Donald Trump attends inauguration concert ahead of Friday ceremony – as it happened

Inauguration Eve, with the final day of the Obama presidency and the Make America Great Again Welcome Celebration, ended with fireworks of the American flag and spelling “USA” above the Lincoln Memorial.

Here’s a wrap up of our coverage today:

• Trump spent the day laying a wreath at the Arlington Cemetery and then bopping along awkwardly to B-list musicians at his Lincoln Memorial concert.
• On Obama’s final day in office he commuted 330 prison sentences, the most in one day of any US president. Sabrina Siddiqui wrote about Obama’s last hours as president - including a letter to Donald Trump.
• Meanwhile, Obama supporters spent his last day in office paying tribute t the 44th president. Many supporter have written letters to Obama: farewelling the hope and change president.
• Here’s a look at the up-and-coming leaders of the Trump resistance in Washington
• Same-sex couples have been rushing to get married before a Trump presidency.
• And tomorrow it begins. Tune in live coverage all day of the inauguration of Donald J Trump as president. It’s a day, as David Smith writes, that few expected would come - and many fear. Here’s your guide to the events in Washington tomorrow.

Read the review for the first half of the inauguration concert here.

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The Piano Guys struck a more conciliatory note, announcing at one point “it’s time to put all our differences aside. When we do, it’s going to be okay.” Like Trump the foursome rose to power outside the usual system, initially using YouTube as their path to success rather than the major labels.

The act lived up to its reputation for squeaky-clean family entertainment, offering an instrumental take on One Direction’s bubble gum hit “That’s What Makes You Beautiful.”

For a flash of showmanship, three of the four members plucked the inner strings on the grand piano, making it seem less like a musical performance than a team sport.

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The show’s headliner - Toby Keith - struck a balance between outreach and outrage.

At the end of his first number, “American Soldier,” a sincere salute to America’s veterans, he thanked outgoing President Obama for “his service.” But his four song set culminated in a hit that represents the most bellicose brand of patriotism possible.

“Courtesy of the Red, White & Blue (The Angry American),” presents America as an engine of vengeance with lyrics like:

You’ll be sorry that you messed with

The U S of A

Cause we’ll put a boot in your ass

It’s the American way!

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Same sex couples have been rushing down the aisle to get married before Donald Trump becomes president, reports Amber Jamieson:

Ever since the 2015 US supreme court decision legalized same-sex marriages nationwide, partners Alicia Verdier and Erin Hansen had planned to get hitched.

But the four and a half years of their relationship had been busy. Then Hillary Clinton lost the election.

Verdier went to bed on 8 November heartbroken and awoke hours later, at 3am, in a state of panic. “All I could think was there was a possibility, with new supreme court nominees, we might lose our right to get married,” she said.

She wasn’t alone. “I have so many friends who’ve gotten married in the last two months,” said Verdier. “Whatever else Trump may think he’s done, he’s caused a lot of gay people to get married.

“I’m sure that wasn’t his plan, but that’s what he gets as his inauguration gift: all the gay people are getting married.”

Read the rest here.

On his final day as president, Barack Obama throws some shade on the incoming Trump administration using the White House Twitter account.

19 Jan 201718.28 EST

Trump voters: 'You don’t become a billionaire by losing'

David Smith

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David Smith reports from the inauguration concert:

At last the president-elect appeared, his wife Melania at his side. He stood before the giant statue of a seated Abraham Lincoln and gave a military salute. He then turned and waved to the cheering crowd as Melania smiled.

They descended the steps once graced by Martin Luther King when he delivered his ‘I have a dream’ speech, watched by a far smaller crowd than that day. Some chanted: “Trump! Trump! Trump!” The couple sat with other family members behind protective glass to enjoy country music and rock band 3 Doors Down against a backdrop of patriotic images on big screens. But for the public the music was marred by some sound system glitches.

Chris Lehman, 55, a maintenance supervisor from Belmar, New Jersey, said:

It’s thrilling to be here today. This is a historic event. We’ve got a president again who’s proud of the country and will bring jobs back to the country. It’s a good feeling. He’s brought jobs back even before he’s taken the keys to the office yet. Unfortunately he’ll probably spend the first 20 days undoing the garbage President Obama did at the end to slow him down.

Lehman, 55, booked his hotel in nearby Baltimore before the election because he was so confident of Trump’s victory.

“You don’t become a billionaire by losing and not knowing what you’re doing. He speaks his heart and he speaks his mind. You know what he’s saying is the truth and you’ve got to love a president like that. He doesn’t owe anybody anything. He can come in and do this right,” he said.

Shannon Wilburn, 48, who runs a Christian youth centre, had travelled with a friend from Roby, Texas, for her first visit to the American capital. “We just wanted to be here as patriotic Americans. It’s a bucket list thing to see a swearing in of a president. I do believe Donald Trump is a Christian. One of the biggest things is his pro-life stance and, as a Christ follower, it’s very hard to accept someone who’s not.”

Wilburn said she doubted that Trump will be able to bridge the partisan divide in his inaugural address on Friday. “They’re not even going to give him a day. Look at the Democrats boycotting it. He can’t get one day of grace. That’s a little frustrating, I think.”

19 Jan 201718.19 EST

David Smith

David Smith reports from the inauguration concert on the contrast between the Lincoln Memorial and the rhetoric from some Trump supporters.

Some observers found the juxtaposition with Lincoln, who won the civil war and helped end slavery, jarring. Keith Stiggers, 25, who is African American, said: “When I saw that I was like, wow! Probably a lot of his supporters don’t like Lincoln and his legacy for the country. Is he going to uphold that legacy or is he going to do what he can to step on it?”

Stiggers, a law student, had come with his fiancee out of curiosity. “We wanted to see an inauguration before life takes off for us, before we have kids. We’re here supporting the peaceful transfer of power.”

The inaugural address will be crucial, Stiggers added.

“I think he should definitely build bridges. He got a lot of support from the alt-right and now he should make it clear he is governing for all Americans. His speech is going to be very important; it’s going to dictate the pace of his presidency.
“I think we should give Donald Trump a chance to lead and see where he takes the nation. The campaign is over. Candidate Bush and candidate Obama were different from President Bush and President Obama. A lot of people talk but now we’ll see him as actual leader.”

Now the Trump family stand on stage, while “Glory Glory Hallelujah” plays and red and white fireworks go off over the Lincoln Memorial.

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“I’ll see you tomorrow. I don’t care frankly if it’s going to be beautiful or if it’s going to rain like crazy, makes no difference to me. I’ve got a feeling it’s going to be beautiful,” declares Trump.

He leads the crowd in a chant of “make America great again”, adding “and I’ll add, greater than ever before”.

He finishes with the immortal words “enjoy the fireworks!”

He talks about going around the country with huge rallies in the final months of his campaign.

“There was never an empty seat, like tonight,” says Trump.

“We all knew that last month of the campaign... we knew that something special was happening,” he says.

“The poll stared going up up up but they didn’t want to give us credit. Because they forgot about a lot of us,” he says, focusing on the campaign.

“Well, you’re not forgotten any more,” he says to cheers.

He then thanks his supporters, promising to work “so hard” and to bring jobs back, and not let other countries take US jobs any longer. It’s similar rhetoric to what you’d hear on a campaign rally: strengthen borders, jobs etc.

“I’m just the messenger,” he begins.

“This started out tonight of being a small little concert and then we thought of the idea of doing it in front of the Lincoln Memorial and people came by their thousands and thousands and here we are tonight, all the way back.

“It’s a movement that began. It’s a movement like we’ve never seen anywhere in the world they say... it’s something that’s very very special,” says Trump.

“The phrase, you all know it, half of your wearing the hat: Make America Great Again,” says Trump.

Barrack turns to paying tribute to Trump.

“Along the road we’ve had men who have left their footprints and the fingerprints and through the mortar and in the middle of this tidal basin... as you have expectations before you, I would like you to pay tribute to the courage, to the stuate, to the strengrth, to the loyalty of this man.

“To the diversity, to put the campaigns behind us and united behind one man.“We can argue we can fight and tomorrow at 1130 we are one country and he will be the 45th president of the United States Donald Trump,” said Barrack.

He takes to the stage.

Toby Keith finishes and Tom Barrack, president of the Presidential Inauguration Committee, takes to the stage.

“This is the most incredibly structures and setting I’ve ever seen, apart from the ones president-elect himself built,” said Barrack.

He kicks off the with the song American Solider.

Trump bops along in his seat.

I’m an American soldier, an American,

Beside my brothers and my sisters

I will proudly take a stand,

When liberty’s in jeopardy

I will always do what’s right,

I’m out here on the front lines,

So you can sleep in peace tonight.

American soldier, I’m an American.

US Army band play a few marching band hits and then Toby Keith is introduced as “one of the most popular artists in history”.

“It’s time to put all our differences aside,” said The Piano Guys.

He has the whole crowd singing along to the song “It’s going to be OKAY” (the lyrics reflect the title).