Commerce City held its musical coming-out party Saturday as country pop star Kenny Chesney played the inaugural concert at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park.
No one can control every detail of a massive show, but the hundreds of employees at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park tried their best. By smoothly dealing with nearly 22,000 sunburned fans, the traffic cops, ushers and general staff made the event a logistical success.
“It’s been great so far,” said Karen Mader of Englewood. “I’m kind of worried about getting out, though.”
In fact, getting to the $71 million stadium – the home of the Colorado Rapids soccer team since it opened in April – was trying at times. Cars lined Quebec Street for miles leading to the venue, often at a standstill.
The extra police officers made sure the thousands of tailgaters remained orderly.
Surrounded by a handful of lush green soccer fields, the stadium itself is a gleaming modern structure. The bleachers sit relatively low, affording even the nosebleeds an unobstructed view from the back. A mist of water greets everyone walking through the entrance – not so good for laptops, but still nice in the heat – and multiple equidistant entry points prevented long lines.
The open concourses provided the 360-degree field views, as promised, but the crush of people made for slow going. Anyone in a rush to get to the bathroom or beer stand was out of luck.
Opener Pat Green played an extended set to make up for the absence of Sugarland, which reportedly canceled because of singer Jennifer Nettles’ falling ill. More than a few attendees were heard requesting refunds at the tickets windows.
So how did it sound?
Green’s loud, innocuous set got the crowd off to a cheering start, even if he padded it with the occasional U2 cover and extended medley. The sound mix and acoustics worked well enough during many of his songs, and since Chesney brought the sound system, the likelihood of it failing on him was low.
Indeed, when a massive curtain dropped and Chesney took the stage for opening song “Beer in Mexico,” his voice sounded clear through the gargantuan, booming speakers. Any venue the size of Dick’s, with its bowl-shaped center and steel sides, is bound to reverberate. Heavy bass often muddied the mix, especially on songs like “Summertime” in which the sprightly guitar plays a major role, but this problem plagues many massive venues (I’m looking at you, Coors Amphitheatre), especially when the wind picks up.
If the management can muffle the echo effect in the back of the stadium, future shows will work far better. Too much bass seemed to be the theme on many songs, and even staff at the venue could he heard grumbling about the acoustics.
The beach-ball-bouncing crowd seemed not to mind. On tunes like “No Shoes, No Shirt, No Problems” – one of the actual country-sounding songs in the catchy, pop-laden set – people pumped their fists and sang along with sweaty devotion.
For Dick’s to maintain its own rabid fan base, it will have to work out a few acoustic kinks.
The logistical side, however, seemed to be comfortably nailed down.
Staff writer John Wenzel can be reached at 303-954-1642 or jwenzel@denverpost.com.
