U2 ticket sale nets $100-200K for University

The Athletic Department sold 3,500 tickets last Thursday and Friday for the June 8 U2 concert at Franklin Field, according to ticket manager Peggy Kowalski. The event is the first concert at the facility since the 1970s. Tickets, which were available to University students, faculty and staff, cost $52.50 each and required cash payment. Athletic Director Steve Bilsky said the department will receive revenues of between $100,000 and $200,000 from the concert. "We wouldn't do this unless this was a very significant amount of money," he added. Bilsky said he initiated negotiations with U2 after responding to a feeler put out by the group's managers and offered the use of Franklin Field during the summer months. "We want the facility used as long as it doesn't hurt regular users," he said. Additionally, Bilsky said he demanded that the University oversee security and prohibit alcohol within the stadium. The band's managers agreed to the demands and promised to reimburse the University for its expenses. Bilsky said the Athletic Department will form a group of 25 people to manage the concert's logistics. The department has experience managing large events after hosting Penn Relays, he said. Nevertheless, Bilsky said the concert "will be a learning experience for us and the entire university." U2's concert will feature "the world's largest television," 1,000 lighting fixtures, six "lighting machines," 20 Xenon searchlights and 100 strobe lights, according to the band's press release. Until recently, the Athletic Department was unable to light both Franklin Field and the Palestra without blowing a fuse. But recent renovations will allow the stadium to accommodate the high level of electricity needed for the event. Bilsky speculated that U2's tour managers looked to Franklin Field because Philadelphia's usual open-air concert site, Veterans Stadium, may not have been available much of the summer due to Philadelphia Phillies games. And the band's touring manager, Jerry Barad, asked "Why not Franklin Field? It's something different." Officials at the band's local promoter, New Park Entertainment, were even more enthusiastic about using the site. "I tell you, I love Franklin Field," New Park publicist Larry Ahearn said. "It's a great facility." Tickets for the concert are still available through Ticketmaster. The "Pop Mart" tour kicks off April 25 in Las Vegas. Other area stops on U2's tour include Washington, D.C.'s RFK Stadium May 26 and Meadowlands, N.J.'s Giants Stadium May 31. There will be no rain dates for the concerts, since the band's 52-truck entourage cannot be easily rerouted. Opening acts for the tour have not yet been announced.

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