A few notes from the Obama rally, courtesy Noah Bailey. At 11:53 a.m, speakers (among them Friendship-West Baptist Church's Frederick Haynes) were warming up the crowd, but Reunion's not full -- not by a long shot. Says Noah, "The upper deck's empty, except for 201 and 202 -- the half-court sections. But there are still people filing in pretty steadily." In other words, you can still make it. Barely.
"The line was wrapped around the building, all the way into the parking garage, so it was hard to tell how many were there before the doors opened," Noah says. "But the bottom section's full, except for the reserved seats -- which are mostly empty. I keep looking for famous people." Alas, Noah hasn't seen any -- except Rick James, who sang "The Star Spangled Banner." Oh, wait -- wasn't that Rick James. "People around me said, 'Uh, isn't he dead?'" Noah recounts. And the performance? "It was good."
And for those playing along at home, all the local affiliates' Web sites will carry the rally; here's a link to KDFW-Channel 4's coverage, for no good reason. --Robert Wilonsky
