I’m writing from Denver, where the Democratic National Convention starts tomorrow. Tonight is the New Orleans All-Star Jam-Balaya, featuring half of the known New Orleans musical world. The show’s a $500 a ticket wetlands awareness benefit. More on that tomorrow, because it’s hardly the only musical offering connected to the convention. Willie Nelson’s playing a green event, Melissa Etheridge playing a human rights event, and concerts that seem more loosely connected by Apples in Stereo and Okkervil River, and one with Rage Against the Machine that The New York Times reports has had more than 40,000 requests for 5,000 free tickets. Add to that corporate parties – Kanye’s scheduled to appear at one, and YouTube star ObamaGirl is scheduled to host (and perhaps perform) at a few fundraisers.

Star power’s often a pretty good indication of the magnitude of a moment. Ben Affleck is going to play in a giant poker game in Coors Field – seriously – on Tuesday night starting at 10 p.m. But on the trip here, another moment suggested how much this election means. In line at a bank, a woman saw another in line had an Obama pin and she wanted to know where he got it. After a few minutes, he gave it to her, and she held it up like a winning lottery ticket. “The first black president. This is going to be a collector’s item.” The pride and positivity in the African-American woman’s voice suggested how much she had emotionally invested in the election, and it doesn’t take a great leap to imagine the disappointment and defeat she’ll experience if America decides it prefers more of the same to a black president.