A taste of the inaugural performances

WASHINGTON It's a celebration with Bay Area bands. "A president of my generation. He shows wisdom, eloquence and articulateness. I hope that's a word," said Cindy Lang from Mill Valley. Music was an important part of today's ceremonies. The queen of soul, Aretha Franklin, added to the star power Classical heavyweights Itzhak Perlman and Yo Yo Ma performed with a John Williams composition. Beyonce, San Francisco's The Grateful Dead and others will also perform in D.C. A lot of serious issues face the new president, but what about his sense of humor? "I got my middle name from somebody who obviously didn't think I'd ever run for president," said President Barack Obama on Octrober 17th. A video has Mr. Obama on Mount Rushmore already. But when he visited the site in May, the new president says he didn't think his ears would fit on. He can laugh. So how are comedians going to handle him? "No, you can't make fun of Obama. First he's too smart. Things like corruption, graft, blundering bullies -- that's funny," said comedian Johnny Steele. Hhe says some comedian's careers could be over. A party from Green 960 radio is like hundreds more being held across the country. It's filled with an infectious spirit of optimism.