When he produced his first 9/11 Memorial Concert in summer 2002, local hardware store owner Bob Bayers had not yet met anyone killed in the Sept. 11 attacks, but the thought of nearly 3,000 dead men, women, and children weighed heavy on his heart. “We’ve got to remember what those people did to us,” he said, and paused as tears welled up in his eyes. At the urging of three friends, and the memory of that September morning, Bayers organized and funded a tribute concert in two months, swelling into a tradition that attracts thousands of Minnesotans from around the metro area. It’s a testament to how deeply some Minneapolitans feel they have been scarred by the events of that clear September day, despite local opposition to the War on Terror. “We’re here because 2,977 people died on 9/11,” Bayers said, urging politics be left at the door. This year, though, will be Bayers’ last at the concert’s helm as he steps aside to let a committee of locals run the event. “[It’s] a relief to know I’ve done well,” he said, “and that the community is ready to take the ball and run with it.”