On September 12 and 13, U2 visited Soldier Field in Chicago for a pair of concerts.
And they’ve ruined the carpet.
According to Dan Pompei of the Chicago Tribune, the sod is being replaced on an expedited basis in advance of Sunday’s home opener against the Steelers.
“This has been planned all along,” Bears spokesman Scott Hagel told Pompei. “And
it isn’t unusual. Before every regular-season opener, portions of the
field are re-sodded. So this is something we have done annually.”
It’s not unprecedented for the Soldier Field surface to be completely re-sodded in a narrow window. In 2004, a Rolling Stones concert required new grass, and a full re-sodding occurred after a 2005 game.
Still, Pompei points out that some players have complained.
“They have to re-sod the whole field before we play Pittsburgh, which
will lead to loose turf,” tight end Desmond Clark wrote in his personal blog. “We have one of the worst fields in the NFL and there are no excuses why the Chicago Bears, of all teams, should have to play on such a bad surface.”
If the surface is going to be bad, it’s fitting that the Steelers are the ones to have to play there. And the Dolphins would agree.
With U2 currently touring the country, a couple of other situations bear watching. At FedEx Field, Bono, the Edge, and the other two guys invade on September 29; only five days later, the ‘Skins host the Buccaneers. On October 14, U2 plays at Reliant Stadium, eleven days before the next home game, against the 49ers. (An October 20 show at University of Phoenix Stadium isn’t a concern, because the grass field slides out of the venue when not in use.)
As to the Bears, the bigger issue is the suitability of a grass field on a long-term basis. With the dramatic advances over the past decade in artificial grass systems, the best bet for Soldier Field and Heinz Field and any other stadium with any issues regarding the quality of the natural surface would be to join the football version of the Hair Club for Men.
Gillette Stadium reloaded. After (I think it was Bon Jovi??) a concert ruined the natural grass and replacing the shoddy turf several times did not help, they switched to FieldTurf halfway through the season. NFL even changed the rules for the Patriots.
Surrender!
Well natural grass still rules.
I wonder what Bono’s carbon footprint is now?
On a side note I saw the Sat show.
Af–ckingmazing concert. To any one contemplating dropping the coin on tickets; it is well worth it.
@ CD_Ridge
Best post ever
They had to replace the sod at Polk High when the marching band would practice on it. I still scored 4 touchdowns in one game. Let’s see Forte do it.
Grass is the way to go. That game last year in Pittsburgh was great football. I can’t stand to see clean uniforms at the end of a game. Mud is part of football.
Speaking of bad stadiums, how about Oakland? Fortunately, nobody on MNF tripped over a baseball glove while rounding second out there.
hair club for men?
and florio isnt just the president, he’s also a customer!
Desmond Clark needs to do something before whining.
Surprised he didn’t add ” I was forced to cut routes short Sunday night because of the poor surface.”
Bono, the Edge, and the other two guys
————
That would be Adam Clayton on bass and Larry Mullen Jr on drums.
I’m sure Florio knows that, he just loves kicking the balls of U2 fans for some sadistic reason.
Great point about carbon footprints. The band is awesome but they are hypocrites when it comes to being green and paying their taxes.
You mean something IMPORTANT to the game might be a problem for players, as opposed to something that doesn’t matter, like a ………video board? Go ahead, blame Jerry Jones for this, too.