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Flashback Friday: Obama Gave Lin-Manuel Miranda's Hamilton a Standing Ovation

When ”Hamilton” was a concept album called ”The Hamilton Mixtape” and Lin-Manuel Miranda had much less hair.

New York City

In 2009, a newly elected President Barack Obama hosted the "White House Evening of Poetry, Music, and the Spoken Word." One of the artists invited to perform was writer and star of the Tony-winning musical In the Heights, Lin-Manuel Miranda. Instead of performing from that musical, however, Miranda gave the first performance of a song from his more politically oriented musical — a concept album he was calling The Hamilton Mixtape.

Years before the musical (now billed as Hamilton) was to open to rave reviews at the Public Theater, the President and First Lady clearly knew they'd been witness something special.