Inaugural Balls

In 1993 I attended 3 inaugural balls. It was Bill Clinton's first term and he was the first president born of the rock & roll era. He was known for his love of Elvis, the sax and had and still does have a great appreciation for music. It was no surprise that sprawled out all over DC were balls with amazing music lineups. While waiting for one of my bands in the hotel lobby to go to soundcheck, I met Lindsey Buckingham. Don't Stop became the official Clinton campaign song. Fleetwood Mac hadn't toured in years, but were getting back together to perform for the President. Linsdsey was blown away by the attention the song got.

It was winter. I was wearing heels. The only way to get around was to walk or run. The roads were like parking lots which meant taxis were not an option. It seemed like every walkway was made of cobble stones (it just seems that way when you're in heels). Will Botwin, Ken Levitan and myself made our way to three balls that night making sure that we didn't miss any of the acts we managed: Los Lobos, Rosanne Cash and Lyle Lovett. The logistic were harrowing. The excitement cannot be recreated. To a lesser degree than today, there was a high level of hope for the new President.

We seemed to arrive at every ball, just as Al and Tipper Gore were also arriving. At each ball, they would stop whoever was playing, from the speakers would come Paul Simon's You Can Call Me Al and then Al and Tipper would dance. I was so sick of that song by the end of the day. One of the balls was in Air and Space Museum. Having free reign of the place during soundcheck was amazing. Yes, we all had our photos taken on the Star Trek set. At another ball, Rosanne introduced me to her dad and step mom (do I need to point out they were Johnny Cash and June Carter Cash?).

There has been much written about how smooth and together the Obama transition has been as opposed to Clinton, who still had not filled out his cabinet by inauguration day. I can relate this to the scheduling of the balls. According to the NY Times guide to the inauguration, of the 10 balls that are happening tonight, 6 are in the Walter E. Washington Convention Center. This would make it so much easier for Obama and Biden and those managers who have multiple acts playing. I heard on the news that the performers that played on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial on Sunday, paid for their own expenses. I'm not sure if that pertains to the balls also. In 1992, the artists donated their time, but the expenses were covered. The excitement and energy are truly unforgettable and I can understand why people travelled thousands of miles to be there today.