Originally posted Jan. 20.
Freezing temperatures and snow did not keep crowds away from the Celebration of Freedom inaugural concert on Wednesday night, as thousands came to the Ellipse to see President George W. Bush and musical acts such as the Gatlin Brothers and Kenny Chesney.
The concert began with an extended prayer thanking God for leaders who acknowledge the "need for God-inspired solutions," and calling for cooperation and nonpartisan politics. Bush also spoke of cooperation in his short speech, and said "inauguration is a time of unity."
Bush said he will talk about freedom in his inaugural speech.
"We have a calling from beyond the stars to stand for freedom, and America will always be faithful to that cause," he said.
The concert was a salute to the armed forces. The music was mainly patriotic, and kept short because of the weather. Those who braved the cold to watch the concert and fireworks display included high school students, inaugural parade participants, lobbyists and many in cowboy hats and those supporting Bush.
Johnny Bracket, a high school student from California, came to D.C. with his history class to see the inauguration. He said it was a long trip from California, but "not too far for W."
"I went to the America's Youth Rocks Today concert; it was the best experience of my life," Bracket said. "No joke, I cried."
Other high school students were less impressed with the inaugural activities. Ryan Yeager, a high school student from Louisiana, came to D.C. to march with the West Monroe High school band in the inaugural parade. He found time before the concert to make a snowman named Albert.
Yeager is a Republican, but is more focused on his parade performance than supporting the president.
"I don't usually get nervous, but maybe when I see all the people," he said about performing.
Russ Ferguson, a political science major at Duke University and treasurer of the North Carolina College Republicans, came to the inaugural event because he "loves the president." He interned at the Bush/Cheney '04 headquarters in Arlington, Va.
"I'll learn more here than I will in class," he said of the inaugural experience.
Queen Mother Dr. Delois Blakely traveled from Harlem, NY to lobby for affordable housing at the inauguration. Blakely said her title of Queen Mother is "passed on from Africa" and that she represents 50 million African descendants.
"I'm coming to lobby early," Blakely said. "So everyone understands the time to do this is now."
After the president's speech, the event ended with a fireworks show. Some fireworks exploded in the shape of the letter W, appropriately branding the sky behind the Washington Monument with the Texan president's insignia.
-Eagle Staff Writer Mary Specht contributed to this story.
