
Some neighborhood residents are unhappy as plans for an additional concert at Fenway Park this summer are in the works.
Arguments for and against the addition of a 13th Fenway Park concert date for the upcoming summer were heard at a Public Hearing on Wednesday, February 25th.
The Red Sox and the city of Boston have an agreement that states if the Red Sox apply to hold more than 12 concerts any given year, it should be due to unforeseen circumstances and any additional concerts should bring significant cultural value to the region.
The
agreement also states that the benefits of hosting additional concerts
must significantly outweigh the cost of neighborhood impacts caused by
the shows.
Last year, 11 concerts were scheduled and two of those 11 ended up being cancelled, meaning nine concerts were held.
Dennis
Quilty, who is representing Live Nation, the entertainment company the
Red Sox use to host concerts, said summer 2026 events like the FIFA
World Cup and Tall Ships Boston, will bring more people to the area.
Red
Sox Executive Vice President of Legal & Government Affairs David
Friedman said some concerts that would have otherwise been scheduled for
Gillette Stadium will not happen because of World Cup games taking
place at the site.
The World Cup and last year’s concert cancellations qualify as unusual and unforeseen circumstances, Friedman and Quilty argued.
“Hosting
up to 13 concerts this year would provide significant cultural,
artistic, economic and other value to the city of Boston and the Greater
Boston Area,” said Friedman.
A vibrant entertainment scene also makes Boston an attractive place to visit and live, said Friedman.
Other
arguments in support of adding a 13th concert date included the
positive financial impact for local restaurants, hotels and their staff
in the Fenway and Kenmore area.
City
Councilor Sharon Durkan said $88 million was generated by direct
spending in total at the 12 concerts Fenway Park hosted in 2024.
Artists
lined up to play at Fenway Park this summer include Mumford & Sons,
Noah Kahan, Chris Stapleton and Rufus Du Sol. It is currently unclear
who would play at the 13th concert, if added.
Kevin
Cranston of the Fenway Park Concerts Neighborhood Committee said last
year’s cancellations do not meet standards of significant reason to add a
13th show. Cranston argued that because the artist performing in the
13th show is yet to be determined, the cultural impact of that show is
unclear.
Cranston also
mentioned that the agreement with the city requires the Red Sox to make
sound data from the concerts public. According to Cranston, they
haven’t.
District 8
Community Advocate Kristen Mobilia said there are many mitigation issues
caused by concerts that aren’t being addressed such as noise, policing
levels and traffic. Another argument made by Mobilia against the
addition of a 13th concert was that local businesses and the Red Sox
benefit financially with more shows but residents of the Fenway
neighborhood don’t receive a piece of the pie.
“I
thought we finally had an agreement that would keep me from ever doing
this again,” said Fenway Civic Association President Tim Horn of arguing
against additional concerts. “I thought we had a real agreement, 12
concerts max.”
Horn said the concerts are a major hassle to neighborhood residents.
“I
hate to see anything being pushed as a cultural value when it is only
about money,” said Horn. Boston’s Office of Consumer Affairs and
Licensing will review all testimonies made during the public hearing
before making a decision.