We have a new president! When I cast my first ballot ever in the California primary for Bernie Sanders, I was so filled with pride! Then, when I learned that my ballot had been denied I made sure to do everything in my power to get a verified vote in for Joe Biden and Kamala Harris. Though Joe Biden was not my first choice, he managed to accomplish a pretty outstanding feat, bridging the divides between large swaths of Americans in the name of unity, teamwork, and progress.  Whether or not that pans out, running on unity meant a diverse set of performers on Inauguration Day, with some major standouts during the ceremony and in the recorded performances throughout the day. 

Before getting into the singers and popular acts that spiced up the otherwise traditional proceedings, as a trumpeter myself I must applaud the military bands on display throughout the day. The concert band and herald trumpets are composed of talented musicians who only get to shine on occasions like these. Even if not as blindly, innocently loyal to the national anthem as I once was, only the best trumpeter in my high school marching band was allowed to play the opening solo and the high note on “free” at the end. Working up to playing this was perhaps the greatest musical achievement of my senior year. For many musicians, especially wind players and former marching bandsmen, seeing these inaugural performances is as exciting as the pop stars who sing over their instrumentals.

In 2017 I had school off on Inauguration Day. What a bleak affair. Though there were performances throughout that day, the four performers during President Biden’s inauguration were more symbolic of his optimistic goals in a time of great division.

Lady Gaga’s rendition of the national anthem was especially poignant in the aftermath of the January 6th attack on the Capitol. Generally the “land of the free” is the most drawn out lyric, a cadenza allowing the singer to show off. Here Gaga emphasized “the flag was still there.” Only two weeks prior I had wondered if the premonition of United States balkanization from Kurt Vonnegut’s Slaughterhouse-Five would come to pass. Though yes, recent conversation surrounding Biden concerns his naivety, Gaga’s moment acknowledged a victory over the destructive hate that has brewed for hundreds of years and bubbled over the past four while acknowledging the struggle is still real. We are in no way “out of the woods” yet. 

There’s a line to walk between tokenism and meaningful representation. As a second generation Mexican American I can generally differentiate pandering from genuine appreciation. If not, my mother usually has something to say about it. Pixar’s Coco (2017)? A little much. Jennifer Lopez’s inaugural medley of “This Land is Your Land” and “America the Beautiful,” with a little insert of “Let’s Get Loud” for personal flourish? Chef’s kiss.

It is clear that the performers during the inauguration were each from groups Joe Biden pledged to support. In an election in which the Republican candidate peeled away a noticeable amount of Latin American voters, Lopez’s inclusion is probably an obvious political consideration. Hopefully Lopez’s inclusion represents a commitment to the people she represents. Following up on issues of environmental racism, immigration, and other issues while understanding that the Latin American community is incredibly diverse will be President Biden’s true test. The fact that it took so long for presidential campaigns to understand that Cuban Americans in Florida think differently than Puerto Rican Americans in New York, and that Mexican Americans in Texas may be more inclined towards a certain political agenda than those in California, is a disgraceful reminder of how Latin Americans have endured a history of erasure in the United States. We have been here too long to only now escape the monolithic myth. 

Garth Brooks surprised me. I have never been a fan of country music, and especially not any made in the 1990s and beyond. Brooks is arguably the greatest symbol of that turning point towards what we now think of as modern country music, but in this context he also represents  a middle-America that is increasingly frustrated by the fortunes they don’t see that they are supposed to be entitled to. That is, the target audience for Trumpism. His restrained, quiet “Amazing Grace” was surprisingly moving. His singing was not great, but he was the only singer of the day to use the somber overtones of our current situation as an instrument, and the lyrics of this piece lend itself to this quiet. We have the tools to make something beautiful, if we care to put in the work.

Amanda Gorman’s poetry might have been spoken and not sung, but not acknowledging the musicality in her delivery and flow would be to reject the history of beat poetry and literature’s hold on all songwriters who have ever said anything worth saying. Gorman delivered with a passion that will influence young poets, rappers, and singers who are still searching to find their voice. 

Though the Inaugural performances were assuredly the most widely seen, there were many other notable performances throughout the day. There were some truly great performances, a couple flops, and a few that had me searching for the new artist afterward. 

Many of these performances were shown across the country on the Celebrating America broadcast hosted by America’s Dad and early Covid-19 infectee Tom Hanks. Bruce Springsteen opened it up with “Land of Hope and Dreams,” which he referred to as a prayer for this big country. Good intentions are on display here, and this performance is much more effective than Springsteen’s appearance in a Superbowl LV commercial about meeting “in the middle.” We are a little past that now, but, at the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, Springsteen did what he does, representing as one of America’s great songwriters.

Immediately following this subdued performance, however, was one of the worst monstrosities I have seen in recent memory. Bon Jovi (okay, whatever) performing “Here Comes The Sun” on a dock seemingly in the Florida Keys, on a cloudy day? Even when the sun shines through at the end this campy, stupid, unnecessary affair had thoroughly rained on my parade. Bon Jovi’s rendition is irreverent in all the wrong ways. The forced cheeriness and awkward body movements were as uncomfortable to the viewer as it must have been to the violinist, who was the only musician giving the performance the appropriate energy and tone. Percussionists are important, and even when on auxiliary there are ways to be professional, to rock out without looking like a complete moron. As Jon Bon Jovi makes a fool of himself the guitarist, keyboardist, and tambourine/shaker player are all too happy to indulge in this mockery of one of the greatest, most hopeful Harrisongs ever written. 

Even with this historic fumble, there were no other true bummer performances. Though Brooks surprised me, Yo-Yo Ma’s “Amazing Grace” was of a beauty anyone familiar with his work would come to expect. In addition the master cellist played snippets of “Goin’ Home,” from Dvořák’s 9th symphony, and the traditional piece “Simple Gifts.” Whether in the Silk Road Ensemble or on his own, Ma has always been a proponent of cooperation and love, and his playing is among the most powerful of any modern musician. Until recently I had been unaware of his political involvement, but I suppose now more than ever American artists are coming out to encourage political activism. Yo-Yo Ma has also performed Rachmaninoff’s “Vocalise” with pianist Sara Wolfensohn in honor of the recently deceased Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. 

Other highlights from Celebrating America included a passionate Gospel-inspired duet between Ant Clemons and Justin Timberlake called “Better Days,” a Foo Fighters performance of “Times Like These” dedicated to America’s teachers, a worthy cover of the classic Nina Simone recording “Feeling Good” by John Legend, and a Demi Lovato rendition of Bill Withers’ “Lovely Day” featuring America’s frontline workers.

One of these performers was very different from these other well-established stars. Black Pumas performed “Colors” from Austin, Texas, the rocking instrumental and frontman Eric Burton’s singing totally different from anyone else that night. This isn’t the first new rock act of the past couple years to reinvigorate these sounds, but this performance was the only one of the night to bring an act flying under the radar to light.

Most Americans probably would not have seen Inauguration Day performances besides Tom Hanks’ hour-long special, but there were multiple organizations hosting talks, celebrities, and music. Among these I was able to catch the Asian American and Pacific Islander Inaugural Ball, which hosted indie darling Japanese Breakfast, Bangladeshi American singer songwriter Ari Afsar, and Indian American rapper Raja Kumari. Going with younger, exclusively female artists was a clear choice, and encouraged a newer, more accurate view of America’s Asian American community, a view that the artists and speakers believed Vice President Kamala Harris to represent.

The new administration has much to fix, and much to be watched closely for. Reuniting an old band to perform for the president isn’t necessarily indicative of an administration’s ability, but Joe Biden definitely gave all 90s music fans a big gift on Day One. Apparently Beau Biden loved New Radicals, and so in honor of President Biden’s deceased son Gregg Alexander’s one album legend rose again for a short, sweet performance of “You Get What You Give.” The bucket hat bald man back in the saddle again, this 1998 hit was not the most political track on Maybe You’ve Been Brainwashed Too, but it sure rings true for our dire crossroads of a present.

You voted! Hurray. Keep the pressure on. Remember to dance to songs about destroying shopping malls every now and then. 

Written by Stanley Quiros

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