WASHINGTON ( CNN ) -- Inauguration revelry began Sunday afternoon as thousands of people packed the National Mall in Washington for a free concert featuring big stars . Thousands gather Sunday afternoon on the National Mall in Washington . President-elect Barack Obama addressed a roaring crowd after 90 minutes of high-energy acts such as U2 , Mary J. Blige , Usher and Beyonce . `` Welcome to this celebration of American renewal , '' he said . `` In the course of our history , only a handful of generations have been asked to confront challenges as serious as the ones we face right now . '' `` I stand here today as hopeful as ever that the United States of America will endure , '' Obama said . `` That it will prevail ; that the dream of our founders will live on in our time . '' Watch Obama address the crowd » . Obama spent the morning visiting Arlington National Cemetery and attending church before heading to the `` We are One : Opening Inaugural Celebration '' at the Lincoln Memorial . It was nothing but good vibes -- a brief respite for an incoming president who will face huge problems after he takes office Tuesday . Bruce Springsteen opened the concert with his song `` The Rising , '' singing , `` How far I 've gone/How high I 've climbed/On my back 's a 60 pound stone/On my shoulder a half mile line . '' Along the National Mall , between the Capitol and the Washington Monument , people watched the concert on massive screens and sang along with `` America the Beautiful '' and `` This Land is Your Land . '' During U2 's performance of `` Pride ( In the Name of Love ) , '' a tribute to the Rev . Martin Luther King Jr. , frontman Bono referenced the civil rights leader 's `` I Have a Dream '' speech , saying that it was also , `` an Irish dream , a European dream , and African dream , an Israeli dream , and a Palestinian dream . '' Watch performances from the concert » . Obama mentioned the Washington Monument and the Lincoln Memorial , and also referred to King 's `` I Have a Dream '' speech , which took place in the same spot where he was standing . `` Directly in front of us is a pool that still reflects the dream of a King and the glory of a people who marched and bled so that their children might be judged by their character 's content , '' he said . Obama said what gives him `` the greatest hope of all is not the stone and marble that surrounds us , but what fills the spaces in between . It is you -- Americans of every race and region and station who came here because you believe in what this country can be and because you want to help us get there . '' Vice President-elect Joe Biden also spoke , pointing to those `` marble domes '' and towers of Washington surrounding the crowd which represent the `` majesty of a great nation -- all built stone by stone by American men and women . '' Work is about `` dignity '' and `` respect , '' he said , praising the ethic of hard-working Americans . `` We owe them the chance to go to work each day knowing they have the thanks of a grateful nation . '' Comedians and actors such as Steve Carell and Jamie Foxx brought some comic levity to the inauguration of a president who will face some serious problems in just a few days . Foxx , always the showman , urged `` Chi-town '' to `` stand up ! '' Joined by his wife Michelle and their children , the President-elect stood up , laughing and clapping . Foxx did an impression of Obama 's speech election night , as Obama laughed . Stevie Wonder belted out `` Higher Ground '' with Shakira and Usher . Herbie Hancock backed Sheryl Crow and will i. am . as they sang Bob Marley 's `` One Love . '' Garth Brooks sang the 1971 folk rock classic `` American Pie '' followed by a choir-backed version of `` We shall be free . '' Denzel Washington , Tom Hanks , Jack Black and Rosario Dawson also addressed the crowd . The celebration caps Obama 's shortened version of President Abraham Lincoln 's 1861 rail trip to Washington . Obama will be inaugurated as the 44th president in Washington on Tuesday . A CNN/Opinion Research Corporation survey released Sunday morning suggests most Americans see Obama 's inauguration as a chance for a divided America to unify . `` You know the country is in the middle of a honeymoon when 6 in 10 Republicans have a positive view of Obama , '' said CNN Polling Director Keating Holland . CNN 's John King interviewed Obama this week in Ohio . King noted that Obama will take the oath of office on the steps of a Capitol built on the backs of slaves and live in a house built on the backs of slaves . `` This has to be incredibly overwhelming , '' King said . Watch Obama 's interview with King » . Obama replied , `` The notion that I will be standing there and sworn in as the 44th president , I think , is something that hopefully our children take for granted . But our grandparents are still stung by it and it 's a remarkable moment . ''
President-elect Barack Obama speaks at inaugural concert . Obama and Vice President-elect Joe Biden visit Tomb of Unknowns . The White House says the two leaders will discuss a range of issues including North Korea, Iran, Afghanistan and global security.