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By the time Bruce Springsteen hits the opening licks on his guitar Wednesday at PNC Park, more than 11,000 screaming fans will have swarmed onto the field.

Not one of them will touch the grass.

Workers at PNC Park spent a partly soggy Monday laying more than 10,000 plastic panels called Terraplas that will protect the Pirates' playing surface.

Saving the turf was one of the many concerns that faced organizers planning for the first concert in PNC Park's 21/2-year history.

It was such a learning process, in fact, that they're still putting seats up for sale because organizers weren't initially sure how many seats would offer only obstructed views of the stage.

Getting a building ready to accommodate 45,000 people -- about 8,000 more than PNC Park's baseball capacity -- always presents a challenge, said Rich Engler, chief executive of Clear Channel Entertainment Pittsburgh, the concert's promoter.

It's even harder for this show because PNC Park is uncharted territory, Engler said.

When Clear Channel officials made their preliminary measurements, they could only assume which seats would have a view of the stage, said Bob Derda, director of events for the Pittsburgh Pirates.

With tickets costing $82.75 each, including the service charge, Engler said he didn't want to stick someone with an expensive view of the side of a speaker tower.

"I can't say it's never happened," said Engler, who has produced concerts in Pittsburgh for 30 years. "But every precaution has been taken. That's why we're still releasing seats."

The three organizations involved in planning the concert -- Clear Channel Entertainment, the Pirates and Springsteen's concert preparation team -- also had to rent more than 11,000 chairs for field seats, Engler said.

The chairs and Terraplas are shipped in from rental companies throughout the country, Engler said.

Though Clear Channel rents the Terraplas, protecting the field was the Pirates' responsibility, Derda said.

Terraplas comes in 9-square-foot ventilated panels that allow air to get to the grass below, while keeping thousands of shoe soles about 2.5 inches away.

"It will leave a mark, but that will come off immediately after the show," Derda said. "Our folks will have a couple of days to get the grass back to what it was."

Without the protective cover, the field could be turned into a mud pit, Derda said. The Pirates returns to PNC Park on Monday.

Terraplas was invented to protect Wembley Stadium in London and was first used there in 1991. Since then, using the plastic panels has become standard practice on playing fields worldwide, Derda said.

"We used it at Heinz Field for the 'N Sync concert, and there wasn't any damage to the grass," Engler said.

The stage, which also will sit on top of the Terraplas, comes from Springsteen's own concert preparation team. To augment it, Engler said workers will erect two giant screens on both sides and "a couple of other surprises" for the concert.

Clear Channel entertainment paid an undisclosed amount to the Pirates organization to rent PNC Park after Springsteen's concert team walked through the site four months ago and "fell in love with it," Engler said.

Clear Channel stands to take in more than $3 million for the concert. Engler said the company will divide the money between itself and the band.

The Pirates will get revenue from concession sales through Aramark, the company that runs the concession stands at PNC Park. Team spokeswoman Patty Paytas refused to say how much concessions usually bring in or how much the Pirates anticipate making off this concert.

Alco Parking Corp., which owns about 6,000 parking spaces in lots surrounding the park, will charge $20 a spot, said Merrill Stabile, the company's president.

"If people are looking to save money and they're willing to not park on the North Shore, the garages Downtown will be a better deal," Stabile said. Downtown parking garages will charge their regular night fee of about $3.

Stabile said he anticipates most of Alco's 15,000 total parking spots to be used Wednesday night. That will bring Alco increased revenue and increased costs for employees and traffic control.

If the North Shore lots fill up, the city of Pittsburgh will pull in about $30,000 just through its parking tax, which is set at about 27 percent, Stabile said.

If the show should be canceled, Tickets.com -- the company contracted to sell the tickets -- will refund the $75 ticket price, but not the $7.25 handling fee, according to the company's policy.

Clear Channel officials said a cancellation isn't likely for a show this big.

"There's a buzz surrounding this," Derda said. "It's a coup for us. It's a coup for the city of Pittsburgh."

Springsteen's tour won't stop in Cleveland or Columbus, Ohio, making Philadelphia the next closest stop, Derda said.

"They're still talking about the show he did in Three Rivers Stadium" on the "Born in the USA" tour in 1986, said Engler, who promoted that show as well. "It was one of the most phenomenal performances he's ever given. History will be repeated."

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