BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — The scene outside Assembly Hall Sunday looked more like a tailgate party before a football game than a concert.

Thousands of concertgoers anxiously waited, some for more than 12 hours, to get good seats for the free Dave Matthews and Tim Reynolds concert, “Change Rocks,” in support of Democratic presidential hopeful Sen. Barack Obama.

Among the card-playing, football-throwing fans, IU East student Lacey Isaacs stood wearily at the very front of the line. She had been in line since 10 p.m. Saturday night, she said, and was a little displeased with the organization of the event.

“They kept changing everything around, and then we heard that the first 200 seats were going to VIPs,” she said.

The first 200 seats, to Isaacs’ dismay, did go to the VIP ticket holders, who rushed in to the stadium with no order or restraint. Thousands of excited students followed the VIPs, flooding the basketball court and first dozen rows of seats.

VIP tickets were given to students who registered 20 people to vote before the Friday deadline. Voter registration for Indiana, however, ends today, and early voting begins Tuesday.

Lawrence North High School senior Kevin Kinghorn said he had great expectations for the concert.

“This is going to be a great show, the best show,” he said. “I mean, it’s Dave Matthews, he can do whatever he wants.”