All the people at Penn State Athletics constantly seeking to generate revenue and make every possible dollar to support the expanding efforts around pay for play in college athletics must be going Strait Bananas this spring.
It’s probably been a season of benchmarking, envy and patience as they anticipate the days when Beaver Stadium can help the athletic program make more money on a regular basis than just seven football games each fall.
Thanks largely to country concerts and the Savannah Bananas, it’s been a good spring for college football stadiums as revenue generators, too.
Here’s a look at some of the top attendance for events this spring …
| School | Stadium | Event | Attendance | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Texas A&M | Kyle Field | Savannah Bananas | 102,000 | 5/2 |
| Tennessee | Neyland | Luke Combs | 92,045 | 5/2 |
| Clemson | Memorial | George Strait | 90,037 | 5/2 |
| Ohio State | Ohio | Luke Combs | 97,365 | 4/25 |
| Georgia | Sanford | Jason Aldean/Luke Bryan | 63,000 | 4/25 |
| Texas Tech | Jones AT&T | George Strait | 133,065 | 4/24&25 |
| Alabama | Bryant-Denny | Morgan Wallen | 100,000 | 4/18 |
| Notre Dame | Notre Dame | Luke Combs | 80,000 | 4/18 |
Eight of 10 programs in the final AP Top 25 last season had concerts or events scheduled this spring. Only national champion Indiana and runner-up Miami did not have something planned. No. 3 Ole Miss had Post Malone and Jelly Roll slated for June 5 but that tour was postponed.
Zach Bryan, who attracted more than 100,000 people to Michigan Stadium a year ago, will visit Oregon’s Autzen Stadium in late July.
Notre Dame will have a second concert when AC/DC visits in September.
For the people at Penn State Athletics focused on generating revenue — and it’s everyone these days — what’s happening must be instructive though not surprising. And the waiting must be killing them.
The real challenge at this point is lobbying, planning and relationship building so Penn State can earn a tour stop on one of the next big tours, maybe as soon as next spring or summer. Because the real draws are limited and the real destinations are multiplying, the competition has increased.
Even Clemson, home of seemingly anti-NIL coach Dabo Swinney, conducted a concert this spring. It was the first major concert in Death Valley since Strait previously played there in 1999.
The recipe is obvious and generally so ripe for success that Auburn has a concert planned in the middle of football season next fall. Zach Bryan is on the schedule for Oct. 10, 2026, at Jordan-Hare Stadium.
Penn State has the lure of renovations and a strong reputation on its side as it lobbies promoters.
Beaver Stadium has proven its ability to host a big event, as evidenced by the outdoor hockey game on Jan. 31. Penn State handled all the planning and logistics related to that event, which drew 74,575 fans on a brutally cold day.
Penn State has hosted concerts twice before — with 30,000-some fans showing up for a lineup topped by Blake Shelton on July 8, 2017, and with 73,339 turning out for an effort highlighted by Luke Combs on April 27, 2024.
The Shelton thing, officially Happy Valley Jam, was a so-so test case, using a model and promoter from a couple other smaller stadiums. It was the first time beer was sold inside Beaver Stadium and a way to get a sense of necessary logistics for something bigger and better.
Seven years later, Combs was bigger and better. On the same day the annual Stagecoach festival was happening on the West Coast with numerous country music stars, Combs drew an impressive number on the other side of the county with support from Jordan Davis, Mitchell Tenpenny and a couple others.
The business has changed in just a couple of years, though.
Specifically, the Combs production and show that toured college stadiums this spring (including Iowa State and Virginia) was at a higher level than what the artist and his team offered two years ago.
A stage in the round offered the opportunity to get more people inside each stadium, too.
More people means more money — and that’s music to the ears of those at Penn State. While the artist gets ticket revenue, the host/venue typically pocket parking and concessions. And there’s no other potential single-day influx for Penn State as big as that of a concert at the stadium.
So, you can bet Pat Kraft and Co. and lobbying and planning right now. And, on the day of the next concert, if it’s another big-name country act, watch for a smiling Kraft wearing a trucker hat and blue flannel.
If you’ve enjoyed this content, please subscribe to Stuff Somers Says With Steve on YouTube. Or join our newsletter by entering your email below.
