Obama stage replaces goal posts at Denver's Invesco Field

By Alan Gomez, USA TODAY

DENVER — Preparing for Barack Obama's historic acceptance speech Thursday night at Invesco Field at Mile High has required an equally historic level of preparation.
More than 200 spotlights. Twenty 18-wheelers full of equipment. A crew of hundreds working nearly around the clock to prepare the stage for the Democratic National Convention's grand finale. "The magnitude of this is incomprehensible," said Bruce Crawford, the stadium crew chief overseeing the preparations.

Crawford has been sleeping in an office at the stadium since Friday night, when the Denver Broncos completed a pre-season game and the work began.

Crews cleared the field of benches, goal posts and rain tarps. The next morning, they began moving in massive components to build elevated platforms for journalists and the main stage — complete with faux-marble columns to mimic Washington's iconic architecture.

Crawford has overseen events at the stadium since it opened in 2001 and has produced concerts and music festivals for 30 years. He said none of that, however, has compared to this week's preparation, with workers for news organizations and stagehands marching up and down while he struggles to protect the $1.5 million field — a complex blend of synthetic grass and real bluegrass.

Obama stage replaces goal posts at Denver's Invesco Field....