017
Thank you for a wonderful evening in Washington, D.C. #Inauguration pic.twitter.com/a6xpFQTHj5
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 20, 2017
Others meanwhile, took to Twitter to mark their bemusement at proceedings – commenting on Trump’s dancing and singing along, the ‘bizarre’ booking of 3 Doors Down, the poor attendance in comparison to Obama’s inauguration, and how ‘boring’ the whole event seemed:
https://twitter.com/RyanSchwartz/status/822209714394202115
Donald Trump is a massive 3 Doors Down fan pic.twitter.com/yBfTHOvT50
— Radio Hauraki (@RadioHaurakiNZ) January 19, 2017
Melania Trump is all of us being forced to watch 3 Doors Down perform. pic.twitter.com/sH8jWZvR4o
— Splinter (@splinter_news) January 19, 2017
https://twitter.com/FillWerrell/status/822226661642891264
Trump grooving along to the Piano Guys #inauguration2017 pic.twitter.com/HNhFAZPDMs
— BuzzFeed News (@BuzzFeedNews) January 19, 2017
LOL #Obama's inaugural concert in 2009 (first two photos) vs. #Trump's #InauguralConcert today. TRAGIC. pic.twitter.com/w71xsDVx0B
— Mark Sundstrom (@106th) January 19, 2017
haha omd these backing singers' faces #Inauguration pic.twitter.com/qW7YSNuFsr
— gaby whitehill (@gabrielaesta) January 19, 2017
At least Trump is keeping his promise of creating jobs, 3 Doors Down isn't unemployed anymore #TrumpInauguralConcert #Inauguration
— Brianna Morgan (@brimorganna) January 19, 2017
Apparently there were 10,000 at tonight's Trump #Inauguration concert. President Obama had 400,000 in 2009.
Low-energy crowd!#maga
— ???? ????? (@ericgrant) January 19, 2017
Overheard at the Inaugural Concert :
3 Doors Down "Any requests!"
Crowd "Can we get a different President?"#Inauguration— Tim Hanlon (@TimfromDa70s) January 20, 2017
Meanwhile, Audioslave have reunited for ‘Anti Inauguration Ball’ this weekend, while The National and Common are also set for Trump protest gigs. There will be worldwide ‘Women’s Marches’ too, with Fiona Apple penning the anthemic chant ‘Tiny Hands’ for the occasion.