The day the music died

In light of all the horrific things the Trump administration is doing, this one doesn't seem very significant. 

Nearly nine months after Trump became chair of the center and more than a month into its main season, ticket sales for the Kennedy Center’s three largest performance venues are the worst they’ve been in years, according to a Washington Post analysis of ticketing data from dozens of recent shows as well as past seasons. Tens of thousands of seats have been left empty.

I can't help but think about the fact that two of the biggest moments in music history over the last couple of decades took place at the Kennedy Center. First came this moment in 2012: 

 

Three years later, this happened:

 

Notice who is in the stands swaying to the music, wiping away a tear, and joining the standing ovation. 

I'm not a music historian, but I doubt there has ever been a presidential administration that did more to celebrate this county's musical heritage than Barack Obama's. I am reminded of this part of his speech at the 50th anniversary of Selma:

We’re the inventors of gospel and jazz and blues, bluegrass and country, and hip-hop and rock and roll, and our very own sound with all the sweet sorrow and reckless joy of freedom.

In addition to Obama's support for the Kennedy Center, the White House hosted eleven "Performances at the White House" honoring everything from country music to Broadway, Motown, and classical music. 

Did you know that six years before the first performance of Hamilton, Lin Manuel Miranda performed "The Hamilton Mixtape" for poetry/spoken word night at the White House? And before there was Bad Bunny at the Super Bowl, there was Marc Anthony at the White House for Fiesta Latina.

The line-up for Red, White, and Blues night at the White House was extraordinary, featuring musicians like B.B. King, Buddy Guy, Keb' Mo', Mick Jagger, and Jeff Beck. But of course, I was thrilled to see Susan Tedeschi and Derek Trucks in the line-up. That was the night that this happened:

Adding to the darkness that seems to have overtaken us these days is the fact that those kinds of moments aren't happening any more. That's why these words from Bruce Springsteen reached down into my soul and brought a tear to my eye.