On the bright side Two-year wait is over as Killers get ready to rock
AMERICAN rock band The Killers are at south Bristol’s Ashton Gate stadium tomorrow.
Rated one of the biggest bands of the 21st century, the Las Vegas outfit have sold more than 28 million records worldwide. Their biggest hits include Mr Brightside, Somebody Told Me, When You Were Young and Human.
They were first booked to appear at Ashton Gate back in 2020, but the pandemic scuppered that idea … not once, but twice.
For tomorrow’s rescheduled concert, the area around the outside of the South Stand and Lansdown Stand will become a ‘fan village,’ opening at 3.30pm. The stadium itself will open to the public at 5.30pm.
Welsh rockers Manic Street Preachers provide the support, going onstage at 7.30pm. The show is scheduled to end at 10.25pm.
The concert sold out two years ago, and hospitality packages have all been snapped up this time around, according to the stadium’s website. Ticketmaster had £71.50 tickets available for standing on the pitch, plus £93.50 seat tickets, mainly in the Dolman Stand off to the side. Neither price includes additional fees.
Children under five are not allowed at the gig, and anyone under the age of 16 has to be accompanied by someone over 18. Children aged between five and 14 have to have a seat ticket – no under-14s are allowed on the standing area on the pitch.
People with a standing ticket, or a seat in the first couple of rows, will be on or near the pitch, and therefore open to the elements. Rain is not forecast, but it may be advisable to take a rainproof coat.
In 2019, the first Ashton Gate Concerts series saw warm and dry weather for Rod Stewart, Muse and Take That, but there was heavy rain for the final gig, starring The Spice Girls.
But an umbrella is among the list of items you cannot take into the stadium – so make sure you are not caught out.
Food and drink
There will be lots of bars and food outlets inside the stadium, as well as more variety outside in the fan village. The usual turnstiles to get into the stadium will be open and people will be able to go freely from inside to outside the stadium.
Hits in 2019 were special wine stands that were set up. The range of hot takeaway food on offer is also good.
People will not be able to take their own food and drink into the fan village or main stadium unless it is for ‘medicinal purposes’ – a decision some might consider controversial. However, people will be able to take in one unopened 500ml bottle of water.
Security
Ashton Gate stadium is advising people not to take bags with them, unless they have to. The smaller the bag, the better. Bags and people will be searched, and that can take time.
Any bags bigger than an A4 sheet of paper will not be allowed.
Facilities
One of the things stadium boss Mark Kelly made sure of when the new Ashton Gate was being designed almost 10 years ago was that there would be almost as many toilets for women as for men.
That was put to the test at the 2019 concert series, particularly The Spice Girls gig, when the gender split of concert-goers was about 70-30 female to male.
Some of the men’s toilets were converted to female for the occasion.
A long line of upmarket portable toilets will line Marina Dolman Way, outside the Lansdown Stand and inside the fan village.
Payments
Just before the pandemic, Ashton Gate converted to a card-only system for its food and drink outlets, so people may not need cash for the evening – and there are no cash machines near the stadium.
However, there are plenty of pubs and restaurants in the nearby area, as well as fast-food outlets and supermarkets.
Getting there
Unless you live within walking distance of Ashton Gate, you will have to plan ahead – it’s not a case of jumping in the car, driving to Ashton Gate and finding somewhere to park.
There are designated buses running from park and ride sites around Bristol. There are also coaches running to the gig from a large number of towns and cities around Bristol, and train and bus services are being increased to carry people to the concert and back again.
Roads around the stadium will be closed, and a residents’ parking zone is being introduced for the concerts, which will be rigorously enforced, with tow trucks operating.