Josh Shapiro’s flashy inaugural bash: Surprise Meek Mill appearance, Wawa coffee, Smokey Robinson, and more

Gov. Josh Shapiro kicked off his administration Tuesday night in a star-studded inaugural bash.

Rapper Wiz Khalifa, Motown icon Smokey Robinson, and indie rock band Mt. Joy headlined the Pennsylvania-but-make-it-flashy event with about 3,000 attendees. Philly’s own Meek Mill even made a surprise performance, before introducing his “friend” Shapiro.

“I bet you didn’t think we could get Smokey, Mt. Joy, Meek Mill,” Shapiro said during brief remarks from the stage.

Tuesday’s inaugural celebration was at Rock Lititz, a production campus in Lancaster County usually used by international stars like Beyonce and BTS to prepare their stadium tours. It was packed Tuesday with a who’s-who of Pennsylvania Democrats — and even a handful of Republicans.

Joined by Lt. Gov. Austin Davis and their families, Shapiro only spoke for a few minutes from the stage. He said Tuesday night’s event was to mark Davis’ historic inauguration as the state’s first Black lieutenant governor — and to celebrate Pennsylvania.

The event was packed with Pennsylvania-themed gimmicks and vendors: Primanti Bros. sandwiches, Wawa coffee, scrapple waffle bites, and tomato pie, to name a few. The dance floor was branded with both Shapiro and Davis’ names running along the baseline on either side, with a massive administration logo at center court. The Philadelphia 76ers’ drumline performed at the start of the event.

Some attendees at the sold-out event wore floor-length gowns, while others were wrapped in sequins. Some wore both. The open bar — with a “Not So Common Wealth” specialty cocktail — was well visited.

And over Robinson’s performance of “Tears of a Clown” or Meek Mill’s “Dreams and Nightmares,” many attendees murmured about the lavishness of the event and compared it to a U.S. president’s inauguration.

Shapiro’s inauguration Tuesday secured him as a national political figure, who many political insiders see as a future presidential candidate.

Despite the night’s fanfare, Pennsylvanians still don’t know who foots the bill. Top Shapiro administration officials told reporters earlier this week that Tuesday’s inauguration events were not funded by taxpayer dollars, and entirely funded by private donors whose names haven’t been released.

The Shapiro inaugural committee tapped event management giant Weymouth Watson to organize Tuesday’s bash. The firm lists major political groups or foundations as its past clients, such as the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee and the Obama Foundation, according to its website.