The experience of attending Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama’s acceptance speech at Invesco Field in Denver on Thursday night was, simply put, staggering. From the very long lines to board a shuttle bus, to the exponentially longer security lines to get inside the stadium, just the process of getting to your seat took about two hours. Once inside however, the effect of such an imposing, enormous arena having been turned into a political spectacle was undeniably impressive. The sheer scale of the thing was difficult to take in. Veteran journalists who have covered a dozen conventions could be overheard on the stadium floor saying things like, “I’ve never seen anything like this.” It was easy to believe them.

For most of the attendees, Obama was but a tiny figure standing at a podium far, far away. The view from the District of Columbia’s section of the floor wasn’t great, but considering we could technically see the stage, it was by no means the worst seat in the house. The poor souls who were told they had 50 yard line seats in the stands, only to discover they were actually sitting behind the stately, Greek temple-themed stage set, were much less fortunate.