- The Washington Times - Friday, January 15, 2021

Foo Fighters, John Legend and Bruce Springsteen were added Friday to the list of artists scheduled to perform during a prime-time event airing the night President-elect Joseph R. Biden is inaugurated.

Demi Lovato, Justin Timberlake, Ant Clemons and Jon Bon Jovi were all previously announced as performers taking part in the “Celebrating America” program scheduled to run next Wednesday evening. 

The Presidential Inaugural Committee, a non-profit planning festivities surrounding the swearing-in, said the event will be carried live by several broadcast and cable TV stations and online as well.

Other entertainers currently scheduled to take part in the event include actor Tom Hanks, who has been tapped to host the program, as well as actresses Eva Longoria and Kerry Washington.

The event will also include remarks by Mr. Biden and his running mate, Kamala D. Harris, that will run several hours after they were sworn-in as the next president and vice president, respectively.

Presidential inaugurations are typically accompanied by parties and galas taking place around Washington, D.C., but not amid the continuing novel coronavirus nor freshly heightened security concerns.

Mr. Biden is set to be inaugurated on the steps of the U.S. Capitol two weeks to the day since it was since stormed by mobs of supporters of President Trump during a deadly, failed insurrection.

Authorities have since closed down sections of the city amid concerns it could be attacked once again.

Foo Fighters, Mr. Legend and Mr. Springsteen “will perform from iconic locations across the country,” the inaugural committee said in a statement announcing their involvement.

It will not be the first inaugural celebration for some of the entertainers involved. Mr. Hanks, Mr. Bon Jovi, Mr. Legend and Mr. Springsteen each participated in a concert held at the Lincoln Memorial shortly before former President Barack Obama was sworn-in in 2009. 

• Andrew Blake can be reached at ablake@washingtontimes.com.

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