Obama makes a victory lap in “Sweet Home Chicago”
(Photos By Andy Argyrakis)
As billions across the globe watched the vote count unfolding on Election Day, nearly 225,000 onlookers packed Chicago’s Grant Park (the same venue for the annual Lollapalooza extravaganza) hoping to catch a glimpse of President Elect Barack Obama. Similar to a major festival, the audience was packed with a diverse swath of ages and races all standing behind the former Chicago senator and literally watching history unfold.
While the television world caught CNN commentators putting facts and figures together, the Grant Park crowd was warmed up by a DJ spinning songs of patriotic inspiration, including Stevie Wonder’s “Signed, Sealed, Delivered (I’m Yours)” and Brooks & Dunn’s “Only In America.” Those sing-a-longs alone were enough to build enthusiasm, but considering they corresponded with the announcement of the first ever African-American United States President, the Park (complete with all its cultures) was in a state of celebratory euphoria. Upon Obama’s actual arrival on the scene with his family close behind, the electricity in the air was undeniable and the masses repeatedly chanted his name. But more than a mere cheerleading session, the newly elected speaker shared his visions at rebuilding a fractured America, calling for unity across all boundary lines.
When he left the stage to the sounds of Bruce Springsteen’s incredibly apt “The Rising,” Chicago police closed down the massive Michigan Avenue and even the equally spacious State State, mirroring a World Series or Super Bowl victory (but with more morale than both combined). Change was clearly the topic of this election, and as the quarter of a million spectators departed well after midnight, that proactive spirit rang through the Windy City like it never has before.
-Andy Argyrakis
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Tags: Barack Obama, election day, Grant Park
November 7th, 2008 at 5:10 pm
Love the first hand account of events. Very cool Andy! Better than CNN.