Thousands standing near the Washington Monument for Monday’s inauguration missed most of the ceremony when the section’s only Jumbotron failed.

The massive TV had been flickering throughout the morning, but the sound and picture began cutting out for longer periods of time just minutes before President Barack Obama stepped out of the Capitol building.

For the rest of the ceremony, the sound was garbled and the distorted images lagged for several seconds – making it impossible to hear the oath of office, the inaugural address and performances. Many in the crowd booed, and others shouted, “Somebody fix it!” Several spectators knocked on the door to the sound system company’s trailer.

“This is awful. You wonder if you should have stayed home,” Deborah Anderson, a Northwest D.C. resident, said. She said she came early to the Mall to see Obama take the oath of office – but couldn’t hear a word because of the poor sound system. “It’s embarrassing,” she said.

Dozens began filtering out around 11:30, leaving the north area of the Washington Monument by 15th and Constitution streets to find bars or hotels showing the coverage.

Teresa Doninger, who traveled from Harlem, N.Y., left for a nearby restaurant just before Obama’s speech. “I think it’s just our Jumbotron,” she said, adding that she had talked to friends in closer sections whose televisions were working properly. “It’s a shame because these people are probably all here because couldn’t they get tickets.”

Gathered near 15th Street and Constitution Avenue, this crowd did not have a view of the Capitol building. Entry to other sections of the Mall, even those not initially designated as ticketed-areas, were blocked off to the public around 10:30 a.m.

“It’s a disappointment,” Doninger said.