Mammoth Blog

Garth Brooks was among the musical performers announced Monday for the opening celebration of the upcoming presidential inauguration.

Presented by HBO, the televised event will begin Sunday at 7 p.m. at the Lincoln Memorial.

Other performers included in the lineup include Beyonce, Mary J. Blige, Bono, Sheryl Crow, Renee Fleming, Josh Groban, Herbie Hancock, Heather Headley, John Legend, Jennifer Nettles, John Mellencamp, Usher, Shakira, Bruce Springsteen, James Taylor, will.i.am, and Stevie Wonder.

Among those expected to read historical passages are Jamie Foxx, Martin Luther King III, Queen Latifah and Denzel Washington.

"Our intention is to root the event in history, celebrating the moments when our nation has united to face great challenges and prevail," said George Stevens, Jr., the executive producer.

"We will combine historical readings by prominent actors with music from an array of the greatest stars of today.''

According to the Presidential Inaugural Committee, HBO will televise the event on an open signal, working with all of its distributors to allow Americans across the country with access to cable, telcos or satellite television to join in the celebration for free. source>>>