THREE TO TANGO

Former presidents Barack Obama and Bill Clinton appear together with President Biden to bolster his sagging reelection campaign

- LAVINA MELWANI

You could call it a pilgrimage for the darshan of three presidents: thousands on foot, pushing against each other in New York City in cold, rainy weather under umbrellas, moving inch by inch to reach a mysterious blue tent. All well-dressed, many coming straight from work, with one mission-to reach the Radio City Music Hall in midtown Manhattan, through heavy security and blocked streets on March 28. It took a few hours, but no one was complaining: the goal was nothing less than to see and listen to three well-loved American presidents, Joe Biden, Barack Obama and Bill Clinton, live on stage together.

This was a Democratic fundraiser for the Biden reelection campaign and, in fact, it was said to be the largest fundraiser ever, for even before the evening began, it had already raised $26 million. Tickets were from $225 to $5,00,000 each, and the 6,000-seat venue had sold out. An opportunity to have a photograph with all three presidents taken by the noted photographer Annie Leibovitz was $1,00,000 each. For the biggest power donors, there was also an after-event reception with the presidents and celebrities.