Rehearsal for Biden’s inauguration postponed due to security concerns
- by Virginia Carter
- in World Media
- — Jan 16, 2021
The country may be on edge because of the threat of potential violence looming over the inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris, but plans are going forward for TV specials and other programs created to mark the historic occasion. The decision to forgo the 90-minute Amtrak ride from Wilmington to Washington was likely not easy for Biden, whose preference for taking the train during his 36-year Senate career was such a central part of his public persona that he rode it home on his final day as vice president in 2017.
Gaga will jet back from Chromatica for Biden's outdoor swearing-in ceremony, made vastly minimal by coronavirus restrictions, at the West Front of the US Capitol, Washington DC.
More than 20,000 National Guard troops are expected to be in Washington, D.C., for next Wednesday's inaugural ceremonies, while much of the city has been under tight security since last week's attack.
The Democratic ticket has certainly drawn a constellation of stars celebrating the president-elect's victory - a sharp contrast to outgoing president Donald Trump's inauguration, where performances included a Mormon choir and an America's Got Talent victor singing the national anthem.
The two headliners are joining four other artists who are performing for the inauguration special Celebrating America. O'Donovan will lead the invocation, and Andrea Hall, the first Black female captain of the South Fulton Fire and Rescue Department in Georgia, will lead the Pledge of Allegiance. It will also be available to stream, via the Presidential Inaugural Committee social media channels on YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, and Twitch.
There will be performances by Lady Gaga and Jennifer Lopez, as well as a TV special called Celebrating America that evening, hosted by Tom Hanks and featuring performances by Justin Timberlake, Demi Lovato, Jon Bon Jovi, Ant Clemons and John Legend.
The rehearsal is now planned for Monday, according to the report.
