Inauguration concert

Sun, 2009-01-18 22:45

Webgear

US News is reporting that the carbon footprint from this event will be very large. Are these numbers true?

"Using data from the EPA, environmentalist organizations, and various news accounts, the group estimates more than 500 million pounds of CO2 will be released during the four-day inaugural festivities. Among the offenders:

The 600 private jets expected to fly visitors to and from the event will produce 25,320,000 pounds of CO2. Personal vehicles could account for 262,483,200 pounds of CO2.
The horses in the parade will produce more than 400 pounds of CO2.

And if you don't have an idea what a pound of CO2 really means, consider this: The average household would take 57,598 years to produce as much CO2 as Obama's inauguration."

http://www.usnews.com/blogs/sam-dealey/2009/01/15/the-obama-inaugurations-carbon-footprint.html

Sun, 2009-01-18 22:47

#3

remind

Wow?! Good grief even.

___________________________________________________________ "watching the tide roll away"

Sun, 2009-01-18 22:52

#4

Boom Boom

Oh, and there was a lot of militaristic stuff, but this is an Inaguration concert, not Monterey Pop or Woodstock. I loved Garth Brooks doing American Pie. Final thought - overall, this was a paean to American triumphalism, especially in Obama's message near the end. My eyes rolled when Obama said America "will endure and prevail". Hey, the election is over, enough of the rhetoric, already!

I don't think Obama gets it.

Sun, 2009-01-18 22:59

#5

Boom Boom

I just watched the U2 segment for the third time today - they were awesome.

Overall, it was well organised, but the militarism and triumphalism of it put me off.

Sun, 2009-01-18 23:34

#6

Jingles

U2?!

I thought Obama was against torture? Another broken campaign promise.

Sun, 2009-01-18 23:46

#7

Boom Boom

Jingles wrote:

U2?!

I thought Obama was against torture? Another broken campaign promise.

?????

Sun, 2009-01-18 23:50

#8

Webgear

I believe Jingles does not like U2.

Sun, 2009-01-18 23:53

#9

Jingles

And Garth Brooks. Those poor, poor souls forced to listen will never recover from such abuse.

Sun, 2009-01-18 23:59

#10

Webgear

Jingles, I will agree with you on this topic.

Mon, 2009-01-19 00:02

#11

Boom Boom

Garth Brooks did a good job with "American Pie". He would have been better if the organizers hadn't saddled him with a children's choir behind him. Cut the guy a break, he did a great job. Same with Bruce Springsteen - what the hell were the organizers thinking, putting 100 or so people behind him as a 'choir'???

But this was an 'Inaguration' concert, not Monterey Pop or Woodstock.

Mon, 2009-01-19 00:10

#12

Boom Boom

I first heard U2 in the Leonard Cohen movie a couple of years ago, and today is only the second time I've heard them, and I have no complaints.

This venue - the Inaguration concert and it's associated themes of militarism and American triumphalism - was as far from an ideal venue as it's possible to get.

Mon, 2009-01-19 00:14

#13

Webgear

Does anyone know if Harper, Layton or any other Canadian politician is going to the event?

Mon, 2009-01-19 00:19

#14

Boom Boom

I hope they go and don't come back - especially Harper and Iggy.

Mon, 2009-01-19 10:38

#15

Scott Piatkowski Scott Piatkowski's picture

Bon Jovi doing "A Change is Gonna Come"

Mon, 2009-01-19 10:47

#16

Ghislaine

I actually watched some of this yesterday, even though a lot of it was nauseating. (I had just gotten HBO added so I could watch Big Love last night - doesn't look like I will be getting rid of my TV anytime soon, lol).

If it weren't for the Lincoln Memorial, it could have been the Oscars. Actor, after actress, after celebrity filed in to say a snippet. A few moments were touching - especially the part about black singer Marion Anderson singing at that very spot in the 30s after being denied due to race. However, would it have been too much to ask to have a non-singer or actor for even one of the readings? Perhaps a Supreme Court judge, or teacher or someone from any non-celebrity profession?

I was a little glad to be Canadian, in that we don't have that much pomp and glitz during our handovers. And the carbon emissions and cost are a little ridiculous considering his (supposed) concern about the economy and climate change.

Mon, 2009-01-19 11:01

#17

Catchfire

Scott Piatkowski wrote:
Bon Jovi doing "A Change is Gonna Come"

No. This did not happen, did it? That is a desperate fucking tragedy. I hope that such a performance never scars my ears (don't let jrose read this thread).

Mon, 2009-01-19 11:22

#18

Ghislaine

Catchfire wrote:

Scott Piatkowski wrote:
Bon Jovi doing "A Change is Gonna Come"

No. This did not happen, did it? That is a desperate fucking tragedy. I hope that such a performance never scars my ears (don't let jrose read this thread).

Ha! It wasn't even the worst or most nauseating one. bon jovi was actually part of a duet, although I can't remember who he was with. Josh Groban was probably the most stomach-churning.

Mon, 2009-01-19 14:01

#19

Boom Boom

Obama said in his closing speech, among other stuff, that"America will endure and prevail". Maybe I misunderstood - was that 'triumphalistic' or 'jingoism' or was it perhaps some much more innocent in meaning? That phrase really bothers me: "America will endure and prevail". And this from someone who campaigned on doing things differently.

ETA: A friend of mine on another board suggests Obama was referring to the economic crisis when he said these words. One can only hope.

Mon, 2009-01-19 14:19

#20

Boom Boom

Quote:
Josh Groban was probably the most stomach-churning.

Different strokes for different folks? A friend on another board who loves Groban thought his performance was one of the best yesterday. Personally, I've never heard of the guy before, but his performance yesterday did nothing for me. I liked Stevie Wonder better, FWIW.

Mon, 2009-01-19 15:04

#21

Hoodeet

This pre-inaugural "free" concert, which had been widely advertised as part of the week's events and which CNN advertised for days on end, was broadcast only on HBO, which meant that access to it was quite limited. Poor people in the US who don't have cable, or less poor people with only basic cable, could not hear any of it. Only those who could afford to travel to DC, and DC area residents, excluding anyone with cardio-pulmonary conditions (because of the horribly cold weather), could really attend. Nice for those who could.

CNN advertised the event for days, then all we got was talking heads and the official speeches, because the broadcast rights went to HBO.

Some populist crap!

More of the double message from the O. camp.

Mon, 2009-01-19 16:34

#22

Hoodeet

Egg on my face. Ignore my previous post. I just found out from a friend that HBO went free yesterday and that NPR broadcast the concert. Embarrassed.

Mon, 2009-01-19 16:54

#23

ElizaQ

Wow. If you want sappy, good feeling, woo woo overload. Just watch today's Oprah. It puts that concert to shame in that department.

Boy does she sure seem happy though.

Mon, 2009-01-19 17:09

#24

Boom Boom

It was, after all, an Inaguration concert, designed to make people feel good about their incoming President. It wasn't designed to be Monterey Pop or Woodstock. I doubt there were any joints being passed around the event yesterday.

Mon, 2009-01-19 17:26

#25

Cueball

Jingles wrote:

U2?!

I thought Obama was against torture? Another broken campaign promise.

Oh come on the guitar player is pretty good, even I will admit that much. That song though, and that band are way beyond there best before date. At least he mentioned Palestinians, as if he was embarassed to say it, almost.

Mon, 2009-01-19 17:36

#26

Cueball

All in all, totally gaudy schtick. Are we going to have four years of this "power of positive thinking" politics, set to a soundtrack of Barak Obama's sonorous "motivational speaking"?

hq!

Mon, 2009-01-19 17:45

#27

johnpauljones

Webgear wrote:

Does anyone know if Harper, Layton or any other Canadian politician is going to the event?

usually only an ambassador is officially invited and other leaders simply attend functions at their embassy

Mon, 2009-01-19 18:10

#28

M. Spector M. Spector's picture

Quote:
This was supposed to be the Inauguration's make-up moment to gays and lesbians everywhere for the inclusion of the vile and reprehensible homophobe Rick Warren: Bishop Gene Robinson, an openly-gay Episcopalian minister kicking off the week with an invocation on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. And while he did lead a prayer... you'd never know it unless you were standing with the thousands at the Reflecting Pool in D.C.

HBO cut Robinson's prayer from their coverage of "We Are One: The Inaugural Concert" and attendees at the event said that the sound on Robinson's prayer cut out at one point. HBO's response was to say that Robinson was part of the "pre-show" and blame Inauguration organizers, who determined the on-air vs pre-show show schedule. A spokesperson from HBO told AfterElton "The producer of the concert has said that the Presidential Inaugural Committee made the decision to keep the invocation as part of the pre-show."

There's no easy way to say this: We were hoodwinked. Cynics will say, "Well, what did you expect?", but the answer is, "We expected more." The concert itself was inspiring, hopeful and a media event, but the exclusion of Robinson once again highlights the reality that gays and lesbians sit at the back of the American political bus.

Perhaps the most infuriating moment of the event was when Queen Latifah told the story of Marian Anderson, a black singer who was barred from performing at Constitution Hall by the Daughters of the American Revolution and who was subsequently invited to perform on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial by Eleanor Roosevelt, who resigned her D.A.R membership in protest.

As soon as this story was told, Josh Groban and Heather Headley performed "My Country 'Tis of Thee" backed by the D.C. Gay Men's Chorus, in what was clearly meant to be a bit of historical symmetry. However, the only way you'd know that the men singing were gay is by the AIDS ribbons pinned to their chests. Sure, none of the choruses that performed were chyroned, but here was a great symbolic moment that was coded so that only people already aware of its symbolism would get it.

It's the height of irony that, in a concert so focused on freedom's promise of civil rights and equality for all, that gays and lesbians were sidelined.

[url=http://www.queerty.com/live-blogging-obamas-inauguration-concert-2009011...

Tue, 2009-01-20 07:44

#29

Winnifred

I particularly enjoyed Bruce, Will-I-am and it was great to see and hear Herbie Hancock and Stevie Wonder. John Mellencamp was a welcome piece as well.

Tue, 2009-01-20 08:07

#30

Ghislaine

This "We are One" four day fest is costing hundreds of millions of dollars in tax money and features and exclusionary and hateful preacher like Warren. The gay bishop's address was mysteriously left out of the HBO broadcast on Sunday... Has anyone else heard that will.i.am from the Black Eyed Peas censored his own lyrics during the concert on Sunday? A line that referred to the CIA as the KKK and terrorists was changed. I am finding the whole hysteria so crazy. So many Americans believing that "everything is going to change and everything will be different". I hope they are ready for the disappointment. Cannot find the link...but has anyone else seen the Pepsi/Obama commercial? Very, very puke-worthy. They have also re-worked their logo to be nearly identical to Obama's.

Thu, 2009-01-22 21:35

#31

Webgear

inauguration

This did not appear to be a green event after all.

Thu, 2009-01-22 22:50

#32

Unionist

Boom Boom wrote:

Obama said in his closing speech, among other stuff, that"America will endure and prevail".

I think he was just kidding. You can tell when he's serious - it's when he says the nice stuff. When he says the dirty stuff, he's just staying in shape for his 2012 re-election campaign.

Quote:
ETA: A friend of mine on another board suggests Obama was referring to the economic crisis when he said these words.

Yeah, you see? I was right. It's all nice.

Quote:
One can only hope.

Great line, BB. Wasn't it FDR who said:

"We have nothing left to hope for but hope itself"?

Thu, 2009-01-22 23:04

#33

Unionist

[s]They fiddled while Gaza burned.[/s]

Whoops, sorry, peace broke out the day before. God bless America.

Thu, 2009-01-22 23:12

#34

M. Spector M. Spector's picture

Wilf Day wrote:

After 30 posts, no one mentions who great it was to have Yo-Yo Ma and Itzhak Perlman sharing the stage...

Why, are they implacable enemies?

Thu, 2009-01-22 23:25

#35

Wilf Day

After 30 posts, no one mentions how great it was to have Yo-Yo Ma and Itzhak Perlman sharing the stage -- even if they were bow-synching, and even though John Williams' piece was unmemorable.

Thu, 2009-01-22 23:27

#36

Wilf Day

M. Spector wrote:
Wilf Day wrote:

After 30 posts, no one mentions how great it was to have Yo-Yo Ma and Itzhak Perlman sharing the stage...

Why, are they implacable enemies?

No, but they certainly have large egos, and rightfully so.

Fri, 2009-01-23 05:14

#37

Ken Burch

Wilf Day wrote:

After 30 posts, no one mentions how great it was to have Yo-Yo Ma and Itzhak Perlman sharing the stage -- even if they were bow-synching, and even though John Williams' piece was unmemorable.

Am I the only one who thinks its musically perverse for Williams to have created a complex elaboration on the song "Simple Gifts"? The song is about avoiding complication.

It was good to have Pete Seeger on at the end(with his grandson, Tao Rodriguez-Seeger, on lead vocals)doing the often suppressed left-wing verses of "This Land Is Your Land".

Finally, as to the lines about America "prevailing"...c'mon, guys, he meant getting out of the recession and attending to the country's problems. You don't have to always assume that any victory for the U.S. must be of the right-wing military variety. Victory can also mean actually bringing in a real program of progressive advancement.

And anyway, Ralph would have said something upbeat about the country's future if he were being sworn in. He would not have said "this country is evil and we're going to collapse in the name of the greater good".

The key to getting the U.S. to change how it deals with the world is to convince the American people that such a change(nonintervention in foreign policy, progressive social change at home)is a way to make the country better, that it is a victory for the country. There is an opportunity for the left in the U.S. to move things further left now, if it can make that kind of a positive appeal for change. That's how you engage the people. That's how the Civil Rights movement won its victories. And it isn't surrender or sellout in the least to work in that way.

_________________________________________________________________________________________________ Our Demands Most Moderate are/ We Only Want The World! -James Connolly