A Coterie of Many Colors
40,000 of my closest friends and I went to see Barack Obama speak at Independence Mall last night. The vibe of the place was tremendous. I’ve been to a lot of political rallies, but this one felt different. And it looked different. The mix of colors and ages was…wow.
A Blue Ticket is Like The Golden Ticket at Political Rallies
I had a Red Ticket, thanks to Charlie, who is volunteering on Tuesday, which is election day here in PA. I went with Sarah, and in good Sarah fashion, it wasn’t long before we had Blue Tickets, which meant we were in front near the stage. Small detail: We arrived at 6pm, but Barack didn’t come out unitl around 8:50pm. Lots of standing around.
Will.I.Am Says “Yes We Can”
The crowd was in a great mood. At around 7:30, Ed Kowalczyk of Live came out and did an acoustic version of “Lightning Crashes.” Then Will.I.Am of the Black Eyed Peas came out and did a version of “Yes We Can.” The crowd was pumped to a frenzy and lots of people were crying happy tears. Sarah said, “It would be so great if Barack Obama came out right now and started his speech with ‘Yes, we can.'” Unfortunately, we had to wait another 90 minutes for that.
Remember, We Booed Santa
By the time 8pm came and went, people had been waiting over 2 hours. And they were getting restless. First, they went through the entire song book. A guy behind me shouted, “Get the 60 Gig iPod, it holds more songs!” Then a few technicians came out and putzed around with the microphones on the podium. That’s when the booing started. It got more heated when some random woman got up to introduce Barack Obama and the microphones didn’t work. People started to shout her down once they started working with chants of “O-ba-ma, O-ba-ma.” We’d waited 3 hours. We wanted to see the man.
Change We Can Believe In
Finally, Barack Obama jumped up on the stage. The crowd went nuts. We’d waited for this moment and everyone wanted to savor it. There was five minutes of sustained cheering at the beginning. And even as the Senator was talking a couple of times he had to say, “People, listen to this.” There was call-and-response, and “Tell it to them, brother” going on all around. Once super cool thing: People were taking pictures with strangers that night, showing the mixture of colors and ages. It was a real party.
Obama talked for 20 minutes. He was inspiring. And he was only 25 feet away. But what happened after the rally was even cooler.
Touching Obama’s Hand
Since we were close to the stage, we were able to move right upwhen the speech ended. Some people started to leave. But guess what? Barack Obama waded into the crowd. Sarah got crushed forward and practically ended up crowd surfed into him. Because of the crowd surge, Sarah was shoved upwards and had one arm around a woman’s neck (not on purpose) and her other hand ended up being held by Barack Obama. I was back 3 deep and being elbowed by the very nervous Secret Service detail.
(That’s not the first time we’ve seen him. Four years ago we got up close and personal with him at Love Park. See below.) Then we left. But no one really wanted to leave.
Spontaneous Celebration on Market Street
We walked up Market Street. And everyone was in a great mood. Lots of chanting. Placards. Sarah caught a taxi at 9th and Market. I kept heading toward City Hall. And when I got to 11th and Market, there was all the commotion of sirens. Barack Omaba’s motorcade was coming up Market Street. I was walking in the street along with thousands of people. When the motorcade came by, Barack Obama had his window open and was waving to everyone. I waved back. And like many who were there, I thought he was waving right at me. That wave set people off even more. It was like the Pope was leading float during a Phillies championship parade. It was electric. And I didn’t want to lose that moment. I kept walking.
“Yes We Can” at City Hall
Here’s a video of what it was like at City Hall. People had just seen Barack Obama’s motorcade roll by. And this spontaneous chant happened like it was happening across Philly.
Seeing Barack Obama Again Today
Barack Obama is coming to the Paoli train station. He’s due to talk at 2PM. Sheryl, Steve and I will be there. How many times do you get to see the next president of the United States do a whistle stop tour?
i was there too, it was an awesome evening, enjoyed reading your blog about yesterday’s Obama rally
i was there too, it was an awesome evening, enjoyed reading your blog about yesterday’s Obama rally
Athan, wasn’t it something? I’m still buzzing. I just got back from seeing him again in Paoli. Wow. Dazzled.
Thanks for the kind words, too.
Athan, wasn’t it something? I’m still buzzing. I just got back from seeing him again in Paoli. Wow. Dazzled.
Thanks for the kind words, too.
cool campaign coverage, Frank!
I wanted to be there too, but alas, my work schedule kept me from it. It sounds like it was a great atmosphere. Now I’m anxious to see how we do in Tuesday’s vote.
cool campaign coverage, Frank!
I wanted to be there too, but alas, my work schedule kept me from it. It sounds like it was a great atmosphere. Now I’m anxious to see how we do in Tuesday’s vote.
Thanks, Howard. I went to the Paoli rally yesterday and will post some pix from that one. I have to tell you, I’m hopeful. I saw coverage that people were at R% train stations lining the route, even though he wasn’t stopping. There were thousands of people in Paoli, which is a Republican hotbed. Something good is happening here. Only a few days until Tuesday and I can barely wait!
Thanks, Howard. I went to the Paoli rally yesterday and will post some pix from that one. I have to tell you, I’m hopeful. I saw coverage that people were at R% train stations lining the route, even though he wasn’t stopping. There were thousands of people in Paoli, which is a Republican hotbed. Something good is happening here. Only a few days until Tuesday and I can barely wait!
very cool. Thanks.
very cool. Thanks.
Bro,
You missed your calling!
“This is Frankie Frank, reporting live from Philadelphia, back to you, Stan!”
Bro,
You missed your calling!
“This is Frankie Frank, reporting live from Philadelphia, back to you, Stan!”
Pax, there’s more where that came from, Brother. And when the Pax Family Singers goes on the road, I’ll file dispatches from our far-flung travels. 😉
Pax, there’s more where that came from, Brother. And when the Pax Family Singers goes on the road, I’ll file dispatches from our far-flung travels. 😉
“Yes We Can” at City Hall
Here’s a video of what it was like at City Hall. People had just seen Barack Obama’s motorcade roll by. And this spontaneous chant happened like it was happening across Philly. ———————- this should be included in the yes we can video… lol
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