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Katy Perry performs during the Kids' Inaugural: Our Children. Our Future event in Washington on Jan. 19, 2013, as part of the 57th Inauguration weekend of events.
WASHINGTON -- Katy Perry donned star and
stripes for "Firework," Usher sang "Yeah!" and a ballroom full of lucky
kids got to rock out with Sasha and Malia Obama at Saturday's Kids'
Inaugural Concert, a star-studded event that honors America's military
families.
"Now, inauguration is a pretty big deal," first lady Michelle Obama,
who hosted the event along with Jill Biden, told the assembled families
at the Washington Convention Center. "But I have to tell you that my
very favorite part of this entire weekend is being right here with all
of you." She paid tribute to the sacrifices that military families make,
including their kids.
Pointing out that such kids often
attend six to nine schools by the end of high school, always having to
be "the new kid," she said being a military kid meant "growing up just a
little faster, and working just a little harder than other kids." The
concert was streamed live to several military bases around the country.
This
was the second such concert for the Obama girls, and the performers'
lineup seemed to reflect the fact that they are four years older. While
they were entertained by Miley Cyrus and the Jonas Brothers in 2009,
this time it was Usher and Perry, along with the groups Mindless
Behavior and Far East Movement. Cast members from the Fox TV series
"Glee" also performed.
Usher, in black leather, kicked
off the proceedings with his hit "Yeah!," followed by "Without You" and
"OMG," earning a huge cheer from the crowd. In between acts, there were
kid-friendly diversions like a dance-off, or a race among mascots of the
Washington Nationals: oversized versions of presidents like George
Washington, Abraham Lincoln and Teddy Roosevelt.
Three
members of the "Glee" cast were greeted warmly by the crowd: Naya
Rivera, who plays Santana; Darren Criss, who plays Blaine; and Amber
Riley, who plays Mercedes.
Nick Cannon emceed the evening, but it was Mrs. Obama, sporting her new bangs and wearing a white peplum shirt over black pants, who got to introduce the top attraction.
"It
is now my pleasure to introduce the fabulous Katy Perry!" the first
lady said, and the singer emerged in what looked like a vintage
swimsuit, covered patriotically with stars and stripes. She sang her
hits "Teenage Dream," "Part of Me," "Wide Awake" and then "Firework,"
which was accompanied by a slide show of President Barack Obama: Obama
in the Oval Office, Obama exiting Air Force One, Obama greeting LeBron
James.
"I'm very proud to be here ... and to see the Obamas and the Bidens here for four more years," Perry said.
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