Obama Change-o-rama - Pt 1: Let Freedom Ring On It

Hello faithful readers. I know it has taken far too long for me to put this up, but I wanted time to process everything and had to sort through the 5700 photographs that I took on this trip. My intention with this blog is to recount my experience and share the things I saw with you, the less fortunate person who had to stay home and listen to Wolf Blitzer talk about how historic this is. Througout these posts, I'll have YouTube videos and photos embedded for your viewing pleasure. You don't have to watch the YouTube videos, but it'll be more fun and interactive and blog-y, because what's a blog these days without YouTube videos thrown in? So, sit down and enjoy the ride.

A couple of days before we were supposed to leave, I was reading details online about a concert that I had been watching developments on. It was barely mentioned when it was going to be a Bruce Springsteen concert, and as big a fan as I am of the boss, I didn't think it necessary to change plans to make it. But then they listed 2 other performers... Bono and OMG BEYONCE!!! As I read more details, I became angered at the fact that acts such as Stevie Wonder and James Taylor were being mentioned in the fine print when Beyonce got first billing. Don't get me wrong, the girl's good, but bigger than Stevie? I think not. So I call my travelmates Alanna and Jonathan and tell them that plans are changing and that we are going to head out on Saturday instead of Sunday. I was able to get a 45.00 hotel room at the Residence Inn near the Capitol, and before we had time to digest anything, we were off at 2pm on saturday on our 10 hour drive to DC. 

After arriving at the hotel and crashing for the night, we got up around 8 to head down to the concert site at 10. Along the way, we got to see lots of my favorite people in the world... CRAZIES AND STEREOTYPES!!! For example... this happy asian man taking a photograph!

Or these guys who were protesting america's lack of racial progress?




Also... there were TONS of port-o-pottys.



As we made our way to the concert area, the amount of security became pretty daunting. They were everywhere, from jolly black policemen directing you where to go...

to special police scaffolds every hundred or so feet...

and let's not forget the snipers flying around in helicopters and on the top of the lincoln memorial.



Since we got there so early, there weren't quite as many people there, but still a significant amount. However people did have room to lay around and take naps or play some games while waiting on the big show to begin 4 hours later.


At around 1130 or so, before the HUGE crowds had arrived, people like Tom Hanks and Renee' Fleming were rehearsing their parts for the concert. I got to hear Renee' Fleming sing You'll Never Walk Alone at least 5 times. It was amazing. As was her performance for the actual concert.



As the crowd gathered and pushed us closer and closer together, I got to see all kinds of interesting people immediately surrounding me.



After what seemed like an eternity of waiting, it came time for the concert to begin. The invocation was given by Gene Robinson, who has caused a lot of controversy by being the first openly gay person to be made bishop of the episcopal church.



We all know how I feel about gay rights, and it was an awe inspiring thing to see him feet from myself giving an invocation that made what Rick Warren gave on inauguration seem like a kindergarten essay paper. My favorite thing he said was:

"Bless us with freedom from mere tolerance replacing it with a genuine respect and warm embrace of our differences, and an understanding that in our diversity, we are stronger."

Give this a watch if you have a minute. It's fantastic. Or read the entire thing here:

http://www.bilerico.com/2009/01/bishop_gene_robinsons_speech_at_the_linc.php



After Bishop Robinson, I expected there to be some musical performances leading up to the introduction of Joe Biden and Barack Obama, but I was wrong. They were immediately introduced, and seeing them in person, just a hundred feet or so from myself on the steps of the lincoln memorial is a moment that will flicker in front of me when i'm dying and i'm having the "life flashing before your eyes" moment.



Following that were some fantastic performances by artists such as Bruce Springsteen and Mary J Blige


And celebrity introductions from Denzel Washington, Steve Carell, Tiger Woods, and KAL PENN?!?! WTF WAS KUMAR DOING THERE?!



The biggest surprise of the afternoon, for me, was how much I enjoyed Garth Brooks' performance. Those who know me agree that I am no fan of country music. But he gave one of the highest energy performances of the afternoon.



I also got to see Stevie Wonder perform, however it was tainted by the joining of Shakira, who sounded worse than terrible.



The real emotional moment and my favorite performance came when Samuel L Jackson talked about Martin Luther King's "March On Washington" and then introduced U2 singing "Pride (In The Name Of Love)". Seeing them perform this song on the same spot that Dr. King delivered his "I Have A Dream" speech was so overwhelming for me. Chills ran over every inch of every bone in my body and tears rushed to my face.





As I looked around, I saw everyone else just as filled with emotion as I was. It was one of the most communal experiences of my life.



Then came time for the man himself to speak.



I tell you, people can joke all they want about supporters of President Obama getting all caught up in his speeches, but it's hard not to. It's so refreshing to have a president who can express thoughts in complete sentences, and inspire people just by talking to them.

After Obama spoke, Springsteen came back out with Pete Seeger to lead the crowd in This Land Is Your Land by Woodie Guthrie. And then the time came for BEYONCE!!!!!!! I say this with such enthusiasm because it's all that a semi-retarded black guy (who kept eating mustard packets... EW) behind us from New Orleans kept mentioning throughout the whole concert. He didn't know how U2 was, but when Beyonce came out, he screamed higher than any female voice i've ever heard and did this:



I had really hoped she'd sing Single Ladies, because one doesn't hear that song enough... but instead she did a rather moving performance of America The Beautiful.




After all was over, we headed back to the hotel to pick up my car and drive to woodbridge. This took far too long, mainly because of the mass exodus going on. It struck me as we were leaving that it suddenly appeared to be foggy outside, and I realized that it wasn't fog, but dust coming up from the ground as hundreds of thousands of people moved at once, similar to when you see a dust cloud over a herd of cattle.



So that's my recounting of the concert of a lifetime. Next entry I will pick up at my relatives house in Woodbridge (wow!) and our 32 hour sleepless stint in lovely Washington DC. Till then!

Andy

More to come...

2008 is over. All this afternoon I've been thinking about what 2008 meant to me, since that is what people usually do on New Years; reflect on the past and think about the future. I think about how much I grew in 2008. I moved out and got my own place, and have created some of my proudest work to date. I remember this time last year I was certain I'd be in New York this summer, for good. But things don't always go as planned. I still plan on going, but not until I'm absolutely ready. I've learned that lesson vicariously through a dear friend who is up there now. I'm terribly proud and jealous of him. He has seen the absolute worst in life over the past few months, and is fighting every day, but is keeping his head high. There's something about that city. If you're not strong, that city alone is enough to tear you down, and it will. But there's also something empowering about it. You look around and no matter where your eyes land, you see something magnificent, strange, or beautiful. For a photographer especially, there is no better place to be. I am looking forward to my upcoming trips up there. 

Enough on the side tangent. This is time for me to look back. The year is a big blur for me. From January up until the time I moved into my apartment in May, especially. The year started by finishing a run of a show that was a big moment in really figuring out what it is I love doing. I love acting and singing. I love magic and photography too, but those are expressions of me. I create my magic, and the photography stuff is what I see in front of me and create there. But acting out a role or singing a song created by someone else is much more challenging to me. I have to still put myself into them, make my own choices, but I'm limited. And somehow those limitations are what are liberating about it. If I have to choose between all the things I love doing, I think I'll choose that. It's so magical to me, becoming something else for a little while. I've done a lot of performing this year, although not nearly as much as I could have. I think back to the TBR shows at Chatt State, and going to Memphis twice too many times early in the year, once to audition for an Oliver Stone movie, and once for a singing competition, although the real highlight there was the deep fried double cheeseburger. Then there was Rocky Horror. I've never had more fun on stage in my life. That show was a real stretch for me. I had a lot of trouble creating a character for it. But I did and I had a blast. It's the proudest I've been of a production I've been in, and seeing the Pulse list it as one of the ten best concerts in Chattanooga this year (right up there with freakin' Allison Kraus and Robert Plant) was one of the most overwhelming feelings of accomplishment I've ever felt. 

Aside from performing, I feel like my photographic abilities have grown tremendously this year. I can't stop studying other work. I'm continually drawing inspiration for all sorts of ideas that I have yet to play out. That's one thing I am resolving to do this year: get more aggressive with working on my projects. I'm all over the place with what I'm doing photography wise, but I love it and so I don't care that it's inconsistent. I can not choose to focus on live events or staged concepts or headshots. It's not in me. Here's some of my favorite stuff from the past year. 

Going back and picking those was an odd experience. I intended to feature about 5 pictures. But I found so many that I love too much to not feature as a 'look back' at my year. But this year, when I look back 5, 10, 25 years from now will be remembered as something else. I will probably forget about most of those previously mentioned things that are coming to mind right now. 

This past year will always be Obama's year for me. I was on the Obama bandwagon back in 07 when he first announced. I just felt it. Something told me that the impossible was going to happen in front of me, and that I had to be a part of it. And I was. I volunteered with the campaign in both the primaries and the general election. I voted in my first presidential election. I was the first in line at my precinct. I got there an hour early and stood out in the cold so that I could be the first person there to vote, and to vote for Obama. I listened to a specially created playlist from my ipod. It was a euphoric experience. Right as they opened the doors for me to go in, Sam Cooke's "A Change is Gonna Come" played. That song will never be the same to me. "It's been a long, long time comin', but I know... a change is gonna come. Oh yes it will." On election night, I went to a results watching party at the Choo Choo. I took my camera, of course. I took a photo that, to me, captures the entire emotion of that night. 

It was an experience unlike anything I've ever felt. I knew maybe 20 people there, in a room with at least 700 in it. But everyone shared it. I hugged more strangers than I can remember. I cried the most I've ever cried because of being happy. I came home and sat for a while and thought about just how long a time it has been coming. My apartment is in a house that is 105 years old.  When this house was built, it had only been 40 years since slavery had been abolished. Blacks still weren't able to use the same facilities as whites. Women weren't allowed to vote. Since my house was built, this country has fought in 2 World Wars, a war in Korea, a war in Vietnam, and 2 wars in Iraq. I was quiet for an hour just listening to see if this house would tell me any stories of the things it's seen and heard. I didn't hear anything, because it's a house and can't talk. Although it does creak a lot. But it put me in a mindset of tracking progress. When I'm 50, I'm certain that I'll look back and wonder why it was that we didn't allow gay people to get married, although I'm already asking that question. It will have been long past the point of being accepted. That gives me hope. We've still got a ways to go. But we're getting there. The emotion of that night will always stay with me, and I will be going to the inauguration in a few weeks to document it as well, and I'm sure it will be an even bigger feeling. 

On a personal level, 2008 was difficult. Moving out has been very liberating, but the responsibilities of being an adult aren't the easiest thing in the world. I've been the most "broke" I've ever been, and my lifestyle has been far less "comfortable" than it was when I was living with my parents and had everything provided for me. That said, I've been increidbly luck that they've been so supportive. I've made a lot of friends since I've been here. I moved in with one person, but he decided to move out, so I had to frantically find a room mate, and it couldn't have worked out better. He's a really cool guy. I met a girl early in the summer, and it was great. But it didn't work out. That hurt. But I'm alright, and she's still a great friend. I've gotten closer with some friends who were only acquaintances previously. 

And now it's 2009. I have a hell of a year waiting for me. Some big challenges are already lined up, and I couldn't be more excited about them. I've been asked by a magician friend to co-write and direct a full length magic musical based on a character he created, and preview it at a magic convention I've been going to since 7th grade in front of my peers, then premiere it 2 weeks later at the producers club theatre in New York City. I've got a few photo projects in mind. One that I really want to get into involves exposing people to situations involving their greatest fear and capturing that emotion and having them write about it. Another involving masks. Lots of stuff floating around. And much more to come. I've decided to stay put in Chattanooga until I've really made something of myself here. It's a great city for what I'm doing. New York will always be there. The global financial situation just won't allow me to go right now. And I've got a lot more to do. So here's to 2009... the year of more to come.