McCartney fans complain of problems at FedEx

LANDOVER, Md. - Huge backups getting in and out of FedEx Field for the Paul McCartney concert and conditions inside the stadium have some people swearing they'll never return to another event there.

The fiasco has the folks at the stadium apologizing.

"We certainly apologize to the fans for any inconvenience," said Zack Bolno, spokesman for the Redskins.

First, it took concertgoers hours to get into the stadium, forcing the concert to start more than an hour late.

Bolno blames the backup on a "new audience unfamiliar with the stadium."

He says most people used only one entrance to FedEx Field while four others were under-utilized. More than 50,000 turned out for Saturday's concert.

Once McCartney fans found their way in, they found the water had been turned off. The toilets, sinks and water fountains didn't work in parts of the stadium. The toilets overflowed.

Bolno said a blocked pipe caused the backup. He says it was fixed within 25 minutes and the water was re-routed.

"The sanitary conditions were abysmal," one caller to the WTOP Talkback line said.

"There was hardly any food," another listener says. "They were running out of drinks."

While fans loved to hear McCartney hit every note of "Blackbird" and sing a host of Beatles classics, getting out of the parking lots at FedEx took several hours.

"I will never go back to FedEx Field again," one Talkback caller vents.

Paul Wilkinson from Annapolis said he was considering going to a U2 concert in September, but won't now.

"I'd sooner go to Philadelphia. Even though it's a two hour drive, at least I know I can get in and out."

Bolno has not responded as to why exiting traffic was not handled better.

Another 60,000 fans are expected to head to FedEx Sunday when D.C. United plays Real Madrid. The team tells WTOP it has every confidence that any issues that may have occurred Saturday night will be rectified by Sunday.

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