# Anyone in Chicago lucky enough to get a Grant Park ticket? (Obama rally) **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [October 29, 2008, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-in-chicago-lucky-enough-to-get-a-grant-park-ticket-obama-rally/470111 "2008-10-29T16:51:25Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Equipoise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/equipoise/32/151_2.png) [@Equipoise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Equipoise)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2008, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-in-chicago-lucky-enough-to-get-a-grant-park-ticket-obama-rally/470111/1 "2008-10-29T16:51:25Z")
No more tickets available. ☹ I’d been waiting to hear something about this, and I find out too late. I still put myself on the waiting list. If Daley expects a million, but all the tickets were snatched up in one day, that’s…that’s…wow. > [@](#): > > [Over One Million May Attend Obama Rally: Daley](http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/10/28/over-one-million-may-atte_n_138625.html) > > There are no more tickets available to Obama’s Grant Park rally, according to a message on the campaign’s ticket request web site. > > On Tuesday, the same url allowed visitors to sign up for the event’s wait list. Now a message reads: > > ``` > Thanks for your interest > > There are no remaining tickets for this event. > > ``` From Politico: > [@](#): > > O’S ELECTION NIGHT – “$2 million extravaganza” – Chicago Sun-Times cover: “The Hottest Ticket in Town – OBAMA’S GRANT PARK EVENT – Hoping to see Barack Obama in Grant Park on election night? You’ll need a ticket to get in,” --By City Hall Reporter Fran Spielman: “Mayor Daley predicted today that more than a million people would descend on Grant Park for Barack Obama’s election night ‘celebration’ – but that was before the Obama campaign disclosed that only those with tickets would be allowed to attend. The surprise announcement was made in an e-mail to Obama’s Illinois supporters — people who have made donations, worked in phone banks, traveled to battleground states to campaign for Obama or signed up to receive e-mail updates from the campaign. It informs Obama supporters that the “gates” to Hutchinson Field in Grant Park would open at 8:30 p.m. on Nov. 4, but only to those with tickets who show photo IDs. An attached ticket application asks for name, address, e-mail and phone number. ‘An official printed ticket is required for entrance. Each official printed ticket is valid for the ticket holder and one guest,’ the e-mail states.” I so wanted to be there. I’m almost tempted to go anyway, and just stand on the other side of the fence, along with jeez knows how many other people, just to BE THERE. ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2008, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-in-chicago-lucky-enough-to-get-a-grant-park-ticket-obama-rally/470111/2 "2008-10-29T17:33:30Z")
Well, Obama emailed me (or rather, his website did, I doubt it was him personally) to offer the request for tickets, and I did, and I got an email telling me > [@](#): > > \*\*\*THIS IS NOT A TICKET. THIS EMAIL CONFIRMS THAT YOU HAVE SIGNED UP TO RECEIVE AN ELECTION NIGHT EVENT TICKET. \*\*\* > > You will receive further ticketing information in the coming days. so, I dunno. Maybe? I haven’t donated, which I feel kind of guilty about, so if they choose through some merit system based on who donated through the same website, I’ll be out. And I’m not entirely certain I’ll go, if I do get the tickets. My husband will, for sure, but I’m not sure I want to deal with one million people on the Red Line. The 3rd of July is bad enough. Before the ticketing thing was announced (which was when the 1 million guesstimate was made by Daley), I said no way, too many, can’t deal. With tickets, I’d be more likely to go, assuming that it may keep the numbers down. Or not. It’s a difficult area to secure, and they might end up with a huge number of gate crashers, anyway. ---
**Author:** ![Troy\_McClure\_SF](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troy_mcclure_sf/32/4150_2.png) [@Troy\_McClure\_SF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Troy_McClure_SF)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2008, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-in-chicago-lucky-enough-to-get-a-grant-park-ticket-obama-rally/470111/3 "2008-10-29T17:33:38Z")
> [@Equipoise](#): > > \I so wanted to be there. I’m almost tempted to go anyway, and just stand on the other side of the fence, along with jeez knows how many other people, just to BE THERE. Hey, that can be fun too, as long as you have a radio or something to keep up-to-date with. I attended the World Series from outside the stadium and it was awesome; I’d imagine the atmosphere would be similar. ---
**Author:** ![interface2x](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/c0e974/32.png) [@interface2x](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/interface2x)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2008, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-in-chicago-lucky-enough-to-get-a-grant-park-ticket-obama-rally/470111/4 "2008-10-29T17:45:44Z")
I got the same email as **WhyNot** did. From what I understand, people who got through after they were gone initially got a different email that specified that they were on the waiting list, so I’m hopeful I got the tickets. Regardless of whether he wins or loses (although the win is looking pretty damn good right now), it will be a night that makes history and I’m excited at the possibility to be right in the middle of it. ---
**Author:** ![buttonjockey308](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bcef8e/32.png) [@buttonjockey308](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/buttonjockey308)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2008, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-in-chicago-lucky-enough-to-get-a-grant-park-ticket-obama-rally/470111/5 "2008-10-29T18:33:46Z")
I clicked the link in the email I got about 10 minutes after I got it, and it said they were already out of tickets. Why bother? It is in walking distance though. I may wander down anyhow and see if I can mess with the secret service. I’m totally kidding, i know they’re reading this, i’m totally not going to bring my laser pointer or anything, i promise, i’m voting obama! ---
**Author:** ![Kalhoun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3bc359/32.png) [@Kalhoun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kalhoun)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2008, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-in-chicago-lucky-enough-to-get-a-grant-park-ticket-obama-rally/470111/6 "2008-10-29T18:40:20Z")
I’d like to go, but I won’t be able to. I’m thinking it will be one of the all-time great events. ---
**Author:** ![Santo\_Rugger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e95f7d/32.png) [@Santo\_Rugger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Santo_Rugger)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2008, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-in-chicago-lucky-enough-to-get-a-grant-park-ticket-obama-rally/470111/7 "2008-10-29T19:05:28Z")
I signed up for tickets at an event in New Mexico. A few hours later, they were out. In line, there were people handing out tickets. ??? I think they just want your address and phone number, yet still want to give the illusion of it being a “sold out” event. ---
**Author:** ![Eva\_Luna](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e495f1/32.png) [@Eva\_Luna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eva_Luna)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2008, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-in-chicago-lucky-enough-to-get-a-grant-park-ticket-obama-rally/470111/8 "2008-10-29T19:09:21Z")
I got the e-mail confirmation, too - [according to today’s Sun-Times,](http://www.suntimes.com/news/politics/1245951,obama-election-night-rally-daley-million-102808.article) the one million estimate was before the City knew that the Obama campaign intended to have the rally be for ticketholders only. I’m guessing there will be some kind of ticket lottery among those who were lucky enough to get onto the initial list; apparently Hutchinson Field can only deal with 60,000 people, and I imagine the demand would be many times higher than that. :: fingers crossed :: although I suppose I won’t cry too hard if I don’t get tickets, because if I don’t, at least I can watch the returns from somewhere warm. (I’ll already be downtown at work and all, so might as well be part of history!) ---
**Author:** ![GrandWino](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grandwino/32/67_2.png) [@GrandWino](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GrandWino)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2008, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-in-chicago-lucky-enough-to-get-a-grant-park-ticket-obama-rally/470111/9 "2008-10-29T19:18:07Z")
I got the same confirmation e-mail as **WhyNot**. I believe that if you were able to RSVP and get that email, then you should plan on getting a ticket sometime before Tuesday. Also, they say that the ticket is for yourself plus one guest. ---
**Author:** ![Eva\_Luna](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e495f1/32.png) [@Eva\_Luna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eva_Luna)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2008, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-in-chicago-lucky-enough-to-get-a-grant-park-ticket-obama-rally/470111/10 "2008-10-29T20:50:02Z")
Two major politics geek friends of mine say that people who got the e-mail saying they would get ticketing information later will eventually get tickets. I’ve asked them how they know this, and will post when I find out for sure. **WhyNot,** you should go! It’s a chance to witness history in the making! ---
**Author:** ![eleanorigby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ee7513/32.png) [@eleanorigby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eleanorigby)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2008, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-in-chicago-lucky-enough-to-get-a-grant-park-ticket-obama-rally/470111/11 "2008-10-29T20:53:24Z")
An acquaintance of mine has tickets. #1 son has 4 press passes due to his being in the HS radio station. He’s on the fence about going–I really want him to. I’d like to go, but will have been at work all day and so I know I’ll be tired. I hope the weather is clear for it. ---
**Author:** ![Asimovian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asimovian/32/172_2.png) [@Asimovian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asimovian)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2008, 9:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-in-chicago-lucky-enough-to-get-a-grant-park-ticket-obama-rally/470111/12 "2008-10-29T21:10:09Z")
> [@eleanorigby](#): > > An acquaintance of mine has tickets. #1 son has 4 press passes due to his being in the HS radio station. He’s on the fence about going–I really want him to. I’d like to go, but will have been at work all day and so I know I’ll be tired. I hope the weather is clear for it. No doubt you’ll be tired, but I still don’t see how you pass on the opportunity if it’s there for you. I suspect you’d feel rather rejuvenated as the evening went on! ---
**Author:** ![Omniscient](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omniscient/32/3290_2.png) [@Omniscient](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omniscient)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2008, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-in-chicago-lucky-enough-to-get-a-grant-park-ticket-obama-rally/470111/13 "2008-10-29T21:54:52Z")
I supposedly have a ticket and plan on going. We shall see if everything pans out come next week. ---
**Author:** ![Equipoise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/equipoise/32/151_2.png) [@Equipoise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Equipoise)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2008, 10:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-in-chicago-lucky-enough-to-get-a-grant-park-ticket-obama-rally/470111/14 "2008-10-29T22:01:19Z")
After I posted I went out to vote early and while I was out I got a Trib. There was an article about the event, so when I got home I looked online. The southern edge of Grant Park holds about 70,000 people, so that’s the ballpark number of tickets. Well, not tickets, just a placeholder. Mayor Daley said that the “overflow crowd” for the rally could be up to one million people. So now I get it. Silly me, thinking that the campaign sent out a million tickets. :smack: But so yeah, that means that me and 930,000 other people will be on the other side of the fence! I wouldn’t be at all surprised if more than a million showed up. I assume that [this is the area](http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=Chicago,+IL&sll=37.0625,-95.677068&sspn=49.844639,61.699219&ie=UTF8&ll=41.870152,-87.617919&spn=0.011537,0.015063&t=h&z=16&iwloc=addr) they’re talking about, just south of Buckingham Fountain, with the 12 baseball diamonds. Looks like a concert is going on. Lollapalooza? So, a portion of that will be fenced off, for the ticketholders, and the overflow will…be everywhere else! Now that I know more details, I’m definitely going. I’m not much of a crowd person either, but this is an incredible, historical event, for the most joyous and wonderful reason. Being in this crowd will be totally different from being in a crowd there just to see fireworks. This will be an awesome shared experience, an “I was there” experience. I guess like Woodstock, but bigger, and without the music. The energy will be incredible. Even if we’re not going to hear a word Obama says, the roar of the crowd when he shows up onstage will be phenomenal. I’ll have a small portable TV with me, so I’ll be able to see him anyway. Anyone who goes, I would highly recommend public transportation. That’ll be packed, but you won’t find parking within a mile of Grant Park, if that close. ---
**Author:** ![interface2x](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/c0e974/32.png) [@interface2x](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/interface2x)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2008, 11:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-in-chicago-lucky-enough-to-get-a-grant-park-ticket-obama-rally/470111/15 "2008-10-29T23:29:10Z")
> [@Equipoise](#): > > Now that I know more details, I’m definitely going. I’m not much of a crowd person either, but this is an incredible, historical event, for the most joyous and wonderful reason. Being in this crowd will be totally different from being in a crowd there just to see fireworks. This will be an awesome shared experience, an “I was there” experience. I guess like Woodstock, but bigger, and without the music. The energy will be incredible. Even if we’re not going to hear a word Obama says, the roar of the crowd when he shows up onstage will be phenomenal. I’ll have a small portable TV with me, so I’ll be able to see him anyway. I’m hoping that they have loud speakers over which they announce regular election updates to the crowd. That would be awesome to hear the cheers every time they announce a state for Obama. Then the official nod (should it happen) is going to be absolute chaos! Personally, I’m more worried about getting home that night. I might stay with a friend at her place on Jefferson. ---
**Author:** ![eleanorigby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ee7513/32.png) [@eleanorigby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eleanorigby)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2008, 2:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-in-chicago-lucky-enough-to-get-a-grant-park-ticket-obama-rally/470111/16 "2008-10-30T02:53:50Z")
> [@Asimovian](#): > > No doubt you’ll be tired, but I still don’t see how you pass on the opportunity if it’s there for you. I suspect you’d feel rather rejuvenated as the evening went on! Well, I don’t get one of the press passes! But I’d like him to go. The tix are a hot commodity, though, so he may not even be able to go (that is, they’ll go to the station manager and the TV anchor etc. Yes, both of those positions are students–we have a radio station and a TV “channel”). ---
**Author:** ![Equipoise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/equipoise/32/151_2.png) [@Equipoise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Equipoise)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2008, 3:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-in-chicago-lucky-enough-to-get-a-grant-park-ticket-obama-rally/470111/17 "2008-10-30T03:38:46Z")
> [@interface2x](#): > > I’m hoping that they have loud speakers over which they announce regular election updates to the crowd. That would be awesome to hear the cheers every time they announce a state for Obama. Then the official nod (should it happen) is going to be absolute chaos! Ooooh!!! From [this article](http://www.suntimes.com/news/politics/obama/1249336,barack-obama-election-night-celebration-102908.article): > [@](#): > > **Daley said the event could include giant video screens for people without tickets to see Obama’s speech.** **eleanorigby** , you and your son just have to go! This is something he can tell his grandkids about. History being made, on the day that history was made! ---
**Author:** ![gaffa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e68b1a/32.png) [@gaffa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gaffa)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2008, 5:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-in-chicago-lucky-enough-to-get-a-grant-park-ticket-obama-rally/470111/18 "2008-10-30T05:03:49Z")
The area Equipoise linked to is bigger than the [Petrillo Music Shell area at the other end](http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=Chicago,+IL&sll=37.0625,-95.677068&sspn=49.844639,61.699219&ie=UTF8&t=h&ll=41.879627,-87.618504&spn=0.002109,0.004828&z=18&iwloc=addr) where I saw Carlos Santana perform at the 25th Anniversary of Taste of Chicago. Estimates of that crowd exceeded 500,000. Suppiosedly Pope John Paul II drew 1,000,000. It’s a very big park. Very cool bit from the new story: > [@](#): > > Last week, Daley put a $2 million pricetag on the cost of city services tied to the Obama rally and said **the cash-flush Obama campaign had agreed to cover every penny.** ---
**Author:** ![Eva\_Luna](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e495f1/32.png) [@Eva\_Luna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eva_Luna)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2008, 2:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-in-chicago-lucky-enough-to-get-a-grant-park-ticket-obama-rally/470111/19 "2008-10-30T14:04:00Z")
I was idly wondering last night why they didn’t just send out tickets, instead of sending out e-mails with confusing info about whether tickets would follow. Do you think it’s possible that they’re doing some kind of security check on the “winners”? On one hand, each ticketholder can bring another person, but on the other, I can’t think of any other reason why they’d do it that way. ---
**Author:** ![Eva\_Luna](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e495f1/32.png) [@Eva\_Luna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eva_Luna)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2008, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-in-chicago-lucky-enough-to-get-a-grant-park-ticket-obama-rally/470111/20 "2008-10-30T15:22:51Z")
Hey, small favor request: if and when any of you get further correspondence from the Obama campaign about tickets, please post here. (One of my co-workers is wigging out that people are already trying to sell tickets on Craigslist, etc., but she hasn’t gotten any further info yet after the initial registration receipt e-mail, and neither have I.) But hey, I imagine they can’t send out 30,000 or whatever tickets instantaneously, and e-mails sometimes take hours to reach my inbox anyway. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-in-chicago-lucky-enough-to-get-a-grant-park-ticket-obama-rally/470111.md?page=2)