At the Inaugural Ball

The inimitable Stevie Wonder performing

A week ago, following the swearing in ceremonies for President Obama, the Inaugural Ball was held in Washington, D.C.  (Actually there were two of them.)  Fate has a way of intervening sometimes to bring about interesting things: my niece, a brilliant photographer, took a chance and answered an ad for a photographer on Craigslist (of all things!) and ended up being able to attend the Ball!

I never figured Craigslist as a Fairy Godmother... but there ya go.

Linnea was given the chance to attend by a man named Andrew Lee.  Andrew said he was interested in photographs of the everyday person attending the ball.  As Linnea puts it, it would be "sort of like a society page for the common man."  She says she and Andrew went around talking with different people and taking their pictures, so they were moving around the entire time through the crowd of about 30,000 other people. Andrew is very out-going and had no trouble chatting with everyone and anyone.

Here are some insider's peeks at this historic event, thanks to Linnea!

Newly re-elected Vice President Joe Biden trippin' the light fantastic

I asked her if she had gotten close to the Obamas.  She replied that she was not very close to the stage when the Obamas danced, because there was no set schedule and they had no idea what would happen when.

President Obama and his wife were actually there very briefly.  They walked out, waved, danced and went away.  It couldn't have been more than five minutes, according to Linnea.  It was pretty much the same with the Bidens.

I'm sure they had to visit the VIP areas, and the other ball too, which accounts for their brief appearance.

John Legend performs

According to my niece the ball itself was very different than she had expected.  It was in a very large room that had a warehouse feel, with a concrete floor - just a huge, cavernous open space.

My niece Linnea with Andrew Lee

She writes, "The whole event was more like a concert than anything else, and we had been expecting people to be talking and dancing and no one really was."

"People were crowded around the stage, too close together to really dance, and not willing to move in case they missed the next big thing to happen."

There were lots of great performers, as you've probably heard in the media: Alicia Keys, Fun, John Legend, Darren Criss and Amber Riely from the Glee cast, Stevie Wonder, Jamie Foxx, Jennifer Hudson, and Soundgarden, just to name a few.

It sounds very much like a music festival, only minus the sun, dirt and food vendors!  

According to Linnea, there wasn't any food served, but you could buy drinks.

There were two levels of the ball, and upstairs there was a VIP section.  Linnea heard they had some different performers there, like Katy Perry and Usher.

As you can see by the photos, everyone was in a festive mood and dressed up in their very best.

There was also a section on the lower level set aside for "Special Guests".

Linnea laughs and says she was just out there with the commoners!

People were all being very nice and on their best behavior.  There was no shoving and whenever someone was trying to get through the crowd everyone was quick to let them.. 

It was just a great big, fun All-American party.

You can see the wide variety of ordinary folks that were there amidst the celebrities.

The great thing about America is that no matter who you vote for, you know that you have the chance to turn things around in four years.  Government for the people and by the people is a wonderful thing.  And if your guy happens to win, all the better.

Either way, the wheels of government keep churning, and there are opportunities for all.

Amber Reily from Glee performs

Linnea says she didn't get home until 2 a.m. - she's still trying to recuperate!  (I don't really believe that, as she's only in her mid-twenties, and probably bounced right back - but we'll give her this one as she's been so nice to share her photos with us!)

What an amazing evening.  To be able to attend such an historic event is a once in a lifetime thing.

Thanks to Linnea for sharing her beautiful pictures, and helping us ordinary folks to have a glimpse of what it was like to be there!