By Larry Nager
The Cincinnati Enquirer

Bruce Springsteen, left sings with E Street Band members Patti Scialfa and Steven Van Zandt at the US Bank Arena Tuesday night (Craig Ruttle photo) | ZOOM |

The plaza was empty around U.S. Bank Arena for most of the day Tuesday, as Bruce Springsteen fans used an elaborate sign-in and roll-call system to shorten their pre-show wait and avoid over-crowding.

Added to unprecedented cooperation and coordination between the Springsteen organization, Cincinnati Police and arena management, that fan effort was the last link in ensuring things would run smoothly as general-admission festival seating returned to the facility for the first time since 11 concertgoers died at a Who concert there almost 23 years ago. It remains the worst American concert disaster.

"I think it will be extremely safe tonight. We have every precaution in place," arena manager Jim Moehring said Tuesday afternoon.

The sign-in system began at 8 a.m. Sunday, as Bill Daverne, 47, Ted Brych, 33, and Todd Draper, 30, began taking names on a list and assigning line numbers, writing them on ticket holders' hands in washable marker. It's a system that fans started to ease the wait for advance tickets. When Mr. Springsteen announced he would be doing limited general admission seating for his 46-city world tour, the three men instituted the system for seating.

By 3 p.m. Tuesday, the 300 places in "the pit," the highly coveted area closest to the stage, were taken. The remaining 1,500 general admission tickets would guarantee a place on the arena floor behind barriers at the rear of "the pit." The other 16,000 seats are reserved, but those tickets had not sold out by 5 p.m. Tuesday.

Hard-core Bruce fans favor festival seating.

"Instead of the people who can put up the money to come up front, this way (with festival seating) it's the people who are willing to go through some physical discomfort," said Mr. Daverne.

Since Sunday, Mr. Daverne and his friends worked eight-hour shifts signing up Bruce fans as they arrived. Monday, there were roll calls at 6 p.m. and 11 p.m. By Tuesday afternoon, roll call was held every two hours. To make things more comfortable for the fans, arena management had two portable toilets set up on the plaza.

But because they could just show up, sign in and leave, few made use of the facilities. Even if they had to camp out, fans say, it would be worth it.

"Between the area right in front of the stage and the rest of the arena, there's such a difference in the energy level," said Lowell Kern, 38, a fan from New York. "A performer like Bruce, who has such a connection to the crowd, he really feeds off that energy."

Steve McKinley, 53, drove from Grand Junction, Colo., for the show. Being in the "the pit" is the only way to really feel the energy of the show, he says. "Even on the slow songs, we're keeping up with him, singing along, raising our hands at the right time. He looks at us and feeds off that."

In 1979, the Who were late for their soundcheck, which is believed to have contributed to the deadly fan crush. Tuesday, Springsteen tour manager George Travis said that the 300 ticket holders headed for the pit could enter the building at 5:45 during soundcheck and that, if the band was running late, would be allowed onto the arena floor during the soundcheck.

"When I first heard he was doing this I thought it was outrageous," said Susie Kampf, 51, who was aware of the post-Who tragedy stigma of festival seating. "But things have changed. It's an older crowd and the people are more responsible. We do go nuts but things are pretty organized, the roll calls, and everything.

She got a speeding ticket in Kentucky as she drove to the concert from her home in Nashville, Tenn. "I had to make sure I got into `the pit.' You can't get too close at a Bruce show."