Behind the Scenes: RTV/Rolling Stone VIP Reception

The Monday before inauguration, RTV and Rolling Stone partnered up for a pre-Inauguration reception at the Gibson Guitar Showroom in D.C. to celebrate the artists and celebrities who supported Rock the Vote this year and contributed to the record turnout among young voters on Election Day.

Rock the Vote Executive Director, Heather Smith, kicked off the party with a recap of RTV's 2008 successes, including our record-breaking 2.6 million voter registrations, and filled the audience in on our upcoming 2009 plans, from working on voting rights to health care and climate change.

Sheryl Crow, a longtime RTV supporter, expressed admiration for the level of youth engagement in the 2008 election and took a moment to remember Martin Luther King, Jr. Day and stress the importance of continued involvement in service and community-based work. She and Spearhead frontman Michael Franti also spoke about music's ability to move people and its role in political activism.

Guests were then treated to acoustic sets from Josh Groban and Sheryl Crow, who performed three songs each:

Fox News' Greta Van Susteren caught up with Josh Groban before his performance at the RTV/Rolling Stone Reception on Monday. Check out the uncut interview below, where Josh talks about his music, the 2008 election, and how he became involved with Rock the Vote:



Also in attendance at the reception: David Banner, Eric Benet, Lars Ulrich, Ashanti, Ed Harris, Adrian Grenier and the Honey Brothers, and Representative Joe Courtney.

To read Rolling Stone's coverage of the event, click here.

For more photos from Inauguration weekend, click here.

Photos by: Tyler Mallory