Shoes for the show: U2 fans get another shot for Denver tickets
strong>By Jordan Steffen
The Denver Post
Posted: 05/20/2011 01:25:26 PM MDT
John Allen, 54, was first in line for the U2 ticket giveaway. (Jordan Steffen, The Denver Post)
U2 fans who don’t already have tickets for Saturday’s show at Invesco Field at Mile High could get a second chance today.
Stub Hub and Soles4Souls are joining efforts in a ticket giveaway from 3 to 6 p.m. at the Hard Rock Cafe in Denver, said Allison Perris, spokeswoman for Stub Hub.
The first 150 people to donate a pair of new or gently used shoes at the restaurant at 500 16th St., will receive a pair of tickets to Saturday’s concert at Invesco Field at Mile High. The tickets will be distributed on a first-come, first-served basis.
“For everyone it’s a win,” Perris said.
John Allen plans to donate these loafers fo Soles4Souls. (Jordan Steffen, The Denver Post)
New York native and current Denver resident John Allen, 54, was first in line. He arrived at the Hard Rock Cafe at 9 this morning, a pair of slightly scuffed loafers in hand.
Fans waited in line at the Hard Rock Cafe in Denver to donate shoes in exchange for U2 tickets. (Jordan Steffen, The Denver Post)
“This concert is more like an event,” Allen said. “It’s a concert, it’s a stage show – the stage itself is an event.”
Allen said he is a life-long U2 fan, but he has never had an opportunity to see the band in concert.
The show would be a first for 23-year-old Armando Garcia, as well.
Garcia heard about the giveaway this morning and decided to swap the $80 Reebox running shoes he bought last week for tickets.
“I’ll have to find some new funds for shoes, but it was worth it,” Garcia said.
The tickets could range anywhere from floor seats to the nose-bleed section — it depends on the luck of the draw, Perris said.
All of the shoes will be sent to Soles4Souls – based in Nashville, Tenn. – and then distributed across the country and world-wide. The shoes will go to people affected by war, natural disasters and economic crises.
“When you’ve lost everything, a pair of shoes means the world,” Perris said.
Stub Hub has coordinated similar events in seven cities – Denver, Seattle, Los Angeles, San Francisco, New York, Philadelphia and Miami – and will give a 300 U2 tickets at each location.
Jordan Steffen: 303-954-1794 or jsteffen@denverpost.com
