Commentary: True confessions: I crashed Mandela's birthday party

In the wake of his death, I must confess: I crashed Nelson Mandela's 90th birthday party.

It was a heckofa party for a helluva good man and was one of the most fun things I've ever done in my life.

One June night, I was staying in a hotel across the street from London's Hyde Park and the sound of rock music came drifting up to my window. Intrigued, I stepped outside and followed the sound into the park.

I peeked through a hole in a barrier and saw 46,664 people rocking out to the band Simple Minds singing their 80's anthem "Don't You Forget About Me" in a big field with a stage.

It was the 90th birthday tribute concert for Nelson Mandela. The event was an encore to the 1988 "Free Nelson Mandela" concert that alerted the world to the horrors of the Apartheid regime and led to Mandela's early release from prison.

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A voice from behind startled me: "Would you like a ticket?" asked the dreadlock-adorned scalper.

Since I left my hotel room out of curiosity, I didn't have any money on me. We struck up a conversation anyway and chatted about how Mandela was at the top of our "People We'd Like to Go to Lunch With" lists.

"Come with me," said my Rastafarian-looking friend.

Generally speaking, when traveling in a foreign country, it is not a good idea to wander out of your hotel room at night without telling anyone you are leaving, taking no money or cell phone, and following a stranger in a dark park.

However in this case, I am glad that I did. My new friend snuck me in the back entrance and walked me down to the front row.

A star-studded cast of performers was there to honor Mandela. One by one, they paid their respects to him. It was a parade of the coolest of the cool musical artists including Annie Lennox, Peter Gabriel, Paul Rogers, Brian May, Joan Baez, Amy Winehouse, Queen and others.

Each artist spoke about what an inspiration Mandela was to their music and to the world. When the frail, white-haired Mandela came to the stage, the crowd went wild.

"As we celebrate, let us remind ourselves that our work is far from complete," Mandela said. "Where there is poverty and sickness including AIDS, where human beings are being oppressed, there is more work to be done. Our work is for freedom for all."

The party kept rocking with the iconic group Queen as the last act of the night. Nearly 50,000 pairs of clapping hands and stomping feet synchronized to the beat of "We Will Rock You." My scalper friend and I sang every word to "We Are the Champions" at the top of our lungs.

Amy Winehouse ended the birthday bash along with Jerry Dammers and a South African Gospel Choir leading the entire crowd in the 1980's anti-apartheid anthem "Free Nelson Mandela."

"Freeeee-E! Nel-son Man-del-ahhhhhh!" sang the people over and over. It was breathtaking.

I imagine when Mandela came walking through the pearly gates last week, a host of angels met him singing the same tune. I'm not sure if Amy Winehouse was leading the chorus this time, but I bet Martin Luther King, Abraham Lincoln, Gandhi, and the other great freedom warriors were lined up right behind Jesus to welcome him home. Free, at last.