(CelebrityAccess MediaWire) —
It may go down in history as the busiest two weeks ever at Wachovia Center –October 3-14, 2005 — with the Rolling Stones, U2, Pearl Jam, Foo Fighters, the Flyers, the 76ers and the Phantoms all performing or playing at the 21,000-seat arena in Philadelphia, PA.
The 211,068 combined fans devoured 8,727 orders of Crab Fries (12,000 pounds) from Chickie's & Pete's and 4,741 cheesesteaks (1,926 pounds of meat) from Steve's Prince of Steaks, both new concession stands in the Cingular Pavilion on the concourse. Additionally, they consumed 10,967 hot dogs (1,901 pounds), 5,476 orders of nachos and 9,330 gallons of Pepsi soft drinks during this 14-day span. The operations staff removed 121 tons of trash during these two weeks.
These two weeks featured six sell out concerts, including Pearl Jam (October 3), the Rolling Stones (October 10 and 12), the Foo Fighters with Weezer (October 13) and U2 (October 16-17), the Philadelphia Flyers (October 5, 7, 14 and 15), the Philadelphia Phantoms (October 8-9) and the Philadelphia 76ers (October 11).
Bruce Springsteen joined U2 on stage on October 17 for "People Get Ready." Midway through the number Bono called Springsteen's wife, Patty Scialfa, to join them on stage. Springsteen, who earlier this year inducted U2 into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, performed "Stand by Me" with U2 at historic JFK Stadium in Philadelphia in September of 1987, where Wachovia Center now stands.
"This will go down in history as one of the most memorable two weeks for our fans and our customers," said Comcast-Spectacor President Peter Luukko. "To have the Rolling Stones, U2, Pearl Jam and the Foo Fighters all within two weeks is remarkable. There is still more great moments to come this fall and winter."
One of the biggest events to occur in those two weeks was the grand opening of the new Cingular Pavilion, the largest in arena bar anywhere in the United States, featuring Chickie's & Pete's and Steve's Prince of Steaks. The 8,000-sq. ft. expanded concourse, made its debut on October 5, opening two hours prior to every arena event and remained open throughout the event with extended post-game hours.
The fall line-up at Wachovia Complex also includes Nine Inch Nails at Wachovia Spectrum (November 5); Gwen Stefani and Black Eyed Peas at Wachovia Center (November 6); Springsteen in a solo acoustic performance at Wachovia Spectrum (November 8-9); Aerosmith with Lenny Kravitz at Wachovia Center (November 23); Bon Jovi ( December 2-3); Dave Matthews Band (December 13) and Transiberian Orchestra (December 17). –Bob Grossweiner and Jane Cohen
