Colleen Woods of Ann Arbor, left, shares a laugh with Matt Blanton of Ann Arbor, center, and Kiara Vigil of Williamston, Mass., right, on Sunday at Harper’s Restaurant and Brewpub, 131 Albert Ave. The trio took in the scene at the restaurant before attending the concert, an item on Blanton’s bucketlist.
East Lansing saw a major increase in traffic on Sunday as thousands of fans flocked to the city to see one of the world’s most popular rock bands.
U2’s East Lansing concert was one of the biggest draws of the summer, and many local businesses profited from the large influx of fans.
George Hoover, owner of Cottage Inn, 615 E. Grand River Ave., said his restaurant saw twice as much business on the day of the concert as it usually does on a normal summer Sunday.
“It was a nice change in the middle of summer to have that much traffic,” he said.
Hoover attended a U2 concert in 1987 and said he noticed carts of pizza being brought backstage during the show. That gave him the idea to try and drum up some business for his own restaurant.
“We hung up a big sign that said, ‘We have what U2 has been looking for — East Lansing’s best pizza,’” Hoover said.
An hour after the sign was hung, U2’s tour manager entered the restaurant and ordered 50 large pizzas for the road crew.
East Lansing Director of Planning and City Development Tim Dempsey said the city did an excellent job of hosting such a large number of people.
“In terms of bringing visitors into the community and people into downtown, I think we can all agree (the concert) was a resounding success,” he said. “The combination of a well-run event and great weather made for a great day in downtown East Lansing.”
One of the biggest draws in the area was Harper’s Restaurant and Brewpub, 131 Albert Ave., once known as Dooley’s, where U2 played a show in 1981.
Harper’s owner Pat Riley said the restaurant’s history with the band likely influenced customers, and the crowd was vastly different from the crowds drawn by MSU football games.
“Football Saturday crowds tend to build. This was an all at once sort of thing,” Riley said.
“The crowd appeared instantaneously.”
Hoover said the crowd’s unfamiliarity with the area led them to explore the downtown area, unlike the alumni and season ticket holders who attend the football games.
Spar-Thai Green Cab Service, located at 420 Albert St., saw a similar increase in business. Owner David Thorin estimated about 500 passengers utilized the pedi-cab service to connect in some way with the concert.
Thorin said the environmental activism promoted by U2 likely contributed to the increased number of customers for the green cab service.
“The band does so much environmentally that it draws that type of audience and we made a nice connection with that group,” he said.
“It was just an electric day.”
Support student media! Please consider donating to The State News and help fund the future of journalism.
