Even though the temperatures had to be similar, the comment heard Saturday, some distance to the south of the path around the Falls, brought a chuckle: “This is the hottest Packer game I have ever been to.” Actually, it wasn’t a Packers game, but the venue was Lambeau Field and the event was the concert featuring Kenny Chesney’s The Big Revival Tour and Jason Aldean’s Burn It Down Tour.
This is the third time in recent memory the stadium was converted for a major event other than football. Previously, there had been another Kenny Chesney concert and a Wisconsin Badgers outdoor hockey match.
The inside view of the stadium floor was a major contrast to the usual scene. No turf — frozen tundra or any other kind — could be seen. The goal posts were gone, and a massive stage filled the south end zone.
While working with the Oneida Gate ticket scanning crew, there was a noticeable contrast in the unofficial fan uniform of the day. There were a number of Packers jerseys, but they were far outnumbered by a much different style, especially for the ladies coming into the stadium.
By far, the favorite for ladies was jean short shorts and cowboy boots. A close second was skirts and boots. Another atypical apparel item was the number of cowboy hats. Obviously, this was not a crowded headed to watch the Packers play, although there were a number of spontaneous “Go, Pack, Go,” chants.
Like at Packers games, a few people said they were so happy to be there because it was their first time at Lambeau Field. One other contrast was the number of pregnant women who came through the gate. Certainly it was not a high percentage of the fans, but the average age of people coming through the gates had to be 20 years younger than for a Packers game. It was more likely these couples were starting a family or adding to their family.
The overall gender balance was different than at a Packers game. We have heard that football stadiums are designed for a crowd that is 60 percent male and 40 percent female. Country concerts are said to have just the opposite mix. That can be a strain on the restroom facilities. There were times when lines to the ladies restrooms extended well into the concourse, but the situation was much better than the last Kenny Chesney concert. Stadium managers learned their lesson and opened up more restrooms, which was a relief in more ways than one.
Speaking of long lines, there might have been a number of these on Sunday with the Father’s Day brunches and lunches. There seemed to be a higher volume of traffic on County Road M as people headed to Romy’s Holiday Inn at Kelly Lake. It was a great day for dads, and moms appreciated not having to do the dishes.
There were lots of “Happy Father’s Day” wishes all around. Even though I have children in four different states, greetings to this observer’s inboxes came from six different states. It seems that extending that greeting can come from caring people whether or not they are your children. Being a dad felt really important on Sunday. Several hours working with a variety of woodworking tools were part of the schedule Sunday, and that’s what dads do.
Getting back to wearing appropriate apparel walking through a gate, orange and black will be the style for most fans walking through the gate at the new ST Paper Stadium. The gate will be impressive. Designed and built at Custom Metal Specialties in Oconto Falls and sponsored by the Oconto Falls Lions, the gate will be a fitting entrance to the facility.
The referendum construction committee spent a fair amount of time on Monday morning selecting the exact location for the gate. The 21-foot width of the concrete column edges for the arched gate can’t be located just anywhere. After moving a tape measure extended to the full 21 feet to a number of locations, consensus was reached. The gate will be centered on the main part of the concession/press box building and face the high school parking lot where most of the fans will be parked.
It will be a stunning entrance for the fans this fall. We suspect that fans wearing skirts and cowboy boots will be few and far between.
