Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear

From concept to execution, the show was HILARIOUS.
I had major problems seeing anything, but being around the energy of like-​minded sane people made me really happy. I live in DC and I love being reminded that it is possible to be in the company of sane people.
What’s more, I think the sign-​making-​encouragement was GENIUS. Not only did it serve as a great pre-​show, but it was something to look at due to the fact that the crowds were unbelievably large. It also instigated random parades and costumes.
I’m posting my review about a year since the rally. I’m hoping communities can continue to come together to talk about what’s important to them or how to bring about social change. I’m hoping this rally didn’t end with a Comedy Central special and will have served as the catalyst for future organizing… especially among regular people as opposed to corporate or other high power individuals.

Hubby and I attended because we love The Daily Show and The Colbert Report. We were delighted that we did, because we had an absolutely fantastic time; even better than we had hoped for.
The crowd was amazingly friendly and the signs we encountered were remarkable for their irony, intellect, and wit.

RALLY TO RESTORE SANITY!!! (I can tell my children I was there… and I can also tell them that I wish that I watched it on TV… or wished I had watch football that day)…
As Tom M stated, this «Rally/​March» started off with John Legend (of all people) & the Roots playing for almost an hour. This Rally was scheduled for 12 – 3 and almost 1 solid hour of it was a LAME concert by John Legend. Come on… Everyone knew that or expected some sort of musical guest (or guests) but Legend & the Roots as your opening act? Was Coldplay booked for the day?
It did get better from here with the Mythbusters but with ~200,000 people what can you really do but they were fun (see pictures)…
FINALLY, around 1:15pm, Stewart appeared on stage and the rally began. He kept repeating throughout the entire rally that a rally could be either a complete failure or a complete success but nothing in the middle… well my friend, there you go… FAILURE. There were some high points but there is a reason why your show on Comedy Central is only 30 mins long. This rally was really just a 3 hour version of his show with a 10 min serious talk at the VERY END. Rallys should have a meaning and the meaning should be put out there from the beginning.
Plus, there was no moment of Zen!
The awards were cool — the signs in the crowd were sweet — but with no message on stage for the first 2 hrs & 50 mins, the rally was a bust in my opinion. I actually left at 2:30 to go get some lunch and found out that there was a real message later when I saw a re-​run on TV.
(Sidenote: Other reasons for failure:(1) Ozzi was on stage for less than a single song while John Legend was on stage for almost an hour, (2) Two songs with Kid Rock, & (3) Sound System didn’t work for the first hour for the show… which might actually be a good thing b/​c nobody seemed to care about that time anyways…)

DC is the heartbeat of America. What better place to hold a rally such as this?
Despite the large numbers of people everywhere you turned, if you left your house with an upbeat, REASONABLE attitude and realistic expectations, you had an enjoyable and fun day!
Mingling with 200,000 people, reading sentiments, seeing costumes, feeling the energy on a beautiful day … what better way to spend an afternoon in the city? You can sit at home or catch a cup of coffee in an empty shop any day… Live for the moment ;-)

Loved the people, hated that I couldn’t move, couldnt see and couldn’t hear half of it lol. Overall I’m glad I went though.
As soon as I heard about this rally I was thrilled and delighted that it would be held close to where I already live. Taking the metro there was sorta a nightmare though. If I hadnt got on a stop that was further out I likely would never have made it. I dont know how metro could drop the ball like that and I’m sure tons of people never made it to the rally.
Like many others I had this foolish idea that when I got to the rally id call on my cellphone to let my friends know where i was. WRONG. Cell service was completely overwhelmed and it was impossible to make any calls. Also the massive amount of people meant walking around was impossible. I tried my best to get over to where I thought they were but gave up when i couldnt move at all. Here I was stuck in a spot, couldnt see the video screen, couldnt hear them talking half the time, and i couldnt really go home either hahah.
Thankfully I could hear the ending as jon stewart spoke loudly enough to be audible. Overall I think it was a great idea and loved all the hilarious signs and reasonable people.

Holy. Crap.
The metro was ridiculously packed. You don’t even know. The streets to the Mall were ridiculously packed. The Mall was ridiculously packed. Just a massive sea of people. Seriously, this must have rivaled the inauguration.
I couldn’t see much other than the person in front of me, I had no room to move, I kept getting jostled and fondled, but I had an awesome time. The lineup was great, Jon Stewart was great, the signs were great, the people (well, the majority) were great.
Getting home was not so great. Ha. But still an awesome experience.

California representin’!!! How refreshing it was to be around a group of happy, but involved, people. The energy was amazing. And all I can say is, California is Blue, baby!!!

Every generation has its cause to champion, and while it’s unclear yet what legacy my generation will leave behind (whether it be gay rights, immigration reform, healthcare, or a litany of other causes), it became decidedly clear on Saturday that we are eager to do something. It seemed like everyone at the Rally to Restore Sanity and/​or Fear was there for different reasons, some tired of the political system, some tired of the media, some who just wanted to show off a creative sign or costume, and some who just needed somewhere to hide while they got high. Whatever the reason, they were perhaps the most fun loving, inspired, and open minded swarm of hundreds of thousands to make their presence known in the nation’s capitol since the hippies rolled through in the 60’s.
There was no doubt in my mind I would be attending this historic event when it was announced (and make no mistake, despite however much your media outlet may downplay it, it was momentous), and the fact that it occurred on the same weekend as Halloween and the Marine Corp Marathon actually made it much BETTER for me (not to mention my own birthday), as it only aided in increasing the diversity of the attendees. This was clearly a microcosm of the country, and while it might not match our demographics exactly as John Stewart humorously alluded to, I saw people from every walk of life, race, religion, gender, and political affiliation there showing support for a cause which is extremely hard to argue against, no matter where you stand in life.
As for the actual performances, they were slightly marred by the lack of visibility or even audibility at times, especially during the Myth Busters segment, which nobody seemed to really care for anyway (we just wanted them to blow stuff up…), but when it came time for the really relevant segments it was quite clear what was going on, which is all that really mattered to me. Many people left during the Kid Rock and Sheryl Crow duet, and missed out on some real poignant thoughts by Stewart. I hope Comedy Central does a replay of the entire event soon, as I forgot to TiVO it and would be interested in seeing it again from a different perspective.
The signs were no doubt a highlight of the event for many people, and I don’t think I’ll ever view the phrase «many people» quite the same after seeing the hordes, or throngs, or whatever descriptor best captures half of the National Mall plus all surrounding buildings filled shoulder to shoulder (and even sitting on top of port-​a-​johns), the same again. Anyone complaining about the lines for the Metro, or the number of people flooding the city, truly must have underestimated the turnout in their mind. There was no doubt to me this would be an epic event, and I welcomed all the people into our wonderful city and hope they enjoyed their time here, even if it was an inconvenience to me. But for me, the spirit of the event was captured not on stage, but in a singular moment very close to us in the crowd, as one man struggled for several minutes to ascend a very large, tall tree for a better view, helped at times by a hand from above, and at just the moment when his foot was slipping for what seemed like the last time, a push came from below aiding him up for the last stretch. It was another man, sitting on the shoulders of yet another friend, all to help someone else they didn’t even know better appreciate the spectacle around him. As I sit here now recounting the story I can’t help but get a little choked up at this act of selflessness, and be reminded that what we’re fighting for ultimately is each other, in what Stewart and Colbert’s song coined as «the greatest, strongest country in the world. And no one’s more American than we.»

I was fortunate to go with friends who wanted to get off the Metro at Federal Center SW and rendezvous at the National Museum of American. That put us a lot closer to the stage than people who got off the Metro sooner, such as at Metro Center.
The Metro was mobbed. If I did not have claustrophobia before I got on a sardine can of a Metro train, I had it by the time I got off at Federal Center. Wow! I can see how it was the busiest Saturday in Metro history. I got back on the Metro two and half hours after the rally and it was similarly packed.
The rally started with John Legend. I could take or leave his music and that was a good time to chat and eat Georgetown Cupcakes that a wonderful human being in our group brought. That was followed by the MythBusters guys. They were not funny. My friend said to me, «This is what happens when you call a rally but don’t actually have anything planned for three hours.»
The sound problems in our area were at their peak during MythBusters. The «louder» chant went up a lot.
Around 1PM, that all changed. Th speakers started working and the Stewart-​Colbert part of the show began. From 1PM to 3PM, the entertainment was great. I especially loved the awards, the Stewart-​Colbert debate and Colbert’s video montages of cable news shamelessly fear mongering.
I think Stewart’s message at the end was brilliant. We let the fact that Fox News is so biased obfuscate the fact that the MSM (the network news, MSNBC, CNN):
1.) Almost never report about actual issues.
2.) Distort America and play to fears about everything from Muslims, to bedbugs, to Mexicans, to public education.
3.) Present every political issue as a debate between two narrow-​minded political hacks. BTW, its been that way since 1997 and it never changes. Grow up already, MSM!
I love that watching this stuff for a minute confirms every criticism that Stewart and Colbert throw at it. Sure enough, I’m watching the Today show Monday morning and less than 30 seconds in Matt Lauer asks, «Is civility dead in America?» The point of the rally is that civility is alive, well and flourishing, just not on TV.
This election night, I’ll flick between PBS and Comedy Central for my results.

I got to the Rally a little before 11 and it was packed to the gills. And oddly, I couldn’t send any texts or calls as soon as I got down there — so much for trying to meet up with people. The Rally itself was fun though — lots of funny signs, great energy, and awesome musical performances and skits. Jon Stewart gave a great speech at the end which all 200,000+ were completely quiet for, so that was pretty neat — and for those of you who are teachers, you know what it’s like trying to get just 20 kids to be quiet for a few minutes. All in all, it was a fun event to rally rationally and respectfully with hundreds of thousands of people from all over.

We took Thing 1, Thing 2 and Soccerballgirl to see Democracy inaction.
We had actually inadvertently stumbled into the Glenn Beck rally in August and the people who attended that rally scared the bejaysus out of me.
The people at this rally were fun. Ironic signs. Funny costumes, unfailingly polite. Lots of them.
However the logistics were a debacle. Couldn’t hear a thing. Couldn’t see a thing.
We did drive down from the ‘burbs and scored a phenomenal parking spot on 15^th street just past Lafayette Square — that was special.

The Rally to Restore Sanity and/​or Fear was all I ever dreamed of and more.
Well, not really. But it was a lot of fun to walk around in the sun with 200,000+ people who were having a great time. If people were frustrated with the crowds, the dust, the inability to see the stage or hear what was going on, I didn’t hear it.
I wish we had more national events that garnered this much support that weren’t so heavily politicized, but interested in actual national unity, open-​mindedness, and real common sense.
Good work, Daily Show and Colbert Nation people, Comedy Central, and the quarter-​million people who were there, having fun.
Next time, more screens and speakers, please!

I guess I knew this was going to be kind of a big deal when I started hearing from friends living here in DC that they had friends and family coming into town for this rally. I thought, «Huh?» If I didn’t live here I would not have been at all motivated to come to DC for this rally, despite its high-​profile publicity from people like Oprah and Arianna Huffington offering free transportation and the Comedy Central team that I greatly admire. But then I’m just a jaded Washingtonian who gets tired of visitors blocking my way on the escalator because they don’t know we STAND TO THE RIGHT so others can walk past on the left (but I digress).
Clearly the vast middle wanted to be represented in numbers because the mall was packed. In fact even up at 14^th & U while I was at the farmers’ market early on Saturday I saw groups of people walking toward the Metro and the bus lines carrying their lattes and no doubt heading down to the Mall. There was even a bus tricked out like a fire-​breathing dragon (part of the Burning Man Festival) that was its own party parked at 14^th and V before heading downtown.
Having learned from the inaugural weekend to record what I was going to experience live and in person, we set the DVR and then set out walking but then tried to get on a bus which was packed in the front, but the driver let people ride for free if we boarded from the back. Like the inaugural weekend, the vibe on that bus was largely positive among the strangers.
The vibe on the Mall was even more so. Hundreds of humorous signs («I get my comedy from Fox News» was my favorite), people in costumes (the tea partiers from «Alice in Wonderland» were quite clever), and people of all ages peaceably assembled not to air grievances, but just to show that we don’t have to take ourselves so seriously. The sound sucked because they obviously grossly underestimated attendance, so we walked around and then left kind of early to beat the crowds getting back on the Metro.
It’s kind of odd that it took a comedian to rally so many reasonable people, but then the «fools» in our midst have always been the ones to speak truth to power. Of course in typical Shakespearean irony, the person in power usually meets some tragic circumstance, so let’s hope we’re actually able to take a deep breath and realize the end of our democracy is NOT near and that we do not need to foment fear and distrust among our fellow Americans with whom we may disagree politically.

My friend and I went to the rally from West Hyattsville, and would like to thank Metro for single-​tracking us with their lovely track maintenance. We would also like to thank then for the worst exit EVER from a station. Obama’s Inauguration was easier, for goodness’s sake!
I’m 102.5% sure Comedy Central didn’t anticipate this kind of crowd, because there were only maybe four or five JumboTrons and lucky me couldn’t see anything because the speakers that they didn’t turn up high enough were blocking the screen. I was surrounded by a group of stoners and a bunch of twentysomethings carrying funny signs like «I have a pre-​existing condition in my pants» and «Did anyone think of the profit Sharpie is making from this?» and cheering whenever somebody climbed into a tree.
Roots opened up the show, joined by John Legend in a performance a bit too long for my tastes — this is a Jon Stewart rally, not the 9:30 club — and Jon and Stephen had plenty of funny/​battle against the government discussions, including the best part of the show, where Yusuf Islam began singing «Peace Train» before being interrupted by Ozzy Osbourne performing «Crazy Train», before Jon and Stephen agreed to go on the «Love Train» where the O’Jays came out and performed.
After giving out awards and delivering a Very Nice Speech (to read the speech in full go to
), everyone in the cast (including a confused-​looking seven-​year-​old girl) performed «I’ll Take you There». All in all, a success, but there were so many freaking tourists when it was done that the nearest restaurant you could sit down in was on 15^th Street.

Metro was a nightmare (c’mon DC — how can you run a REGULAR WEEKEND SCHEDULE with TRACK MAINTENANCE on a big event day like this?!), there was a lot of people, couldn’t see the Jumbotron screens nor could I hear much through the rally. But my goodness this rally was AWESOME! If not for the costumes and hilarious/​insightful signs for the crowd’s energy. Who knew one can get riled up for sanity and rationality (with some fear and truthiness).
Screw NYC — DC is the place to be!

The only time I have seen people packed that tightly into any given space was in China. The metro ride into DC was pretty insane. It was one of those thing that you go so you can say «yep, I was there». I am sure I could have actually see and hear the rally more clearly if I watched it on TV at home.

So much fun

We had a really great time at the rally; got there kind of late, like 1ish, but rode into L’Enfant Plaza on the Metro — was nuts getting out, but we beat the crowds by speed-​walking away from the Smithsonian exit and hightailing it up and out by the promenade side.
Once we reached the mall, it was super crazy; more people (easily) than I have ever seen in my entire life in one concentrated area — and I lived in Japan for 14 years, so that’s saying a lot! I know the numbers aren’t in yet, but it was incredible.
The energy was high and we had a blast checking out people’s signs and costumes — kinda ironic that the rally was the same weekend as Halloween — or maybe not ;)
There was a brief moment that we actually were able to see what was going on on the stage via one of the big screen monitors, but it truly was an experience being around all that energy.
I look forward to seeing the footage on TV and reliving this moment in the future. =)

I actually attended the rally. I do not think they anticipated the crowds that did show up. The large tv’s had very low volume and were very hard to hear in the crowd. Also not enough of them as people were climbing (and falling out of) trees to get a better view. Also, the screen closest to us kept cutting in and out and would periodically just be a blue screen for long period of time.
Also lots of people were dehydrated as no water was available anywhere near the rally (myself included). I’m sure it was a great lineup but for 75+% of the people who actually went to the rally, they couldn’t see or hear any of it anyway. Would have been best to stay at home like Nate M. and been able to give this a 5 star review.

Get excited! The Jon Stewart/​Steven Colbert Rally of Fear/​Sanity is already drawing a huge crowd on the National Mall… and it hasn’t even started yet! However, I do anticipate live music (whose playing? The Roots), guest appearances (maybe Oprah will show), and general controlled chaos. Just feeling the energy alone is already awesome! People from all over the US are here, and it’s a great bonding experience right before mid-​term elections.
Getting docked a star for doing this Halloween and Marine Corps marathon weekend, but otherwise Restore Sanity/​Keep the Fear Alive!