President Clinton Inaugurals
Music Director/Co-Talent Producer for President Clinton's Inaugural Arkansas Ball
January 20, 1993, Washington D.C. Convention Center
CNN dubbed it "David Pack's All Star Dream Team Band" - it included his friends Kenny Loggins, Michael McDonald, Bruce Hornsby, Patti Austin; plus all-star backing band Steve Ferrone/Drums, Nathan East/Bass, Greg Phillinganes/Keys, Everett Harp/ Sax, Chris Rodriquez/Guitar, Jamie Bernstein/BG vocals, Jean McClain/BG vocals, Joe Puerta/BG vocals-bass, and others.
Also joining David onstage: Carole King, Barbra Streisand, Judy Collins, Dionne Warwick, Chuck Berry, Julio Iglesias, Michael Douglas, Pres. Clinton's mother, Kevin Cronin and a host of others.
David noted: "I sang 'Biggest Part of Me' for Pres & Mrs. Clinton's first dance, and the Pres. was 5 feet in front me, turned and said 'Ah love that song!' That knocked me out. Then he said he was sorry he couldn't play sax on Kenny Loggins' 'Your Mama Don't Dance' so I invited Ben E. King onstage to give him a solid silver saxophone gift. He showed it to the standing-room-only crowd from his hometown, they started chanting 'Play Bill, Play!' Then he turned to me and said 'Ok, what key?' I said 'Bb Mr. President,' and off we went. That footage is now in the national archives and plays 24 hours a day at Clinton Library in Arkansas!
"I have never in my entire life felt anything like the electricity of that moment in time."
Music Director/Co-Talent Producer for President Clinton's 2nd Inaugural Arkansas Ball
Jan 20, 1997, Washington D.C. Convention Center
David was asked back 4 years later to Music Direct and Co-Talent Produce Clinton's second Inauguration. The Inaugural committee said the President's office wanted Sheryl Crow, but she was not available. David's job was get Sheryl at any cost. They also wanted a total blow out of music stars, 5x bigger than Inaugural #1, especially because Al Gore had procured Hootie and the Blowfish for his ball.
David managed to procure Sheryl Crow, Trisha Yearwood, Jewel, All 4 One, Michael McDonald, Bruce Hornsby, Bela Fleck, Bebe Winans, Andrae & Sondra Crouch, Kenny G, Kirk Whalum/Sax, George Duke/keys, Willie Weeks/Bass, John Molo/Drums, Vicki Randle/Percussion, and a host of others.
David even asked Sir Paul McCartney to play bass! Paul wrote David a kind note (via Alan Parsons) saying he would have loved to except for ski holiday with Linda already booked.
David says "The 2nd Inaugural was a total blast except the secret service was playing games with everyone to protect the President. As I got the band onstage to begin the festivities, they told me that the President and Mrs. Clinton would not be attending. We were stunned. Sheryl was so bummed out she left and took a cab back to the hotel. Then 15 min. before the start of the event - with 15,000 standing-room-only attendees - the Secret Service said it was a diversionary tactic and the President would be there, so we'd better hurry and get Sheryl back to the building.
"All's well that ends well, and this one certainly did. I'll never forget having Andrae & Sondra Crouch kick things off with 'Jesus Is The Answer (To What We Need Today)' Then Michael McDonald and Bebe Winans sang 'Yah Mo B There,' Trisha Yearwood and Bruce Hornsby played their hits with Bela Fleck, then Jewel sang hers. Finally the Pres. & Mrs. Clinton with Chelsea were onstage dancing to Sheryl Crow singing 'All I Wanna Do.'
"Then I left the stage and the Secret Service helped me have a moment with the President to give him two gifts I had made: a custom Presidential Taylor acoustic guitar (he loved it) and a framed copy of my "Biggest Part of Me" lyrics, sung for his 1st dance as President."