No, you didn't have to pay for seats. But it wasn't just a free event, that would have been nuts and crazy. Can you imagine how many people would have stormed the Staples Center? A few days before the memorial, you had to enter your name/email in a drawing in order to *win* tickets. Only the person who entered and presented themselves with a valid ID could get their tickets. Each person was given two tickets, so the second ticket could have been sold since that one wasn't attached to a name.