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Concert Scene: ‘Surreal’ Celebration

September 07, 2007

By Melissa Ruggieri and Carlos Santos

BLACKSBURG, Va. — Students crowded around the concession stands to buy the special T-shirts commemorating the concerts. At some stands, the students were five deep. The T-shirts, with the names of the four bands, were emblazoned with the words "a concert for Virginia Tech."

The sale of the commemorative concert items will be used to cover the expenses associated with the concert logistics. The bands are performing for free.

Amy Taylor said the $25 T-shirt she bought was just what she wanted.

"I know that buying it supports the bands," she said. "I also wanted something to help me remember this."

Security was tight and extra loud at Lane Stadium. At one entrance, a worker yelled out at students filing in that "all bags need to be open. Empty your pockets please. Everybody empty your pockets."

Female staffers randomly patted down women students. Male security guards patted down male students.

The students seemed oblivious, some raising their hands almost reflexively for the frisk.

Scalpers were sprinkled around the stadium. Though current and some former students got free tickets, 5,000 public tickets were sold.

The scalpers were reluctant to share their names but not their stories. One wanted $30 for his ticket, explaining his date had stood him up.

Another — a rare female scalper — wanted $40 to "break even."

One said he was "just broke. I'm not even going to the concert. I just had $300 in expenses this week for my Jeep." He wanted $10 a ticket and had five for sale.

One scalper, waving his tickets high in the air, apparently was looking for a date.

"To a guy it's going to cost $50," he said. "To a pretty single girl, it's going to be free."

The sounds of the crowd cheering the bands wafted even as far as the Drill Field, even as far as the memorial to the 32 slain students and faculty members.

Here the newly planted grass surrounding the memorial was struggling to grow in the heat. At least one red carnation was placed before each of the memorial stones inscribed with the name of a victim.

Some had yellow carnations. One stone almost was covered in flowers. At another stone, someone had taken two pieces of mulch and fixed them as a cross.

In the center of the semicircular memorial were more tributes: a football with the words "In honor of you," more flowers, a wristband.

A cocky-looking student walked up in a big white cowboy hat but then meekly took it off and bowed his head.

A couple, obviously sad Tech students, walked through quickly, eyes downcast.

Clark Wingfield, a 1975 alumnus of Tech, visited the memorial for the first time yesterday.

"It was a surreal day then and now this kind of brings it back," he said. "To me this was 9/11 for this place. To me it was the exact same feeling. It was a horrible day."

A typical Hokie game at Lane Stadium seats about 65,000 and requires an event staff (security, ushers, ticket-takers) of about 320.

For last night's concert, about 45,000 students, faculty, administration and their guests — including 7,200 on the field — attended the free show. The event staff numbered about 500, plus an additional 200 police officers.

Contact Melissa Ruggieri at (804) 649-6120 or mruggieri@timesdispatch.com.

Contact Carlos Santos at (434) 295-9542 or csantos@timesdispatch.com.