by Blair

It was a "beautiful day" the sun was rising over the rocky mountains and to our surprise at 5:45 a.m. not a soul was to be found at the Pepsi Center except the lady in the "Welcome Wagon" who told us we had to come back to get in line at 8:00 a.m.. No problem, we met some U2 fans at a nearby gas station and began the longest wait of our lives. It was well worth it. By 7:15 the security had disappeared and line had formed at the main gate. Some people had arrived the night before to camp out and had been shooed away. Despite these setbacks about 50 or so waited outside and enjoyed each others company. It was great to see about 10 or so people from Omaha and Nebraska come out- we especially enjoyed Party Girl from the Springs and NYPD and FDNY hatted duo from "Emerilllo." She was the one who was Bono took a bite of at the concert.
We waited and waited, with the only official words coming from the famous "Bubba." Who was an Arena Officianado, he told us under his watch no one who showed early would get screwed and no one did to my knowledge. We had heard that other venues had handed out the first 350 wrist bands early in the morning or afternoon so those who did get there early could relax and do other things, but no at the Pepsi Center. We got our bands and were escorted into the foyer outside the main doors, all 350 of us packed in like sardines for another 3 hours. Again, everyone handled the sitaution great, we had fun talking to the U2 concert virgin, mini Bono, and the Irish lady and her orange haired friend who traveled the world to see the boys.
Once inside we headed for the the heart and straight for the tip. We highly recommend the tip either inside or outside of the heart. Bono and the Edge spend a lot of time out there and you get a good view of all thats happening.
No Doubt opened with a number of their hits and new songs. They were well received and fun to listen. I think they warmed the crowd a bit more than PJ Harvey did in April.
Then the Beatles welcomed the way for the way for an unforgetable night full of surprises and beautiful inspiration. The guy who joined Bono and the guys to play "All Along the Watchtower" was just perfect, he didn't act stupid, just another muscian joining the best with a bit of pride in the end with his gifts to Bono and Edge. The set list included about 10 different songs then last time in Denver and it was nice to hear "All I Want is You, Kite, Wild Honey, I Still Haven't Found and What's Goin' On" I was worried it might be a carbon copy of April, but to their credit it was very different. Bono even worked in a little John Denver with "Rocky Mountain High, Colorado!"
Two more quick comments: Get in the heart or the general ad section if at all possible, we have been in the reserved seats and the floor. The Gen Ad seats make it seem like you are part of the event, rather than watching it unfold 50 yards away. Finally, I was really moved to tears with the tribute to our fallen family, friends and public servants who died in the 9/11 attack. The whole tenor of the concert changed. Bono has seemed to comfort us with his praise for the best that is America with his shouts of USA and his embrace of our flag. Thank you

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