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Apr 08
2009
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U2 Will Skip San Diego... and So Will OthersPosted by Jason Riggs in U2, stadium, San Diego, new stadium, Ed Roski, concerts, City of Industry, Chargers   |
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By Jason Riggs
In what could be considered another sign of the Qualcomm Stadium times, it was recently noted in a SignOnSanDiego article, that U2 will be skipping San Diego on their U2 360? World Tour. They have opted instead to play the Rose Bowl in Pasadena.
Who can blame them?
The Rose Bowl can accommodate almost 100,000 people for concerts if you consider the football seating plus the space available on the field. San Diego doesn't currently have a venue that can accommodate that many fans and their large stage set-up.
This is another prime example of how San Diego will continue to be viewed as the smaller, weaker sibling of that congested city 90 miles to the north. San Diego residents will now have to drive to Los Angeles to see a tour which is stopping in places like Sam Boyd Stadium in Las Vegas, University of Phoenix Stadium and TWO dates at Gillette Stadium in Boston... not to mention over 50 other places throughout the world.
It's hard to believe that a place that doesn't even have an NFL team like Las Vegas has a stadium sufficient to host a band of U2's caliber while a world-class city like San Diego with an NFL franchise will be getting completely passed over.
Without the development of a new stadium in our region, every San Diegan should get used to this increasingly familiar scenario. This will ring especially true if LA Developer Ed Roski sees his stadium project to completion in the City of Industry.
Regardless of how you feel about the Chargers, U2 or any of the events associated with a new stadium, it's important to remember that every one of these events that passes over our fair City, moves us a little further away from being America's Finest City. Each time a prominent musical act or event bypasses San Diego it's a slap in the face to all of us and an indictment of our local leadership and the sluggish pace at which the stadium effort has progressed.
San Diego deserves better and with your help, we will insure that U2 and others make their next stop in San Diego to perform at our new world-class Stadium and -- just maybe -- bypass Los Angeles.