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After Tickets Never Arrived, Couple Celebrating Anniversary Still Get To See Grateful Dead Show

CHICAGO (CBS) -- The Grateful Dead's "Fare Thee Well Show" is once again taking over Soldier Field.

CBS 2's Mike Puccinelli has the story of one Tennessee couple's long, strange trip to the front of the stage.

Robert and Julia McKenna have never spent a night away from their kids, so coming to Chicago to see the Dead was a big deal...a deal that for a time, looked like it was going to be one big ripoff.

When the Grateful Dead announced plans to play their farewell shows in Chicago, the Nashville couple decided to come here to rock out and celebrate their third wedding anniversary. They turned to eBay to try and get in the sold out shows.

"Spent six hundred dollars for two three-day passes to go to the Grateful Dead shows over here at Soldier Field…never sent them in the mail," said Robert McKenna.

But they'd already paid their airfare and booked three nights in the Hotel Felix.

"If nothing else we can still go down to Chicago and party and that's why we're here," Robert said.

But Julia McKenna was determined to get in, so the couple traveled to Soldier Field and soon found that scalpers wanted $500 a ticket.

Then the McKenna's stumbled upon a guard with Monterrey Security coincidentally named McKenna. But the Security guard was candid.

"'You're looking for tickets?' and we said, 'Yeah' and he said, 'It's never going to happen,'" Julie McKenna said.

But the couple continued to chat with the guard and told him their story. That's when he asked a simple question.

"He said, 'Why do you think you're going to get 'em?' and I said 'I know we'll get em. I have faith we're going to get 'em.'" She said.

Then the security guard went in and got his boss who came out with two tickets. The McKennas bought the tickets and were promptly escorted inside by security.

"They walked us straight to the very front, one of the heads of security did," Julia said. "It was great."

A great leap of faith, which is something McKenna has never been cavalier about.

"I got a tattoo on my foot when I was 24 that says 'faith,'" she said.

We reached out to Monterrey security and they said quote, "We pride ourselves on providing excellent customer service, and we're pleased we could help make this couple's anniversary more memorable."

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