Recently in Concert Category

It was like walking into a bubble or some sort of a time warp. If the economy was bad, you certainly couldn't tell from the extravagant festivities at the Lincoln Memorial and National Mall today in what many are calling a "preview" of the main event Tuesday.

The Presidential Inauguration Committee pulled out all the stops with top-flight celebrities and talents like Bruce Springsteen, Bono, Stevie Wonder, Tiger Woods, Jack Black and Queen Latifa. People from all over came out in droves and it was a standing-room only crowd throughout the Mall.

It almost seemed a little too over the top, but the upbeat crowd was certainly contagious. Laughs, smiles, cheers, chants, and hugs were everywhere, and people were surprisingly polite when others tried to squeeze ahead of them for a better view.

But most amazing of all was how silent everyone went when a dignitary began to speak. Have a look for yourself:

Vice President-elect Joe Biden

President-elect Barack Obama

As the final touches were put into place Sunday, jubilation filled the air at the Inaugural Celebration concert and a palpbale pre-inauguration buzz began to take hold of the hundreds of thousands who packed the Mall.

Window washers tidy up the Newseum's exterior, which faces Pennsylvania Ave. This will be prime viewing area for Tuesday's parade, but tickets to get in were said to have sold out several months in advance.

The view of the US Capitol Building from the Newseum's oft-crowed 6th floor terrace.

Twenty one-month-old Shalvah Lazarus, whose first name means "tranquility," looks on at the "We Are One" Inaugural Celebration concert. Her mother said she's been an Obama fan since 15 months.

Lazarus' grandmother is New Hampshire House of Representatives Member Emma Rous, who is also the chairwoman of the House education committee.

Rous called the concert "thrilling. It's a new day in America," she said.

And what better way to celebrate than by "Shout"-ing.

Just a few highlights from Sunday, January 18, 2009...

A strong police presence was seen throughout the district on Sunday.

Street vendors set out to get their piece of inauguration action by selling t-shirts, buttons, watches, posters and other memorabilia.

A sea of people, stretching from the Capitol to the Lincoln Memorial, stood shoulder to shoulder at Sunday's inaugural concert.

U.S. troops attend the official kickoff celebration in front of Lincoln Memorial.

Bono on the big screen.