Obama inauguration boasts diverse acts

What do Bruce Springsteen, Garth Brooks, Beyoncé, and Shakira have in common? Not a lot, except that they will all be gracing the steps of the Lincoln Memorial this Saturday to play Barack Obama's official inauguration celebration.

Along with the aforementioned artists, the event's diverse lineup includes Mary J. Blige, Bono, Sheryl Crow, Josh Groban, Usher, John Mellencamp, Herbie Hancock, James Taylor, Will.i.am, and Stevie Wonder, among others. The event's bill is not limited to musical performances, as Jamie Foxx, Martin Luther King III, Queen Latifah, and Denzel Washington will read historical passages.

Obama chose Rev. V. Gene Robinson, an openly gay bishop from New Hampshire, to give the invocation that will kick off his inaugural celebration. This is significant because Obama also chose Rev. Rick Warren, who recently spoke against same-sex marriage, to give the inaugural invocation.

Headlining the inauguration ceremony performances will be soul singer Aretha Franklin. Cellist Yo-Yo Ma, violinist Itzhak Perlman, and pianist Gabriela Montero will perform a new piece composed by Star Wars and Jaws composer John Williams. Other musical performances at the event include the San Francisco Boys and Girls Choruses and the Army and Marine bands.

Elizabeth Alexander will be the fourth poet to perform at a presidential inauguration, an honor she shares with Robert Frost, who spoke at John F. Kennedy Jr.'s 1961 inauguration, Maya Angelou, who performed for Bill Clinton's 1993 inauguration, and Miller Williams' reading at Bill Clinton's 1997 inauguration.

Reading the closing benediction will be the Rev. Joseph Lowery.

Though this will be Franklin's first time performing at the inauguration ceremony, it will not be her first inauguration-related performance. She performed at Bill Clinton's 1993 inauguration celebration. Other past performers include Ricky Martin, Barbara Streisand, Michael Jackson, and Loretta Lynn.