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Some 12,000 concertgoers downtown cause big traffic jam
The first TSO concert Sunday was a sellout, and the second was almost a sellout.
YOUNGSTOWN — Large crowds at two Trans-Siberian Orchestra concerts at the Covelli Centre caused traffic tie-ups near the downtown arena and a 15-minute delay for the later performance.
But it also brought about 12,000 people downtown Sunday for the two shows.
Youngstown has become one of TSO’s favorite cities, with TSO starting its tour here for the fourth consecutive year.
The first show was at 3 p.m., an hour later than last year’s TSO double- header, so as not to force people to rush from church to the arena, said Eric Ryan, the center’s executive director.
The first show — a sellout with a little more than 6,000 in attendance — ended at 5:45 p.m., about 15 minutes later than scheduled. That led to traffic tie-ups with those departing the center from the first concert and those showing up for the second show, which was to start at 7:30 p.m., Ryan said.
Because of the traffic congestion and the first show’s ending late, the second TSO concert didn’t start till 7:45 p.m.
“We had a few [police] officers working [traffic] lights on South Avenue and Market Streets,” two of the main entrances to the city’s downtown, Ryan said. “There were a lot of people on Market Street, but South Avenue was clear.”
Center officials and employees were able to clear out those who attended the first concert rather quickly, Ryan said.
The center usually allows patrons to stay up to an hour after an event.
But because the first show ran late, center officials had everyone out by 6:05 p.m. to allow the cleanup crew to do its job in time for the doors to open an hour early for the second concert, Ryan said.
The cleanup “went as smooth as it possibly could go,” he said. “It’s nuts to turn the place around that quickly, but we did it. Everyone got in to the [second] show on time.”
The second show was a few hundred tickets shy of a sell-out, Ryan said.
The two TSO shows begin an extremely busy week at the center, Ryan said.
Daughtry is in concert at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday. The Youngstown Phantoms junior league hockey team, that calls the center home, plays games at 7:15 p.m. Thursday and Friday against the Des Moines Buccaneers. Classic rockers Styx, REO Speedwagon and Night Ranger are in concert at 7 p.m. Saturday.
Tickets for the two concerts are “selling real well,” said Ryan, who wouldn’t reveal the number of tickets sold for the shows. The crowd capacity for both concerts is 5,800, he said.
skolnick@vindy.com