There we were jammed on to Spring Street in the 26th minute, watching the Adidas-sponsored Jumbotron, along with I don’t know, 5,000 other soccer fans, when the screen went black. We all waited for it to spark back on. Nothing. A guy with glasses and a headset climbed onto the thing and made an inaudible announcement, versions of which were passed through the crowd: There were too many people in the street, they hadn’t counted on this crowd, it was considered a danger, the police had ordered it shut down.
At least that was the word on the street, as we sprinted for cabs to watch the game elsewhere.
And throughout the rest of the game, ESPN offered us shots of City Hall Plaza in Boston, crammed with what looked to be 20,000 fans. I know, everyone loves Bloomberg. But does the city have to be so goddamn efficient all the time?
