A truck parked on the street blared the music of Bono, co-founder of the One Campaign. Searchlights skipped through the night sky. There was a bevy of photographers to photograph celebrities going in a VIP entrance. A line of lucky people wearing concert tickets like credentials around their necks snaked around the block. It wasn’t the usual kind of scene for a Wednesday night in Denver outside the Kanye West concert sponsored by the Recording Industry Association of America, the One Campaign, and a long list of companies.

Shocker: I didn’t get in. Who did: by appearances, lots of young Hill staffers and other politically connected people, judging by the conversations I overheard. Sen. Bob Casey (D-PA) was sighted. He’s gotten nearly $160,000 in campaign contributions from the TV/movies/music industry over the course of his Senate career, according to the Center for Responsive Politics.

The presence of the new ethics law was evident. An event staffer walked back and forth along the line, proclaiming, “If you’re House staff and you haven’t paid, you have to pay at this table.” At the table was a sign with a long legal disclaimer explaining why House staff were required to pay–because the House ethics committee said they did. Senators and Senate staff faced no such requirement. The price for House members and staff: $90 per ticket.

I stood in line with everyone else. When I got to the table, I said who I was–that I was from the Sunlight Foundation, and we were writing about parties this week at the convention, and that I didn’t have a ticket. Could I go in anyway?

“No,” said the staffer, who wouldn’t give his name. “It’s by invitation only.”

“Who is invited to this event?” I asked.

He waved me around the corner to talk to a p.r. person. I gave my name to another staffer, who told me to wait for the One Campaign’s public relations person. I waited for awhile and when he didn’t show, I decided to go home and get some sleep.

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