Thin crowd gets money's worth at UA stadium bash

The Last Smash Platinum Bash was the first concert since 1977 at the stadium. The five-hour show was headlined by Jay-Z and Kelly Clarkson, and it featured performances from Third Eye Blind, the Veronicas and local act Ryanhood.

Even with a reduced capacity of 17,000 for the concert, ticket sales had been underwhelming leading up to the show. The people who did show up didn't seem to mind the extra space, dancing in front of the massive, video-screen-aided stage that faced the west side of the stadium.

Early on, as opening act Ryanhood played for a few hundred 20-somethings and tweens, the stadium was largely empty, but fans were abiding by their assigned seats, leaving lots of open space near the front of the stage.

When the Veronicas began their set with their massive hit "Untouched," a rush to the stage from those in the back of the stadium overwhelmed the security staff and made seats a free-for-all.

After the Veronicas' set, an announcement was made that the concert would be general admission until after Third Eye Blind's performance.

Seating security seemed pretty relaxed even after Third Eye Blind's set, but the crowd did spread out a bit.

Performancewise, all the artists were on their game for the beautiful night.

With a full band backing him, Jay-Z opened up his starring performance with a breathtaking version of "Show Me What You Got."

Throughout Jay-Z's set, he got the audience bouncing, dancing and singing along to hits such as "99 Problems," "Swagga Like Us" and "Can I Get A . . ."

Spotted dancing in front of the stage to Jay-Z's set was Clarkson, who had performed just before.

For her set, Clarkson came on with a five-piece band and backup singers, opening with the song "Walk Away" from her 2004 album, "Breakaway."

Her soulful voice proved to be the real deal live, demonstrated with simple acoustic guitar on "Because of You."

Clarkson got the biggest response from her smash hits "Since U Been Gone" and her set closer, "My Life Would Suck Without You."

The stadium seemed to fill up more for Third Eye Blind, which put on a surprisingly entertaining and energetic set.

The Veronicas started at 6 p.m. and played a short, punchy set for 30 minutes.

The Australian pop-rock act, led by twin sisters Jessica and Lisa Origliasso, seem destined for greater stardom.

The tattooed Origliasso sisters ran back and forth across the stage, looking like singing Suicide Girls.

Local act Ryanhood was the first attraction of the night, and it did its best to get the then-thin crowd into the mood.