The excitement is growing for many Maritimers who plan to attend one of the summer's biggest music bashes the region has ever seen, but for some Moncton residents and police so are safety concerns.
It's still a little over two weeks until Irish rockers U2 hit the stage at Magnetic Hill on July 30 but the concert site has been growing bit by bit each day.
The stretch of road from Magnetic Hill to Front Mountain Road has become a popular spot for the curious to stop and try to catch a glimpse of the growing concert site. Residents say they have noticed an increase of traffic flow and that has some of them concerned.
"There's a steady stream of vehicles, early morning, until late in the evening," says Front Mountain Road resident Marcia Leger.
Adding to the traffic problems are the many trucks that drive to and from the concert site each day and police say they are concerned about people's safety in the area.
"A lot of people are going up and parking on the side of the road, or not necessarily parking in a safe area, and not necessarily paying attention to where they're driving because they're looking at the site," says Cpl. Dan Roy with Codiac RCMP.
One of the main attractions at the site will no doubt be ‘The Claw," a massive stage that weighs roughly 390 tonnes and towers 30 metres in the air. It's one of the most elaborate concert stages ever built and has been accompanying the band on its 360 Degree world tour.
The city has set up a new webcam that showcases the concert site and police hope it will keep curious onlookers to a minimum.
"We're encouraging people who are interested to go right online and look at it," says Roy.
But area residents aren't holding their breath and Leger admits "there's nothing like seeing it in real life."
Organizers say the stage will start to take shape on Magnetic Hill late next week.
With files from CTV Atlantic's Nick Moore
