Jay-Z Chose To Watch Beyonce From The Crowd At Obama Bash
Jay-Z snubbed the chance to watch his wife Beyonce from the VIP area at U.S. President Barack Obama's inauguration ceremony last year (09) - because he wanted to "feel the energy of everyday people" in the audience. Beyonce was invited to sing for Obama on the evening he was sworn into office as America's new leader in January last year (09), and she was close to tears as she sang her rendition of Etta James' At Last. And despite an offer to watch his wife from the wings, Jay-Z felt compelled to soak up the electric atmosphere by standing in the crowd. In his memoirs, entitled Decoded, he writes, "(I wanted to) feel the energy of everyday people. It was unbelievable to see us - me, Beyonce, Puff (Sean 'Diddy' Combs), and other people I've known for so long - sharing in this rite of passage."