Obama party more variety show than concert

The We Are One gala is underway and already it has featured appearances by Denzel Washington, Mary J. Bilge, Laura Linney, Martin Luther King III and Bruce Springsteen. But it appears that each of the performers are going to get one song -- it's not going to be a concert so much as a variety show. That's OK, because I got to see Bruce perform a nice E-Street Band-less version of "The Rising" (interesting choice there) along with a stirring choir that I didn't get an opportunity to identify.

1:56 p.m.: Bettye Lavette (who deserves much wider recognition) and Jon Bon Jovi are dueting on "A Change is Gonna Come."

2:07: James Taylor and friends sing "Shower the People" following Tom Hanks' (with a Marine Corps orchestra) tribute to the words of Abraham Lincoln and a short talk on compassion from Marisa Tomei.

Now it's off to Austin to pick up the granddaughter. Yeah!