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.
