Former President Barack Obama opened his long-awaited presidential center in Chicago on Thursday, drawing a who’s who of former presidents, dignitaries, celebrities and musical performers to an invite-only dedication ceremony on the city’s South Side.

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The Obama Presidential Center, a $850 million campus more than a decade in the making, officially opens to the public Friday. Thursday’s ceremony featured guests such as Oprah Winfrey, Steven Spielberg, Stephen Colbert and Tom Hanks, with performances from Stevie Wonder, Bruce Springsteen, The Roots, Christina Aguilera and others.

All living former presidents and first ladies — except President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump — were in attendance.

Obama used the moment to pay tribute to Chicago, the city where he launched his political career, built his family and found community that helped shape his presidency.

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“I found my purpose here, and I fortified my faith here, and I found my community here,” Obama said.

The former president also made a pointed defense of democratic norms, saying the center was meant to carry forward “the shared values that make democracy possible,” including “a belief in the peaceful transfer of power after the people have spoken in fair and free elections.”

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