Thursday, August 28, 2008

At Invesco Now...

View From Outside Invesco Field 11:10 a.m.—Photo by LowerManhattanite

Jesse and I got here early to scope out the Bloggers “Mini-Lounge”...and alas, truer words were never spoken. 'Tis “mini” indeed, but the view is spectacular—looming high over the fifty-yard line in a pressbox-ette. Upon arriving, the first thing we saw was Stevie Wonder going through his pre-show sound-check, and then his Green Badness, Al Gore testing mics and lectern levels.

Stevie testing the mic and sound system—Photo by LowerManhattanite

It's a beautiful stadium and the folks here in Denver have been so nice that it almost hurts. And I cannot stress the “happening” aspect of today's goings on. Coming in today on the light rail RTD, you could see a veritable stream of folks moving along a lane of the roadway leading to the stadium, like little corpuscles toddling along through a bloodstream. Conning back for these posts, it was no longer a stream, but more of a river of humanity, with everyone in preternatural good cheer.

Will I. Am and John Legend (with the Agape choir backing them) just got through with the “unplugged” version of the “Yes We Can” song of now-viral internet legend. Scarlett Johanssen however was nowhere to be found though—much to the delight of Mrs. Obama and much to the heartbreak of the numerous admirers of hers of both sexes. This was followed up by a performance by Sheryl Crow—who I must say cleans up something fierce between soundcheck and “go” time.

Ran into Rep. Jim Clyburn in the elevator along with California's dapper-est mover and shaker since Bugsy Siegel, San Francisco's Willie Brown. Clyburn was amazingly nice and was so approachable that it was scary. And Mr. Brown was congenial as well, wearing a bad-ass midnight blue pinstriped number with suspenders. Sharp enough to cut glass, kids.

It's a nice bunch here as I'm sitting next to the regal and amazing Ms. Sara Robinson.

Senator-in-waiting Mark Udall has just come to the stage in jeans, bolo tie and looks the young, hip version of his legendary dad, Morris Udall.

And here we are, along with scores of thousands of people in the stadium and you at home, as Funkadelic sang...standing on the verge of getting it on.