All-Star Concert Launches Obama Presidential Center in Chicago

Former United States President Barack Obama and his wife, former First Lady Michelle Obama, will open the Obama Presidential Center in Chicago today with a star-studded concert featuring Bruce Springsteen, Christina Aguilera, Common, Eddie Vedder, Jennifer Hudson, John Legend, Mark Anthony, The Roots, Stevie Wonder, Tems, and U2's Bono and The Edge.

The Grand Opening Ceremony will be livestreamed via Obama.org worldwide at 12:00 noon EST (US) on Thursday, with additional live coverage on C-SPAN.

The celebration will include a Presentation of Colors by the Illinois Army National Color Guard, plus appearances by Guitars Over Guns, Uniting Voices Chicago, Marsai Martin, Pastor Joel Hunter, and Joshua Dubois.

The $850 million Center in Chicago’s South Side was financed through private donations, and designed to serve as a community hub on a 19.3-acre campus in the city’s Jackson Park. The development took five years to create, and will serve in place of a traditional presidential library. It officially opens to the public on Friday, June 19th (Juneteenth), with a series of celebrations and events planned for the public throughout the weekend.

USA Today reports that the Center "features a soaring museum, a Chicago Public Library branch, an athletic center (complete with an NBA-regulation-size basketball court), a civic center, a playground, and a vegetable garden."

Poster courtesy the Obama Foundation.