Features
Adele Capacity Increase Causes Traffic Issues
A war of words broke out over traffic issues at Adele’s two upcoming shows at the
Francis Sealy / ConcertLivewire.com – Adele
Talking Stick Resort Arena, Phoenix, Ariz.
Crowds of 60,000 were expected at each of the shows, the biggest music events in the city for many years. Since September 2016, promoter
Live Nation execs admitted to being “flabbergasted” when the city’s deputy mayor, Adrian Schrinner, announced that patrons would face three-hour delays on the bus shuttles integrated into ticket prices. Schrinner also claimed Brisbane Council had not been advised of the massive traffic logistics. He said that 52,000-capacity Suncorp Stadium, where major international concerts are staged, would have been more appropriate to handle large crowd movements as it had a dedicated bus stop underneath and a railway station next door.
LN responded in a statement that the rectangular-shaped
As the Gabba has not been used for concerts for decades, it involved expanding the capacity for the Adele shows.
LN explained, “The Gabba is licensed to hold 42,000 patrons for a sporting event and government approval was granted to increase the capacity for this special event to 60,000 per concert, due to the use of the playing field for additional concert seating.”
As there is no nearby railway station, a fleet of 400 buses was hired to transport patrons from various locations, and their cost included in concert ticket prices. The Gabba’s increased capacity also meant that 180 extra portaloos had to be sourced and scalpers were getting double, sometimes triple the face value of tickets.
LN, which had limited four tickets per household and delayed printing tickets until four weeks ago, warned that tickets from reseller sites may be invalidated.
On her debut dates Down Under, Adele starts at Perth’s 43,500-capacity
She then Adele plays the
She rounds out her regional visit with three appearances at the 47,000-capacity