With the big inauguration less than two weeks away, Washington D.C., the city of bipartisan love, is freaking out; the suburban commuters who make up the bulk of the city's work force are taking whole weeks off from their jobs, caterers and banquet coordinators of every walk are hiring extra college students to bustle their mini-quiche trays, and even the city's emergency evacuation protocol-which hasn't been used since the great alien invasion of July 4, 1996 -is being activated to hasten the mass exodus that will follow Obama's inaugural speech and subsequent parade. But, even for a city that was designed to ward off invasion, there still exists the anticipation that the population will be boosted by 400 percent on inauguration day. As a result, the entire district is bracing for street-closures, clogged sidewalks and, most of all, the opportunity to capitalize on the mass of outsiders brimming with that patented feeling of warm, gooey Obama fever. The city's many music venues are no exception and will offer an array of musical options for every niche of the inaugural swarms eager to live up the soon-to-end optimism of their victorious campaign.

On Monday, Jan. 9, the night before the Bush administration is ousted from power, D.C.'s once hip, now Live Nation-controlled 9:30 Club will host a Rock the Vote-sponsored "Hey, America Feels Kinda Cool Again" gala featuring the Beastie Boys and Sheryl Crow, catering to that 30-something crowd who just want to fight for the right to have some fun.

Down the street, the decidedly more indie Black Cat will offer an extensive line-up headlined by the multi-talented Andrew Bird, the multi-textured Tortoise, and the once D.C.-scene poster child Ted Leo with his band of Pharmacists. Leo, who conquered Cholmondeley's at the end of last semester, follows the classic Ian MacKaye mode of ultra-liberal D.C. rocker, and his inclusion in this Obamabration is fitting. Headliner Andrew Bird is sure to guarantee a sold-out event, and Tortoise, well, they're just awesome.

For the classier, more historically minded inaugurites, Washington's grandiose Kennedy Center of the Performing Arts will host a tribute to Martin Luther King, Jr. that will include a show by Aretha Franklin, who is also poised to perform at the actual inauguration the following day alongside Yo-Yo Ma and Itzhak Perlman. The MLK tribute will also feature Internet Buzz-heavy Nuttin' But Stringz, a duo of violin-wielding brothers who just a few years ago were a New York Subway act, but have since risen to fame (hence the title of their debut album, Struggle from the Subway to the Charts).

But, perhaps the biggest pre-inauguration event-at least when judging by ticket price-is the Warner Theater's "An Evening with Jay-Z." The self-made, Brooklyn-bred gazillionare is set to perform at the historic venue just a few blocks from the White House, as if to say he could probably be president if he tried. While this is probably true, I'm just hoping he includes the line "I got 99 problems, but Barack ain't one" at some point.

Yet for all the revelry, the hundreds of bars now open until 4 a.m., an entire city's party infrastructure pushed to its very limit, I couldn't be happier to be getting out of the city a safe week ahead of the pandemonium; with the millions of Obamanites swarming every inch of D.C. in hopes of catching a glimpse of the 44th president, the chance of landing a good spot for Obama's swearing-in will probably require a weekend of winter camping at the national mall beforehand. But, not to worry, for should you find yourself unable to resist the pull of this historic event and actually commit to facing the crowds, rumor has it that Bruce Springsteen will be doing a free outdoor concert outside the Lincoln Memorial on Sunday, Jan. 18, which has to got to be at least as inspiring as Obama's speech.