EventChaser

In our inaugural concert for Eventchaser, D and I drove up to Foxboro, Massachusetts to catch U2 on their first of two concerts for the 360 degrees tour.

The Drive to Foxboro, Massachusetts
Google maps shows that the drive from our house in Connecticut to Foxboro, Massachusetts would take about two and a half hours. Accordingly, we planned to drop off our son at D’s parents and grab lunch on the way up. The concert was scheduled to start at 7, so to be safe we decided to leave by at least 4pm…we got to Foxboro around 8pm. Yes folks, it took almost 4 hours to arrive at the concert, and that doesn’t even take into account parking. I-95 is a straight shot up from Connecticut through Rhode Island and into Massachusetts.

We figured that since it was already Sunday afternoon most people would be making their way out back to their homes on Sunday and generally not in the same direction we were going. For the most part we were right, unfortunately, the State of Connecticut had the same idea and decided to start construction on major parts of the highway, and to the chagrin to us and most of the drivers around us, this construction concentrated on the stretch of I-95 that is four lanes. I tend to believe that a portion of a highway that turns into four lanes must mean that this is an area of high traffic, thus then need for more lanes.

So, taking said lanes and making them only one lane is definitely going to cause trouble. For D and I, that meant taking over an hour to cover about seven miles. Not a good time! Needless to say we were freaking out that we were going to miss the concert, not to mention trying to figure out how to write a blog post on a concert that we never saw.

Fortunately, we were able to catch the concert, more on that below though!

Foxboro, Mass and Gillette Stadium
For those who have never been, Foxboro is a quite small town…with a huge modern stadium stuck right in the middle of it. The juxposition of the two creates a number of problems when arriving (well for those who actually arrive on time). First of all is food, the shops tend to be small, and on Sunday (and not a game day) most are closed. If you are looking for a Starbucks or even McDonald’s you may have a hard time, and when you do find them you are definitely not going to be alone. Your best bet is to eat at the stadium. As it is a modern facility, it has a number of restaurants including McDonald’s. Unfortunately, you will have to contend with inflated stadium prices, which will take a heavy toll on your wallets especially with more than one mouth to feed.

Next is getting around Foxboro. As it is a small town, the main road in Foxboro is a single lane going both ways. So, traffic tends to bottle neck quite quickly and can last a while. Extra care should be taken when planning to arrive at the venue (obviously something we should have done more of) allow for ample time to arrive at the stadium, at least an hour, this could mean the difference between arriving late and missing the show or arriving early, waiting a bit, but catching everything. This also should be taken into account when leaving the event as well.

This leads into the question that always plagues me: where to park? As we drove on the main road (route 1) we noted a number of parking areas before the stadium prices ranged from $40-$50, while this may sound expensive, note that parking at the stadium was $40 so there really isn’t much of a difference, but try telling that to your bank account. According to our friends that are New England Patriots fans, those in the know do not park at the stadium as it is much easier to pick one of the private lots or even someone’s lawn who is charging the same price or lower and have the ability to get out much easier. Since we arrived late, we decided to park at the stadium as we wanted to get as close as possible, and not waste time walking. The advantage of arriving late is the fact that you are further away from the stadium when you arrive. This is no fun when having to hoof it to the entrance, but when leaving, you are closer to the exit and miles ahead of the earlier birds.

When arriving at the Stadium the first thing you notice is the size. The place is humongous and very easy to get lost. Noting where you parked and what row is key. Taking a picture of the row number on your cell phone is an easy way to keep track of your car. Inside the stadium, as I said before you have all the amenities that you could need: an amazing variety of food, and more importantly lavatories in plentiful and convenient locations. One thing we notice with the lavatories is that there are two doors for each facility, one entrance and one exit, being away of which one is which will save yourself from smacking into a fellow patron, and depending on their level of alcoholic intake may save you from a night in jail or the hospital.

The Concert
Now to continue our harrowing story that night, as I said before we arrived at 8, worried to death that we were missing the concert. “I can’t hear any music”, said D when we were hustling to the gate. When we arrived we see thousands of people walking about and no music playing. We couldn’t understand why the concert hadn’t started yet. I knew U2 are rock stars but I didn’t think they could make a huge audience like this wait over an hour without inciting a riot. What we failed to realize and research was that there was an opening act: Snow Patrol, which had already finished playing earlier in the night and we arrive during the period between the two acts.

U2 took to the stage around 9pm. The stage it self was a huge spaceship looking monstrosity (see the pictures) with a circular plat form and walkways for the band to move and see every side of the stadium (360 degrees get it?) After, such an ordeal arriving to concert we were ecstatic that U2 did not stick to playing songs from its new album. The crowd sung along to hits such as “Brand New Day”, “Stuck in a Moment” and “New Years Day” over all it was a great mix of old and new hits along with cuts of their new CD, “No Line on the Horizon”. Of course, this couldn’t be a U2 concert without a political message. Through out the show there were a number of instances where politics as blended into the show such as when Bono on his knees cried ,” “freedom on the streets of Iran,” before going into the song “Sunday Bloody Sunday” or when Archbishop Desmond Tutu delivered an onscreen address of gratitude for the help Africa has received in battling AIDS. Believe me that these weren’t the only moments. On top of that there were images projected on a huge conical screen that drove home most of their points.

While I didn’t have a single favorite moment during the concert, there was one interesting thing that caught my eye during their performance. As a budding guitarist, it was interest to watch The Edge (the lead guitarist) switching guitars during every song. It seemed that he did not play the same guitar twice, and each instrument varied wildly from the last one he played. Considering that U2 played over 20 songs during the concert, it was almost as if he was showing off his guitar collection.

On a slightly sourer note, in the location we were sitting there was an unfortunately loud echo in the stadium that detracted from the overall feel of the show. As far as D and I could notice it was only really apparent in the higher upper decks (we tested this theory, by sneaking down closer to the field floor to get a couple of closer shots of the band). While this effect is perfect for a loud crowd during a football game, it does make it a bit more difficult to understand song lyrics and distinguish the music at a concert. Fortunately, we knew most of the songs, and so did the rest of the crowd so it wasn’t much of a problem. Over all we had a great time, and considering what we had to go through to get there we certainly would do it again (with a couple of modifications of course!)

We can’t thank Eventchaser and Razor Gator enough for the concert tickets, and we hope to catch a couple of more before the year is through.

Until next time.