It felt like a cross between the Academy Awards, Woodstock, and an Obama campaign stop. Crowd estimates for the giant outdoor concert ranged from four to eight hundred thousand. The mass of people stretched from the stage, at the steps of the Lincoln memorial, past the frozen reflecting pool, through the fascist looking World War Two memorial, up the hill, and just past the Washington monument. It was bizarre but sometimes beautiful event.

Stars like Marissa Tomei, Jamie Foxx, (who did an amazing Obama impersonation), Tom Hanks (who read a boring and pretentious speech about Lincoln), Queen Latifah, and Tiger Woods made speeches and introduced short films about past presidents.

Bruce Springsteen opened the concert with his hit song, "The Rising." Mary J. Blige sang "Lean on Me". Betty LaVette and Jon Bon Jovi teamed up for a version of Sam Cooke's "A Change is gonna Come." (Heard in the crowd at least twice: "Is that Bon Jovi?" "I think so.") John Mellencamp, who used to be a John Edwards man through and through, rose to the occasion with a rousing rendition of his song "Pink Houses," and Dipdive's own Will.I.Am performed "One Love" with Sheryl Crow and Herbie Hancock. Garth Brooks came out and did a strange and awful medley of "American Pie," "Shout," and some song I've never heard of that I think was his own.

The highlight was perhaps Stevie Wonder, Usher, and Shakira performing Wonder's "Higher Ground." And then U2 played a couple of there songs, which I guess some people must have liked as well.

Finally, Barack Obama, who'd been listening from his front row seat the whole time, as if being serenaded by the biggest pop stars in the world, stood up to make a speech, in what was perhaps a warm-up to his inaugural address on Tuesday. "Welcome to the celebration of American renewal," he said, and the whole world seemed to cheer. 

It should have ended there, but Bruce Springsteen ambled out with Pete Seeger to sing "This Land is Your Land," including the two excised verses, which were originally left unrecorded due to their slightly less-than-patriotic flavor. 

And for the finale? Beyoncè, of course.