Artists including Creed, Sheryl Crow, Barenaked Ladies, Brooks & Dunn, Marc Anthony, Dave Matthews Band, Martina McBride, Train, Smash Mouth will perform after medals are awarded to athletes every night of the Olympics.

Tickets will become available in three waves.

The distribution of wristbands began at 10 a.m. January 7 at each of 35 Smith’sTix outlets in Utah. The wristbands were handed out to 100 people at each location

Getting a wristband entitles the wearer to return to the same Smith’s store at a later day to select up to four tickets on one of the first five nights of competition.

The first wave chose from five acts – Dave Matthews Band, Foo Fighters, Macy Gray, Barenaked Ladies, and one act not immediately announced.

A random drawing will determine the order in which wristband holders line up on pickup days, said Salt Lake Organizing Committee spokeswoman Nancy Volmer.

On the pickup day, a “magic” number will be drawn. If the magic number is 45, then whomever is holding the number 45 wristband will get first pick of the acts available in that wave. Then the number 46 wristband picks what he or she wants and so on, until all wristband wearers have tickets.

The process will be repeated two more times – at 10 a.m. on Wednesday and Friday. Monday’s wristband recipients will return Thursday for tickets. The second and third waves will return January 14 and 15, respectively.

Once wristband holders receive tickets, remaining tickets will be parceled out, Volmer said. The math suggests almost 7,000 could be available each of three days after wristband recipients collect their 14,000.

In all, SLOC says the public will have access to 62,382 Medals Plaza tickets through Smith’sTix – roughly 3,900 per night out of the 20,000 seats available at the downtown Salt Lake City site.

Another 19,200 tickets will be distributed later at plaza sponsor Hallmark Gold Crown stores.

Other medals-ceremonies tickets are being distributed to sponsors, volunteers, those who purchased sporting-event ticket packages, and other groups.