Hundreds of thousands of people braved freezing temperatures in Washington to see Barack Obama ahead of his historic inauguration.
U2, Bruce Springsteen and Beyoncé were on the bill for the star-studded We Are One concert to celebrate the man who will become the 44th leader of the free world and the first black US president.
Accompanied by his wife, Michelle, and their daughters Malia and Sasha, Mr Obama nodded along to the performances, which included Stevie Wonder singing Higher Ground and U2 paying tribute to Dr Martin Luther King Jr with Pride (In the Name of Love).
Mr Obama sang along as folk singer Pete Seeger led the crowd in Woody Guthrie's patriotic anthem This Land is Your Land.
Between the songs, actors Denzel Washington, Laura Linney and Tom Hanks gave speeches that evoked past crises in US history, including the Civil War, the Depression and the Cold War.
As Mr Obama prepared to be sworn in he stressed the depth of the challenges that he faces, including the recession and the unfinished wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, but said he was optimistic about the country's ability to face them.
"There is no doubt that our road will be long, that our climb will be steep. But never forget that the true character of our nation is revealed not during times of comfort and ease, but by the right we do when the moment is hard," he said.
"Despite the enormity of the task that lies ahead, I stand here today as hopeful as ever that the United States of America will endure, that it will prevail, that the dream of our founders will live on."
Courtesy ITN
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