Everything went wrong last Saturday for Paul McCartney fans in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. The former Beatle, currently on tour in America, had a concert at Truist Field, but an afternoon thunderstorm combined with a traffic crush to leave many fans disappointed. They even delayed starting the show an hour, and still, not everyone could get there.
"My wife and I sat in it for more than three hours trying to get to tonight’s Paul McCartney concert. WSPD (Winston-Salem Police Department) and event staff dropped the ball and could not get all patrons parked prior to a delayed show beginning. Furthermore, they didn’t have enough general parking available for all concert goers," TJ Lockwood wrote to WXII TV news.
Another fan voiced the same kind of problems: "We waited for 3 hours for parking for the Paul McCartney concert in gridlocked traffic. Finally, (we) had to just drive home. The mismanagement of this event is appalling. We passed by several empty lots as we were funneled around. I can't believe I paid over $1,000 for tickets and missed it," said Katelyn Henderson.
The Stanfords, Jim and Linda Stanford, drove over from Raleigh area in hopes of hearing "Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey," but they wound up stuck at a traffic light at Indiana Ave and Patterson Ave. 15 times, they saw the light go from red to green without anyone moving anywhere.
So Jim talked to Winston-Salem police, only to be told that "the city doesn't have the infrastructure to handle events of this size."
Oooopsie.
Truist Field. home of the Charlotte Knights minor league baseball team, has a seating capacity of 10,200. Presuming that the McCartney event was sold out, it's a shame that many of those seats sat empty as the old moptop went through his song catalog.
So, on Saturday as the show began, Winston-Salem police issued this statement:
The Winston-Salem Police Department is aware of the increased traffic in and around Truist Field (475 Deacon Bv) due to the Paul McCartney concert. Wake Forest University issued a press release earlier this week with information about the concert, to include increased traffic. Additionally, a thunderstorm came through the area, which caused delays in parking vehicles.
Winston-Salem Police Department Officers will remain on scene and continue to address traffic issues throughout the duration of the concert.
So, the stance of the police department was, you should have paid heed to the press release from Wake Forest University, and it shouldn't have rained.
And they said, go ask the college about the traffic. The college said,
Saturday's Sir Paul McCartney Concert at Truist Field was a historic event for the Winston-Salem community and we appreciate the patience of the record-breaking crowd in the aftermath of a thunderstorm that caused some disruption in traffic patterns and the parking process.
OK, first of all, you're Americans, and do not need to call him "Sir." I mean, really.
And I'm only sharing this as a caveat to those who are attending the McCartney concert at Baltimore's Oriole Park on Sunday evening, June 12. You might want to get down to the ballpark early, stroll on over to the Harbor for some dinner, and come back over for the show.
We went to see Garrison Keillor at the Meyerhoff Symphony Hall years ago, and there was some sort of traffic snafu, and many people were sad because they got there at intermission time.
Don't miss out! Maybe leave Saturday afternoon, get a hotel room, live it up. Strawberry Fields Forever.
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