I arrived at the center of the universe -- excuse me, Grant Park -- about a half hour ago and folks will be interested to know that the security was very, very tight, at least at the media entrance.  Much more stringent than at Denver's Pepsi Center or Invesco Field at the Democratic National Convention this year.  

The crowd seems to be arriving in waves and I'd say Hutchison Field is about a quarter full at this point.  CNN is playing on a large screen beside the stage and during the ad breaks they're piping in some sweet, sweet soul music. 

The atmosphere is something like this: Blitzer on.  Blitzer off.  Boogie on.  Boogie off.

The crowd is also a bit over-eager.  As Wolf prepared to call South Carolina for McCain, the audience saw that Obama is currently ahead in the early count and erupted in applause, followed by an awkward trailing off.  Whoops.

Meanwhile, the cameramen without a spot on the risers are literally crawling over each other in search of a decent shot.

More to come, as time, modem, and battery allow.