Stevie Wonder Closes Obama Presidential Center Opening Ceremony With All-Star Jam

Stevie Wonder closed out a day of music and celebration on Thursday around the opening of the Obama Presidential Center on the South Side of Chicago. The iconic musician and longtime friend of the president brought aboard the performers of the day for a star-studded rendition of his classic “Higher Ground.”

Stevie, backed by The Roots, kicked off his portion of the day with “All I Do,” off his 1980 album Hotter Than July. Wonder then took it back to 1970 with the favorite “Signed, Sealed, Delivered I’m Yours.”

Next, Wonder took a moment to recall meeting Barack Obama for the first time when he was running for senator of Illinois in 2004. Obama wanted Stevie to play an event he was having in his aims to secure the senate seat. The pair shared a prophetic moment, which Stevie shared:

“I said, ‘in my spirit, I know that you’re running to be senator, but I’m seeing you as being a president.’ I said, ‘let’s pray on it.’ And so we prayed on it. And now we see what fear, faith without fear, living in truth and understanding that we have to follow that spirit of positivity. Because I believed it, I knew it, I imagined it then, now we are celebrating it. President Barack Obama. So I want you to remember all of you. Never let fear put your dreams to sleep.”

Wonder then brought out the all-star lineup of the day including Bruce Springsteen, John Legend, Eddie Vedder, Common, Jennifer Hudson and Christina Aguilera to perform “Higher Ground.” Watch Stevie Wonder’s full Obama Presidential Center performance below: