Just days after a lackluster debate performance against challenger Mitt Romney, President Obama was back in the spotlight on Sunday during a star-studded fundraiser in Los Angeles dubbed the "30 Days to Victory Concert."
The show at the Nokia Theater was headlined by Katy Perry, Jennifer Hudson and Stevie Wonder, with additional appearances by Earth Wind and Fire, Jon Bon Jovi and Obama superbooster George Clooney.
According to an Associated Press report, Obama took some time during the fundraiser to poke fun at what pundits dubbed a weak debate appearance in Denver on Wednesday.
"Everybody here is incredible professionals, they're such great friends and they just perform flawlessly night after night. I can't always say the same," Obama said, eliciting cheers and laughter from the crowd of 6,000 who paid $250-and-up for general admission tickets.
Katy Perry Got Patriotic At the Fundraiser With POTUS Nail Art!
Recalling his tough 2008 election battle, Obama said, "everybody always remembers the victory, but they don't always remember the bumps in the road ... Things always look good in retrospect. But in the middle of it we made all kinds of mistakes. We goofed up. I goofed up. But the American people carried us forward."
Perry blew up Twitter when she sang "Firework" while wearing a stars and stripes outfit as well as red, white and blue nails that includes four images of the president on them.
Before taking the stage at Nokia, Obama appeared at a private event at the home of Hollywood heavyweight Jeffrey Katzenberg, where 12 big-money donors got a chance to chat with the president and former president Bill Clinton for two hours.
The fundraising will continue on Monday night (October 8) in San Francisco, where John Legend and Spearhead's Michael Franti will headline a show at the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium.
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