It’s not easy to follow a speech by a former president, so the president didn’t try to do so.
After former President Barack Obama finished a rousing speech about the mission of the just-opened Obama Presidential Center on Chicago’s South Side, Bruce Springsteen took to the stage with a somewhat sheepish look on his face. “Hi, I’m Bruce,” he told the crowd of a few hundred dignitaries on the center grounds and several thousand at a public watch party a few blocks away.
He then launched into an acoustic performance of the song “Land of Hope and Dreams” in keeping with the day’s theme. Speeches from Barack and Michelle Obama, Obama Foundation CEO Valerie Jarrett and others emphasized that the center, which opens to the public on Friday, not only celebrates Barack Obama’s two terms as president, but highlights the people doing democratic work at the ground level and trying to ensure that the United States lives up to its ideals.
The former president even made a joke about it in his speech: “If you come [to the center] “I haven’t had time to see everything,” he said. “I would urge you to skip the clips of my speeches. You’ve seen it all before.” Instead, he suggested visitors pay attention to the stories of community leaders and activists the center will highlight.
Within the center grounds, dignitaries (among them Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker, Rep. Nancy Pelosi and former German Chancellor Angela Merkel) and celebrities — including Oprah Winfrey, Stephen Colbert, David Letterman and Tyler Perry — joined the Obamas and former first couple Bill and Hillary Clinton, George W. and Laura Bush, and Joe and Jill Biden. At the public display, the mood was like a block party, with a DJ warming up the crowd before the event, and food trucks and booths from local businesses and non-profit groups lining both sides of Midway Plaisance.
Actress and activist Marsai Martin (blackish) Act as host for the public show, periodically chatting with audience members during breaks from the main program.
“It’s a feeling you can’t really describe,” said Miana Zani, coordinator of a Chicago nonprofit called Sisters in Cinema that works with aspiring Black women and gender-nonconforming media makers. “We’re so honored to be here.” The group had a booth at the public party. Janie recalled that when she was a child living in Indiana, her mother pulled her out of school to see Obama at a campaign stop. “I was like, ‘Why are we here?'” She said, “This guy is going to be someone important one day.” I got to see the museum — it’s incredible. I cried, and both my friends cried. He’s done so much, and he continues to give people hope, and it’s amazing to see.”
After an opening set by The Roots, the day’s program began with Chicago native Jennifer Hudson singing the national anthem and “The Impossible Dream.” Christina Aguilera sang “What a Wonderful World” — which Jarrett, when introduced to her, said she had never performed in public before. Eddie Vedder and teens from a music non-profit called Guitars Over Guns performed an original song they wrote together called “Better Believe.” John Legend sang Donny Hathaway’s “One Day We’ll All Be Free” and Common and the United Voices Choir of Chicago joined him for “Glory.”
In addition to emphasizing the center’s goal, Michelle Obama praised her husband in an impassioned speech, noting, “How ridiculous it is to imagine that you might have done anything but make our family and this entire country proud. You have made the hardest job in the world seem like a walk in this beautiful park.” She and the former president showed some emotion during the speech. As he took the stage, Barack Obama quipped: “She did me wrong. She wouldn’t let me see her speech. She knew she was going to screw me over, and she did.”
In between Obama and Obama’s speeches, Marc Anthony (“Vivir Mi Vida”), Nigerian singer Hems and Bono, and The Edge of U2 (“City of Blinding Lights”) performed. After Springsteen’s performance, he introduced one of his “great heroes,” Stevie Wonder. The Motown legend closed out the day by performing “All I Do” and “Signed, Sealed, Delivered,” then invited the other artists back to the stage to join him for “Higher Ground” (the title of which the Obamas borrowed for their media company).
More photos from the event below.
