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Regina is ready to rock and roll.
Tens of thousands of fans are expected to roll into Mosaic Stadium on Tuesday night for a Foo Fighters performance, marking the first major concert at the Roughriders’ home base since Garth Brooks played two shows there in 2019.
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The doors open at 4 p.m., with Mannequin Pussy set to perform at 5:30 p.m., Queens of the Stone Age at 6:30 p.m. and the Foo Fighters taking the stage at around 8 p.m.
Cat Betker, the REAL District’s director of signature events, said the Foo Fighters will be on stage for around three hours, with the concert expected to run until around 11 p.m.
“It’s going to be a long day. It’s a marathon, it’s not a sprint,” Betker said during an appearance on The Greg Morgan Morning Show.
Listen to Betker’s full interview with Greg Morgan:
“I think it’s going to be spectacular. The word that we’re hearing out of other venues that have had the show already is that it’s fantastic.”
Betker said entry into the stadium should be fairly quick for guests, with the same protocols in place as fans see at Roughriders games.
“It’s clear bags. You’re going to have bag checks. We brought in some new metal detectors to hopefully speed up that process,” she said.
“As long as you leave the things at home that you’re supposed to leave at home, you should get through the gates with no problem.”
She said fans going to the concert will likely want to dress for the weather. Environment Canada is forecasting temperatures of around 8 C at the time the Foo Fighters are set to be on stage, with a chance of rain after midnight.
“If you’re bringing along some extra sweaters or maybe a blanket, just expect that check-through process with security to be a little bit longer,” Betker said.
As for drinks in the stadium, Betker said no cans or bottles will be allowed in the on-field seats or the general admission pit on the floor.
“It’s going to be poured drinks only, so if you’re buying your drinks up on the concourse and then going down to the floor, you’re going to be expected to pour those drinks into cups,” she explained.
City buses will not be offering direct shuttle service to Mosaic Stadium for the Foo Fighters, as they do for the Riders games. Mayor Chad Bachynski said that’s due to how early the concert is starting.
“We don’t have the capacity to be able to pull actual physical buses off the regular routes that are going to be transporting folks from work to home and school to home,” Bachynski told Morgan.
Kyle Russell, the REAL District’s vice-president of operations and experience, said paid parking on site is already sold out.
“We’re encouraging fans to plan ahead,” Russell said during an appearance on The Greg Morgan Morning Show.
“We really are encouraging fans to park downtown or park at the Warehouse District to make a full night of it, and walk to and from the venue from one of those neighbourhoods and maybe go to the bar afterwards.”
Listen to Russell’s full interview with Greg Morgan:
He said a limited number of tickets are still available for the show, with possibly more rolling out throughout the day today on Tuesday.
Roughly 80 per cent of the tickets were sold to fans around Saskatchewan, but Russell said some are travelling from other provinces and internationally for the concert.
“A big group from Manitoba, oddly enough, a big group from Louisiana as well, and we have folks from Mexico coming as well,” he said. “It really is a great driver of tourism for visitation to Regina.”
He said the Foo Fighters will be putting on a massive show, with semis hauling equipment arriving at the site on Tuesday morning.
“We set aside room for 80 to 100 semis for this show,” he explained.
“The last I heard, there are about 90 semis on site right now.”
Russell said it’s important for the REAL district for the show to be a successful one.
“It’s paramount for us,” he said. “We’re really viewing this as a show that is going to prove again that Mosaic Stadium is a great spot for tours to come into Regina.”
