Watch Replay: Make America Great Again Concert Celebrates Presidential Inauguration 2017

WASHINGTON, DC — Country singer Toby Keith, rock band 3 Doors Down and folks singer Lee Greenwood headlined a special concert celebration a day before the inauguration of President-elect Donald Trump. The free concert began at 4 p.m. Thursday on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, featuring other celebrities, musicians and military bands.

Trump will take the oath of office at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 20. Trump was in attendance at the event and was expected to speak to the crowd at some point during the show.

As a contentious election cycle comes to a close, the large crowd attending the concert event Thursday were in the mood to celebrate. Brian Johnson of Flat Rock, North Carolina, said he was still soaking it all in. "Some of it is the excitement and some of it is the hope," he told Patch. "Every four years, at least a good portion of the voters think something uplifting is coming. That's my perspective this time around."

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The purpose of Thursday's events is to allow the American people to "witness history," according to a statement from the Presidential Inaugural Committee.

“President-elect Trump has made it clear that this inaugural is of, by, and for the American people. The 58th Inaugural will celebrate American history and heritage, while setting the course to a brighter and bolder future for all Americans,” Chairman Tom Barrack said in the statement. “Above all, it will serve as tribute to one of our greatest attributes, the peaceful transition of partisan power.”

The concert was preceded by Voices of the People, which features musicians and performance groups selected from hundreds of applications submitted for inclusion in inauguration events, including the DC Fire Department Emerald Society Pipes and Drums, King’s Academy Honor Choir, the Republican Hindu Coalition, Montgomery Area High School Marching Band and others.

Long lines snaked outside the fenced off area around the Lincoln Memorial, where street preachers took advantage of their captive audience:

Jennifer Holliday, who was originally billed as one of the main performers for the event, will not attend. Soon after the concert was announced, Holliday cited a negative reaction from her fans — particularly the LGBT community — as her reason for dropping out.

Photos by Patrick Martin and Dan Taylor, Patch