Barack Bloggin'
3:20pm We're on the outskirts of town awaiting Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama. He already stopped in Houston for a private fundraiser and has another one tonight, but in between, he squeezed in a rally for the general public at the outdoor concert venue, The Backyard. It does feel like a concert -- except for all the secret service.
3:22pm Fastball, famous for that one song that goes "Am I out of my head or am I out of my mind..." is opening for Obama. The lead singer says "We're not a political band, but I do support the candidate..."
3:25pm Okay, apparently "Out of My Head" is not Fastball's most famous song. It's just the one I remember the most. Their number one song was 1998's "The Way".
3:27pm Crowd steadily pouring in. I went up and down the line outside talking to supporters, many of them who have driven in from Dallas and Houston. The refrain I hear the most from these folks is "Obama is change, Obama represents a new kind of politics..." They say the mainstream media is unfairly anointing Hillary Clinton. One couple told me the only numbers that really matter are the ones on caucus and primary days.
3:29pm Crowd is a lot smaller than the 20K plus that showed up on a rainy February afternoon for an Austin rally on Auditorium Shores. This venue is obviously a lot smaller, and it's still filling in.
3:35pm Fastball asks whether "they ever fixed the Diebold machines" (referring to controversy after the electronic voting machines screwed up some vote counts). They also joked that the electoral college should be done away with and replaced with a national election day on the night America votes for the American Idol.
3:39pm Okay Fastball finally plays a song I recognize, and it's "The Way". Frankly, they look a little sick of playing this song. "Anyone can see that the road that they walk on is paved in gold..." Was this featured on Dawson's Creek? I think so.
3:39pm Fastball dedicates a song, which may or may not be called "White Noise" -- to Fox News pundit Bill O'Reilly. The first verse? "Nails on a chalkboard..."
3:58pm We just learn that the senator will take the stage at around 4:45. What will we do for the next 47 minutes? I worry Fastball will run out of repetoire.
4:00pm Crowd update. The venue is pretty packed, except for the middle, where they've blocked off for the press risers. (Thank you, event planners.) There also is som room to the left of the stage where more people could fit, but they seem to prefer the right side of the stage.
4:05pm Fastball says it has one more song. Who comes after Fastball? What could possibly come after Fastball?
4:22pm No one is playing after Fastball, it seems. A bunch of supporters with signs have taken the stage, ostensibly to be background people. Some sort of yell leader is up there to start different "Obama" chants.
4:24pm To help fill time, State Rep. Mark Strama, D-Austin, takes the stage. "What's up, Austin?" he says. He says other things, like, "I've never seen a politican bring people together like Barack Obama does."
4:38pm Light sprinkling now, and I hear it's raining in Austin-Austin. Crowd's getting anxious, and some people-herders have moved the crowd into the gap of space to the left of the stage.
4:41pm Okay, looks like we're going to have to bringing the live blogging to an end -- rain's coming down and we're at an outside venue that they didn't allow us to bring umbrellas into.
