Tonight Radiohead plays Blossom Music Center for the fourth time. The band loves playing that venue. My guess is the idyllic setting and the fact that there's no corporate brand attached to it.
On the other hand, I often hear Clevelanders complaining about Blossom for various reasons. The two main complaints are law enforcement hassles and dealing with the traffic.
There was a time back in the 1990s when the Summit County Sheriff department seemed to have it out for anyone attending a Blossom rock or pop show. They had officers in trees with binoculars looking for drinking and driving. Remember when they pulled over and ticketed a limo full of women going to see Michael Bolton because they were drinking alcohol. Isn't that part of the thrill of a limo, being able to imbibe in luxury with a sober chauffeur behind the wheel?
Back then any idea of a pre-show party in the parking lot was nixed as the law moved everyone along and inside the venue. Indeed, it was a miserable experience for concertgoer.
Well, something changed back in the early 2000s. I suspect it was the Belkin, Clear Cahnnel or Nationwide, whatever the promoter name was at the time, that had a powow with the sheriff's department and some other powers explaining to them that they were killing their business. If you haven't been to Blossom since those Gestapo days it's much better now.
The other complaint is the traffic. Often you're stuck in traffic on those two lane country roads on the way in, sometimes missing some of the show. And if you don't leave early you may be stuck in a parking lot for hours.
There's a trick to avoiding the traffic woes. It's a simple matter of arriving early. Make an event of it. Bring a picnic dinner and get to the parking lot as soon as the gates open.
There will be no traffic on the way there and you'll be ushered into a lot close to the venue. At the end of the show Blossom dismisses lots in a certain order. It's those closer lots that get out first. If you're stuck in one of those lawn lots you're screwed.
Lastly, familiarize yourself with all the roads. On the way out get in the left lane and take the offshoot before the main exit onto Steels Corner Rd. It'll take you down into the Cuyahoga valley and from there you can head north to 303 or south toward Akron.
