HBO to Air Sunday's Star-studded Inaugural Event, Passed on Bush's

HBO will air the star-studded inaugural event from the Lincoln Memorial on Sunday which includes such headliners as Beyonce, U2, Bruce Springsteen, John Mellencamp, Usher, Shakira, and Sheryl Crow.

Although this cable network is only available for a monthly fee to subscribers, Sunday's celebration will be free to anyone that wants to watch.

HBO also aired this event in 1993 when President Bill Clinton was first inaugurated. For some reason, the cable network skipped it in 2001 when George W. Bush was moving to Washington, D.C., as reported by the Associated Press:

Beyonce, U2, Bruce Springsteen, John Mellencamp, Usher, Shakira, Sheryl Crow, Josh Groban and James Taylor are among the musicians scheduled to perform Sunday afternoon. The president-elect and his family are due to attend, with Obama expected to speak.

Other performers include Stevie Wonder, Renee Fleming, Garth Brooks, Mary J. Blige, Herbie Hancock, Heather Headley, John Legend and Jennifer Nettles. Historical passages will be read by Jamie Foxx, Martin Luther King III, Queen Latifah and Denzel Washington, with other celebrities expected to join them.

HBO will televise the show at 7 p.m. EST. [...]

HBO televised a similar inaugural concert in 1993, for President Clinton's first term in office.

HBO will be offering an open feed to its cable and satellite distributors on Sunday, meaning the pay cable network will be given free to anyone who wants to watch it.

Hmmm. I guess Republican inaugurations aren't important to HBO.