Post by Admin on Jan 18, 2021 19:27:15 GMT
A dogged effort to stage something uplifting and fun, Sunday night’s We the People concert and fundraiser (a small donation garnered Biden/Harris supporters access to the virtual event) was kind of silly, kind of sad, incredibly random, woefully low-energy, scrappy, admirable, and in the end, maybe actually sorta nice?
The lineup wasn’t just the normal hilariously eclectic bookings that telegraph “we know that the guest of honor has no idea who most of these people are but we were determined to hire at least one act to tick off every demographic to prove we’re inclusive” that these political events are notorious for.
Maybe it’s because the big guns are being reserved for Wednesday’s primetime inauguration concert or maybe they just couldn’t justify the effort to appear on a virtual livestream event lacking any of the spirit of a live concert, but We the People featured whiplash-inducing turns from A-list performer to, not quite Z-list, but maybe P-list? Q-list?
Keegan-Michael Key and Debra Messing, of the iconic “I’m for Joe” meme, served as co-hosts, and were perfectly cheery and happy to be there, so good for them. But even as they over-enthusiastically introduced the night’s lineup, it was tempting to snicker at its diminishing returns: “Cher!” “And Fall Out Boy!” “And [pause] Kal Penn…”
The president-elect and Dr. Jill Biden spoke, as did Kamala Harris and her husband, Doug Emhoff. “Even though our inauguration traditions look a little different this year,” cautioned Biden, “we’re all still together across all of America.”
Between pandemic restrictions and continued threats of insurrection, it’s the worst time to try to trumpet excitement for a new administration, and they’re doing their damnedest to do what they’re able and what’s appropriate. It’s an impossible situation, like if someone gave you a few twenties, a keg of Busch Light, the keys to the party room at the Ponderosa Steakhouse, and said, “Turn this into a presidential event.”
There are many minds to be had about it. It’s exhausting that there’s always an insistence to do this sort of thing, days of celebrations and ultimately uninteresting concerts as part of some civic pomp and circumstance, and especially now when we’re in a pandemic. Yet it’s time to start feeling good about things—or at least believe it’s possible to one day feel good about things again.
To that end, it’s inspiring and nice to have the opportunity to gather with people who are excited to champion and support not just the new president-elect, but the promise of what the country could be under his leadership.
But then at the end of the day, how invigorated can you feel, sitting on your couch watching a glitchy livestream on your computer at 8 pm on a Sunday as Grace Adler and the guy who made out with Meryl Streep in The Prom are trying to gaslight you into thinking that Fall Out Boy’s upcoming performance is akin to watching Beyoncé close out Coachella?