2009-01-21 10:23:11
By LISA TOLIN, Associated Press Writer Lisa Tolin, Associated Press Writer
Wed Jan 21, 3:06 am ET
WASHINGTON President Barack Obama and his wife Michelle capped their historic
day with a speedy tour through 10 inaugural balls before retiring, at last, for
their first night in the White House.
The Etta James classic "At Last" was the Obamas' song of the evening, crooned
by Beyonce at the Neighborhood Ball, the first of 10 inaugural celebrations
they attended into the early hours of Wednesday.
The president wore white tie, while Michelle shimmered in a white,
one-shouldered, floor-length gown. It was embellished from top to bottom with
white floral details and made by 26-year-old New York designer Jason Wu.
"First of all, how good looking is my wife?" Obama asked the crowd of
celebrities and supporters.
The president pulled his wife close for a slow, dignified two-step to the song
that marked the end of a long day of formal inaugural events and the two-year
campaign that put them in the White House.
Obama cut loose in a faster groove a few minutes later, as Shakira, Mary J.
Blige, Faith Hill and Mariah Carey sang along with Stevie Wonder to his
"Signed, Sealed, Delivered." The song was played at nearly all of Obama's
rallies throughout the campaign.
"You could tell that's a black president from the way he was moving," comedian
Jamie Foxx joked following the dance.
At most of the balls that followed, the Obamas spent little more than the
length of the song greeting supporters and whirling for the crowd. But the two
seemed to share intimate moments nonetheless, smiling and laughing as Michelle
pulled her dress out of the way.
Director Ron Howard said he sympathized with the long day Obama was having.
"I feel bad for him," Howard said in an interview with The Associated Press at
the Western Ball. "He's had a long day and now he has to do seven dances. This
has got to be the grueling part for the first family."
Obama and Vice President Joe Biden each saluted the nation's military men and
women at the Commander in Chief Ball via satellite. Biden said he wasn't
looking forward to his moment on the dance floor a familiar refrain
throughout the night.
"The thing that frightens me the most (is) I'm going to have to stand in that
circle and dance in a minute." At that, he laughed and did a quick sign of the
cross.
The Obamas were more enthusiastic, splitting up to dance with Marine Sgt.
Elidio Guillen of Madera, Calif. who was shorter than dance partner Michelle
and Army Sgt. Margaret H. Herrera of San Antonio, Texas, who cried in the
president's arms.
Despite the formal attire and celebrity entertainment, the balls weren't overly
fancy affairs. Lines were long to get in, and the food was heavy on vegetables
with dip and cheese cubes.
In a sign, perhaps, of the tough economic times, guests who already paid
anywhere from $75 for a ticket to thousands more for a package deal had to buy
their own drinks served in small plastic cups. Beer went for $6, cocktails for
$9 and champagne for $12.
People were standing in line outside Union Station to get into the Eastern
States Ball an hour and a half after it started. Because of very limited
seating at the Western ball, a number of attendees in long gowns and fancy
dress plopped cross-legged on the floor.
"This is what happens in a down economy. No chairs, no highboys it's the
floor and plastic cups," commented ballgoer Brig Lawson, 38, of Las Vegas.
At the Obama Home States ball, the dance floor was dominated by two little
girls who skipped and twirled in matching red dresses while the grown-ups stood
still, crowded around the stage waiting for Obama to appear.
Singer Sheryl Crow was greeted by a cheering crowd later for her appropriate
hit, "A Change Would Do You Good." When hip-hop star Wyclef Jean asked the men
at the Mid-Atlantic Ball to pull off their tuxedo jackets and swing them in the
air to show their support for Barack Obama, thousands did.
At the Youth Ball, Kid Rock belted out songs as well-dressed 20-somethings
mingled about. One of them walked up to a bartender, gave him a high five and
said, "Barack Obama is president!"
The Obamas, following Kid Rock and Kanye West, got the real rock-star reception
and launched into something of an awkward dance, laughing as they swayed. When
they were done, the president grabbed a mic and said, "That's what's called old
school."
At the Midwestern Ball, he joked that it was time to "dance with the one who
brung me, who does everything that I do except backwards and in heels."
And though the mood was celebratory, the reality that the country remains at
war hung over the festivities at the Commander in Chief ball and a separate
Heroes Red White & Blue Ball.
"Please know that you are in our thoughts and prayers today, every day,
forever," Obama told troops at the Commander in Chief ball. "Tonight, we
celebrate. Tomorrow, the work begins. ... Together, I am confident we will
write the next great chapter in America's story."