Your guide to the region's top events, mixed with some commentary about life, media, gossip and politics in Washington, DC.
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A Night Out: Inaugural Youth Ball
By
Matt Carr
The scene at the Youth Ball, where Kanye West performed and the Obamas danced.
What: 2009 Youth Ball.
Where: Hilton Washington.
When: January 20, 2009.
Who: Kid Rock, Kanye West, and Fall Out Boy each played sets at the ball, but the real stars were the newly inaugurated President and First Lady, Barack and Michelle Obama. They sent the crowd of almost 2,000 twentysomethings into an immediate and sustained hysteria during their 15-minute visit. On the other side of the ballroom, Sway of MTV News interviewed celebrity guests Demi Moore, Ashton Kutcher, Tobey Maguire, and Usher.
Scene: At times, it seemed as though the lines would never end, and for some they didn’t. Doors opened at 7 PM, but by 6:30 a line already stretched from the hotel’s entrance on Connecticut Avenue down to Florida Avenue. At 9, the fire marshal was forced to start turning away ticket holders, many of whom were election staffers.
For those who made it through the freezing cold, the maze of never-ending security tents, and the equally terrible lines for coat check, drink tickets, and food, the night proved to be well worth the wait. The ballroom, which opened at 9, housed a huge stage, a projection screen with an Obama-themed slide show, and a slew of scream-inducing MTV cameras.
See more photos of inaugural balls.
Performances: Kid Rock, alongside a guitarist, pianist, and two backup singers, took the audience back in time for renditions of “Sweet Home Alabama” and his 1998 Clinton-era hit “Cowboy.” Then came Kanye West. Despite his recent Saturday Night Live debacle, West and his band came out polished and full of energy, playing a medley of hits from his last two albums—Graduation and 808s & Heartbreak. He would have been the evening’s highlight if not for the ball’s next two guests, the President and First Lady. After a swell of “U-S-A!” and “O-ba-ma!” chants, the President addressed the multitudes and thanked them for their hard work during the campaign. He also asked for their continued support in the difficult years to come. Then, smiling ear to ear, he invited the First Lady to slow-dance. During one misstep, President Obama spun his wife in the wrong direction. She responded with a disapproving shake of her head. Fall Out Boy played last, after we had left.
Best moment: After his dance with the First Lady, the President took the microphone and said, “That’s what’s called old school.”
Most illogical statement: Kid Rock, despite being plugged into an amp with an electric guitar, called his set “acoustic.”
Best dressed: While Michelle Obama looked stunning in her sparkling off-white dress, Kanye West’s band, decked out in black futuristic visors and football-style shoulder pads, were the most entertaining.
Food and drink: We have no idea, but we heard they were terrible. We skipped the beverage lines to wait in a line to gain ballroom access.
Worst moment: Almost getting crushed while trying to find an exit. Security guards informed some guests all exits were closed and told others to head to the wrong door, which created a chaotic scene on the back wall with people shoving and pushing for every inch of space.
Boldface names: 20 out of 5.
Swankiness: 0 out of 5.
Food and drink: 0 out of 5.
Overall exclusivity: 0 out of 5.
Total score: 20 out of 20. (C’mon—Obama was there.)
We've been hearing disgruntled stories from ticket-holdes who had a difficult experience at the ball. Were you there? Were you able to get in? Deterred by long line? We'd like to hear from you. Leave your thoughts in the comments below, or email mcarr@washingtonian.com with your stories.
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Comments
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Posted by: sneakercn, Jun 29, 2011 04:28:17 AM
My husband and I also did not make it in. We were very saddened since we had given up the opportunity to go to other events that night to try to be at an "official" event. The most frightening part of the evening was trying to leave after the police barricaded the lobby -- after all, who really wants to be screamed at for 15 minutes while wearing couture? -- and being told there was no way out of the building. Period. Being the wily folks that we are, we were able to sneak out the coat check through the press entrance, but it was clear to us that not only was the event oversold, but it was crowded to the point where the staff was in a panic over what to do. In fact, we were very relieved that nobody died, given the level of crowdedness. All it would have taken is a bit of pushing and shoving or a small fire and it could have escalated easily into a very dangerous situation. I agree with all of the comments here and I am on a mission to get a refund as well.
Posted by: RSWT, Jan 26, 2009 09:22:42 AM
I also didn’t make it into the main ballroom, although I got a delightful opportunity to hang out in the lobby and various other rooms of the Hilton (for hours), which when I think back actually wasn’t so great. I’m sure that people would have been happier if tickets were twice as much and everyone got in, instead of getting half price tickets to hours of nothing.
Luckily my Blue gate ticket actually got me into the inauguration, so even though the Youth Ball was a disapointment, the day will be fondly remembered.
Posted by: Amel, Jan 26, 2009 08:03:51 AM
We got to the Ball at 8:50. The line was long but was moving quite briskly. We were about 30 feet from the entrance to the first security tent when the line stopped at 9:30. No one gave us any information about why, so we and hundreds of others just stood in line in 19-degree weather. The motorcade arrived at 10:15, though, so we figured that was the cause.
Once the motorcade left at 10:40, we assumed they’d start up the line again. They didn’t. By that point the cops out front were saying the fire marshal had shut it down, and people were streaming out of the overflow areas telling us it wasn’t worth waiting and we should just go home. They reported waiting in long lines just to get out. By that time, the line had dissipated significantly as most people gave up hope.
The couple hundred of us who were closest to the entrance held out hope, though. We couldn’t feel our feet and were just pleading for some information from security, who had none, but the prospect of going home totally disappointed was worse than the cold. We asked repeatedly to speak to a PIC rep, to no avail. We figured at least they could tell us we weren’t getting in so we could go home. Finally, at 11:30, one of the cops told us it wasn’t going to happen. (Even this turned out to be inaccurate, as some who waited another hour finally got in.)
Posted by: dwmintz, Jan 23, 2009 02:12:15 PM
Add me to the list. I had a disappointing experience, and there were hundreds - thousands of others who did too.
Let’s join voices - The Oversold Inaugural Youth Ball Was A Total Disaster Facebook Group provides a good outlet with clear goals.
Posted by: Ashley, Jan 23, 2009 12:12:58 PM
Whoever organized this should be ashamed. I found a PIC staff member who told me the hotel sold the tickets - 7500 of them for a ballroom that could hold 900. We left in disgust after being blocked in the lobby. I hope someone is fired, but I’m afraid they simply don’t care - after all, it’s only the 18-35 year olds - we don’t deserve to be treated well.
Posted by: AngryJoe, Jan 22, 2009 04:24:59 PM
I was one of the people who was lucky enough to get Youth Ball tickets. Before the ball I read horror stories about bad food, overpriced drinks, long security lines, no seating, and nightmarish coat checks at inaugural balls. I thought I was prepared with my low expectations- I ate before I came, I froze outside in the hour long line to forgo the coat check, and I wore comfortable shoes - ready to stand for hours. However, even entering with low expectations, I was extremely disappointed. Why? Because my one expectation was that I would be in the ballroom. It had never occurred to me that they would sell more tickets than they had capacity for. So, while I arrived before the start of the event, I spent the evening alternating between being trapped in the overflow room (yes, police wouldn’t even let us leave the room at times) and standing in the crowded lobby being denied entry by a human barricade of policemen. Adding insult to injury the TVs in the overflow room, which were intended to show live feed from the ballroom, were blank screens for most of the event. So, after spending hundreds of dollars on a last minute gown, I felt a fool for believing that my ticket was going to get me into the room to see the performers, and most of all, the President. It’s unfortunate that this seemed to be the inaugural committee’s plan, because the overflow room was expansive & accommodated the thousands of people who were blocked from entering the ballroom. Sadly, when we finally gave up and left there were ticket-holders standing outside in the freezing cold being refused by security. The President had come and gone and there was tons of space in the overflow room (given the droves of people who had left early) but they were being denied entry nonetheless.
I know a number of people who attended the Youth Ball – none of them got into the ballroom. I also have friends who attended two other official inaugural balls and while many of them had the typical ball complaints (long lines, bad food), each of their venues had all attendees in one room – they all got to see the President. As a side note, I learned that different balls had different drink prices. Perhaps the inaugural committee was trying to recuperate costs by overcharging the young drinking crowd and overselling tickets? Of course, the people I feel worst for are those who had tickets for the inauguration ceremony & were trapped in the tunnel. All in all, it was a disappointing day for those with unhonored tickets.
I agree with the other posters. This event was a total disaster & reflects very poorly on PIC. I’m disappointed that they have not publicly recognized these failings and apologized for them.
Posted by: Not a baller afterall, Jan 22, 2009 10:45:14 AM
I attended the Inaugural Youth Ball. I bought my ticket like everyone else with the expectation of seeing President Obama. Instead I got cops with bull horns trashing my new tuxedo. And that was INSIDE the hotel.
This event was a horrible disappointment in an otherwise great inaugural experience.
I feel cheated, and the PIC should feel ashamed.
Posted by: Disappointed, Jan 22, 2009 09:02:46 AM
I came in from NYC for the ball after volunteering for the campaign. I spent the entire day volunteering at the Inaugural Parade, standing in the cold and wind for 11 hours helping with the festivities. I thought this ball was a celebration of all the hard work I and all the other volunteers put in to get President Obama elected. Instead it was an insult to everything we worked for. After waiting in the cold for 90 minutes I got inside with my friends at 5 minutes after 9. They said the ballroom was already overfilled. We never got in to see any of the bands, and worse of all, we never got to see President Obama. They treated us all like we were unimportant kids. It was a complete lack of respect. MTV was a joke, they cared about their ratings, not about the attendees having a good time.
I was thoroughly dissapointed in this event, and really question if the people who put this event together for the presidential inaugural committee are qualified to work in the administration. At least I got inside. There were hundreds of people in line outside at midnight that traveled further then I did.
Posted by: sad in dc, Jan 21, 2009 08:54:24 PM
One of the best experiences of my life! Totally worth bearing through the screams coming from my feet!
Posted by: Lori, Jan 21, 2009 07:56:11 PM
Who was the trumpeter who played " AT Last", for the President & Mrs.Obama to dance to? It rocked.
Posted by: Ginni, Jan 21, 2009 05:39:42 PM
It was the worst event I have ever been to in DC. After waiting 90 minutes outside in line and maneuvering the maze and security, they opened up the doors to the ballroom there was a stampede of people running to get in. Within a minute the police formed a line across the lobby and started yelling on megaphones for people to step back. They started pushing people out of the room and telling everyone no one else would get in. It was 9PM, the party went til 2:30 AM (or was supposed to anyway), and they told more then half the guests there was no way they would get in to see any of the bands or the President. It was dangerous how they blocked off the exits and wouldn’t let people in or out. How can you have a ball where more then half the guests can’t get in to the ballroom? We had to watch the activities from a handful of TVS that did not work the whole time. The PIC staff was fairly non-existent, and surly when you did find them, leaving guests to get yelled at by security when they asked what was going on. I even got pushed out of the way by Rosario Dawson’s security team when she went through the room. When we finally did find a working exit around 11:30, there were still people in line outside.
All and all a terrible, terrible night.
The PIC should be thoroughly embarrassed by this fiasco.
Posted by: Rob, Jan 21, 2009 01:26:34 PM
I was at the Youth Ball. It was an absolute debacle. We waited in line for over an hour to get in, and then once we actually got in the building we were not even able to get out of the lobby area to the ballroom. For those of us that spent hundreds of hours volunteering in offices and knocking on doors--and then spent $75 for a ticket--it was a huge disappointment. I sincerely hope that the individual(s) who were in charge of planning this event will not be working in the Administration. And I hope there will be some addition reporting on the logistical failures of this event.
Posted by: A Alexander, Jan 21, 2009 12:07:08 PM
I couldn’t get in, so it was a total waste of my time and money. i think they sold 7,000 tickets for 3,500 seats because the tickets were just half the price of other balls. God help us if the organizers get a job with the Administration.
any idea how we can get a refund? I have bills to pay!
Posted by: bawls, Jan 21, 2009 12:02:52 PM
totally worth the frost bite, clostrophobia, and bruises. nice photos!
Posted by: shorty, Jan 21, 2009 11:12:12 AM
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