Quagmire on the Commons
Concert damage will be invisible next spring, city official says

About one-fifth of the Halifax Commons was trampled during Saturday’s rainy Rolling Stones concert.

But the city’s manager of real estate planning is confident the popular public area will be back to normal by spring.

“The Commons held up remarkably well, especially given the weather,” said Peter Bigelow, who surveyed the damage after about 50,000 people spent about eight hours dancing, drinking and carousing on the grass.

He’s pleased with the way crews minimized damage when they set up and tore down the massive stage.

“It could have been a hell of a lot worse,” Mr. Bigelow said.

The ground around the stage was turned into mush by heavy machinery and lots of pedestrian traffic.

Events Halifax, along with tour promoters Concert Productions International and Donald K. Donald, is responsible for getting the Commons back to the same condition it was in before the show, Mr. Bigelow said.

“But we’re working with them because we know the Commons very well,” he said.

Parts of the Commons will need seeding, fertilizing “and some pretty heavy aeration,” Mr. Bigelow said.

“The fall is the time we need to do this kind of work.”

It hasn’t been decided who will do the job and how much it will cost, he said.

Events Halifax spokesman Scott Ferguson wouldn’t say Sunday how much money his organization made from the concert.

“We’re on budget and we’re expected to at least break even on it,” he said. “We don’t expect any loss.”

With promoters now eyeing the Commons as a possible site for other massive concerts, Mr. Bigelow is examining the idea of installing a plastic matrix under the grass.

“It’s almost like spaghetti all woven together,” he said. “You can press down on it and it springs back.”

That would protect the roots of grass during concerts, Mr. Bigelow said.

“If you’re going to do this on a regular basis, then those are things that you want to consider.”

The Commons cleanup drew a curious crowd Sunday morning.

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