Barack Obama Visits Philadelphia: What I Saw and How I Felt

On Tuesday, May 22nd, I shook hands with a future President of the United States of America- Senator Barack Obama.

3:00pm
I knew that the doors weren't opening to the public until 4pm, and I wanted to be as close to the stage as possible. After obtaining my press pass, I walked into the venue and got a first-hand behind-the-scenes look at what goes into an event such as this.

Admittedly, the thought that Obama would be speaking at the same venue where I once saw Marilyn Manson and Type O Negative perform seemed a bit strange.

Security was tight - especially as such with a recent and confirmed KKK threat on Obama's life over skin color.

I stood off to the side and tried to stay out of the way. Fascinated by people watching, I couldn't consume enough.

As television crews established their camera shots and local riggers made their final adjustments to the stage and lighting, campaign aids and secret servicemen cruised the area, giving each of us the once-over with each passing step. A state trooper walked among us with a bomb-sniffing dog.

Soon I was approached by "Dan", a staff member on the campaign trail. He introduced himself to me and we chatted for a minute. My guess is that an overweight guy with a near-shaved head and lots of tattoos may raise a suspicion or two, especially with the previously mentioned threat going around.

4:00pm
Security clears the building for a final search before the doors were officially opened. I took the opportunity to run back to my Jeep for a bottle of water. When I returned, I got in line to have my camera bag and self searched for no-no's.

Soon after, the doors opened and the public began to trickle in - searching 2,000+ people can take some time.

The music of choice was inspirational - born from the souls of black artists dating back to the 50's and 60's. For the younger attendees, more current artists such as Snoop Dogg were worked into the radio-friendly mix.