Barack Obama will accept the Democratic presidential nomination at Invesco Field, the Democratic National Convention Committee announced this morning. The football stadium, across a parking lot from the Pepsi Center where the rest of the convention events will occur, will be able to accomadate 75,000 spectators, about five times the number that could fit in the arena.

The final night speech in front of so many people will give Obama a chance for a big boost coming out of Denver, and could put serious pressure on Republican nominee John McCain to do something equally rousing during his convention the following week. Speculation has increased of late that McCain will wait until the following day to announce his running mate in order to mute some of Obama's expected post-convention bounce.

Thousands of tickets to the Invesco event will be made available to the public, the DNCC announced. "This decision will enable thousands of residents from Colorado, the Rocky Mountain West and across the nation to witness history first hand," Colorado Governor Bill Ritter said in a statement. "What a way to fire up our grassroots activists as we head into the fall campaign."

Adding to the drama, Obama's acceptance will take place on the 45th anniversary of Martin Luther King's "I have a dream" speech on the Mall in Washington. But some may question how the convention committee, dangerously over-budget and having failed to meet their fundraising goals, will pay for the venue. Still, even if the Obama campaign has to foot the bill, the chance to give a soaring address to 75,000 admirers in prime time, with wall-to-wall network and cable coverage, is an opportunity no candidate could afford to miss.

DNC chairman Howard Dean, convention co-chair and Kansas Governor Kathleen Sebelius and Obama senior adviser Anita Dunn will hold a conference call early this afternoon to announce further details.