{"id":2102,"date":"2026-06-18T22:36:00","date_gmt":"2026-06-18T22:36:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/uspropertymoves.com\/?p=2102"},"modified":"2026-06-18T22:36:00","modified_gmt":"2026-06-18T22:36:00","slug":"chicago-throws-a-party-for-the-obama-presidential-centers-star-studded-opening","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/uspropertymoves.com\/?p=2102","title":{"rendered":"Chicago Throws a Party for the Obama Presidential Center\u2019s Star-Studded Opening"},"content":{"rendered":"<div>\n<!-- do not apply CSS styles to this element! --><\/p>\n<div>\n<p>\n\tIt can\u2019t be easy to follow a speech by a former president, so The Boss didn\u2019t try to.<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/uspropertymoves.com\/?p=2100\">Mexico vs. South Korea World Cup Livestream: How to Watch Tonight\u2019s Soccer Game Online Free<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\n\tAfter former President Barack Obama finished a rousing oration on the mission of the just-opened Obama Presidential Center on Chicago\u2019s South Side, Bruce Springsteen walked onto the stage with a somewhat sheepish look on his face. \u201cHi, I\u2019m Bruce,\u201d he told the crowd of a few hundred VIPs on the grounds of the center and several thousand at a public watch party a few blocks away.<\/p>\n<p>\n\tHe then launched into an acoustic performance of \u201cLand of Hope and Dreams,\u201d in keeping with the theme of the day. Speeches by Barack and Michelle Obama, Obama Foundation CEO Valerie Jarrett and others emphasized that the center, which opens to the public Friday, isn\u2019t just about celebrating Barack Obama\u2019s two terms as president, but rather highlighting the people who do the ground-level work of democracy and try to ensure the United States lives up to its ideals. <\/p>\n<p>\n\tThe former president even made a joke about it in his speech: \u201cIf you come [to the center] for a day and don\u2019t have time to see everything, I would urge you to skip the clips of my speeches,\u201d he said. \u201cYou\u2019ve seen them all before.\u201d Instead, he suggested that visitors pay attention to the stories of the community leaders and activists the center will spotlight.<\/p>\n<p>\n\tInside the center\u2019s grounds, dignitaries (Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker, Rep. Nancy Pelosi and former German Chancellor Angela Merkel among them) and celebrities \u2014\u00a0including Oprah Winfrey, Stephen Colbert, David Letterman and Tyler Perry \u2014 joined the Obamas and former first couples Bill and Hillary Clinton, George W. and Laura Bush and Joe and Jill Biden. At the public viewing, the mood was more of a block party, with a DJ warming up the crowd before the event, food trucks and stalls for local businesses and nonprofit groups lining the sides of the Midway Plaisance.<\/p>\n<p>\n\tActress and activist Marsai Martin (<em>Black-ish<\/em>) served as a host for the public viewing, periodically chatting with members of the crowd during breaks from the main program. <\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/uspropertymoves.com\/?p=2094\">UFC White House Card Averages 8 Million Viewers on Paramount+ in U.S., Latin America<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\n\t\u201cIt\u2019s a feeling that you can\u2019t really describe. We\u2019re very honored to be here,\u201d said Myana Zhan\u00e9, coordinator for a Chicago nonprofit called Sisters in Cinema that works with aspiring Black women and gender nonconforming media makers. The group had a booth at the public party. Zhan\u00e9 recalled that as a kid living in Indiana, her mom pulled her out of school to see Obama at a campaign stop. \u201cI was like, \u2018Why are we here?\u2019 and she said, \u2018This man is going to be somebody important one day.\u2019 I\u2019ve gotten to see the museum \u2014 it\u2019s incredible. I cried, both of my friends cried. He\u2019s done so much, and he continues to give hope to people, and it\u2019s just incredible to see.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\n\tAfter an opening set by The Roots, the day\u2019s program kicked off with Chicago native Jennifer Hudson singing the National Anthem and \u201cThe Impossible Dream.\u201d Christina Aguilera sang \u201cWhat a Wonderful World\u201d \u2014 which Jarrett, introducing her, said she had never performed in public before. Eddie Vedder and teenagers from a music nonprofit called Guitars Over Guns performed an original song they wrote together called \u201cBetter Believe.\u201d John Legend sand Donny Hathaway\u2019s \u201cSomeday We\u2019ll All Be Free\u201d and was the joined by Common and the United Voices of Chicago choir for \u201cGlory.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\n\tIn addition to reiterating the center\u2019s purpose, Michelle Obama sang her husband\u2019s praises in a bracing speech, noting that \u201chow absurd it is to imagine you might have done anything but make our family and this entire country proud. You made the hardest job in the world look like a walk in this beautiful park.\u201d Both she and the former president showed some emotion during the speech. As he took the stage, Barack Obama quipped that \u201cshe did me wrong. She wouldn\u2019t let me see her speech. She knew she was gonna mess me up, and she did.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\n\tIn between the Obamas\u2019 speeches, Marc Anthony (\u201cVivir Mi Vida\u201d), Nigerian singer Hems and Bono and The Edge of U2 (\u201cCity of Blinding Lights\u201d) performed. After Springsteen performed, he introduced one of his \u201cgreat heroes,\u201d Stevie Wonder. The Motown legend closed the day by performing \u201cAll I Do\u201d and \u201cSigned, Sealed, Delivered,\u201d then invited the other performers back on stage to join him on \u201cHigher Ground\u201d (the title of which the Obamas borrowed for their media company). <\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/uspropertymoves.com\/?p=2092\">Streaming Ratings: Canceled \u2018The Boroughs\u2019 Debuts at No. 2 Overall<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\n\tMore photos from the event are below.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The opening of the Obama Presidential Center in Chicago featured a public watch party and performances by Stevie Wonder, Bruce Springsteen and others.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2101,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[948,892,1744,1745,1746,1747,1551,714,1035],"class_list":["post-2102","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-interesting","tag-barack-obama","tag-bruce-springsteen","tag-christina-aguilera","tag-common","tag-eddie-vedder","tag-jennifer-hudson","tag-john-legend","tag-michelle-obama","tag-stevie-wonder"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.6 - 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