Considering I sat in traffic for over an hour to get in, I think you got the better deal! I found it quite inspiring also. Actually seeing and being part of the crowd really drove a point home to me that there are many many out there that are steadfast in the face of all the crap being thrust upon them by our current government.
I think that's an important point. The "Progressives" have an advantage over us because they control so much of the media, and people that are not really informed tend to think that is how most people think - so they go along with the "group-think" to be part of the in-crowd.
To take a view that runs against the popular culture as seen in the media requires a bit of courage, and seeing that many people go to the effort of paying for & traveling to these kinds of events REALLY is a big reinforcement. It must have been very exciting to be there in person!
My husband & I marched in the BIG 9/12 Tea Party March in Washington DC a few years ago (the one that some claimed a million people marched in) and it was so exciting to be part of a unified group of patriots like that - the only way I can describe it is a feeling of 'electricity'.