Courtenay Place Live Site Fanzone

At least two of the words in that official title are redundant.

Walking around the Courtenay Place Live Site Fanzone™ before the match yesterday was interesting – I haven’t walked down the middle of that street since the LOTR: Let’s Win All the Oscars premiere in 2003, and purposefully paused in the middle of the intersection of Courtenay Place and Tory Street – nice view!

They dismantled the Lightbox installations to prevent them blocking the view from the giant screen at one end* – there were supposed to be two, but the second turned out to be the disappointing little digital-watch-sized screen mounted on the front of the Embassy Theatre. At about three in the afternoon an interested crowd was already forming, corralled in by the bars who positively owned the sidewalk, swallowing it up completely like greedy little boozepushers with their branded fencing. It was amusing to see that The Mermaid was included in the Fanzone. Well, let’s be honest – it fits right in! They should’ve been allowed to expand out into the sidewalk as well – surely there’s room for a few poles and giant fishtank?

Despite the full stadium I don’t expect the fanzone would’ve been too crowded – the weather was too awful. A different story tonight, obviously – I can hear the drunken carousing from Mt. Vic right now. And it’s a school night tomorrow!

*How’s that for a metaphor for sports vs. the arts in the past few months?