How rare is it for stars like Morgan Wallen to play Neyland Stadium? There's only been a handful in Knoxville history
Neyland Stadium is the home of Tennessee football fandom. But every once in a while, the venue also hosts a major musical performance.
Country music star Morgan Wallen is set to perform two special concerts at the stadium in September. Just days after announcing the Sept. 20 show, he announced a second show scheduled for Sept. 22.
“Due to overwhelming demand we have added a 2nd date at Neyland Stadium!” Thompson-Boling Arena at Food City Center announced on July 17. The second show was announced less than two hours after tickets went on sale for the first one.
Through Ticketmaster, fans could begin purchasing tickets for the Sept. 20 show at 1 p.m. July 17. The waiting queue for the second show was already open just after 1 p.m. and was filled with 70,000 eager fans. Tickets for the Sept. 22 show are now on sale.
Wallen will join a small but elite list of performers who have had the privilege of performing at Neyland Stadium in its over a century-long legacy.
The first concert at the stadium was held decades after it opened and was by none other than the iconic King of Pop, Michael Jackson, in August 1984. The Jacksons performed three days, back when the stadium could seat just over 91,000 people. The capacity has since grown to more than 101,000.
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The Jacksons Victory tour
Just two years after the 1982 World's Fair put Knoxville on the map, the Jacksons ? comprised of Michael and his brothers Randy, Tito, Jermaine and Marlon ? made a three-day stop in the Scruffy City.
They performed three shows Aug. 10-12, 1984, at Neyland Stadium as a part of their Victory Tour, according to Knox News archives. More than 130,000 tickets were sold for the shows, and Knoxville hotels were packed for the events. The Saturday concert set a tour record for the Jacksons at the time, with 50,239 tickets sold.
While in Knoxville, the Jacksons stayed at the Airport Hilton. Michael Jackson traveled to Neyland Stadium each night in a mile-long motorcade. On Friday, he rode in an armored car down Alcoa Highway and Interstate 40 East until he reached the University of Tennessee campus. His route to Neyland changed each night, and extra security was hired due to death threats made against the Jacksons before the shows.
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The Jacksons performed 110-minute concerts at Neyland that featured red and green lasers, fog from 1,000 pounds of dry ice and a platform in the middle of the stage that elevated them.
The shows began with Randy Jackson, wearing a coat of armor, pulling a sword from a stone to slay Muppets-style characters called "Kreetons" and ended with fireworks and moonwalking from Michael.
A Knox News story from 1984 noted fans had an absolute blast.
Then came Kenny Chesney
Nearly two decades passed between the Jacksons' concert and the next one. In June 2003, East Tennessee native Kenny Chesney fulfilled his lifelong dream of performing at the stadium, according to Knox News archives.
Chesney's show brought 58,000-plus fans to Neyland, along with some special guests: NFL star Peyton Manning, Kid Rock, Uncle Kracker, Keith Urban, Brooks & Dunn, Deana Carter, Rascal Flatts and the Warren Brothers.
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Manning even joined Chesney in singing his hit "Back Where I Come From." Chesney also performed "She Thinks My Tractor's Sexy," "How Forever Feels," "Young" and other popular songs.
Garth Brooks breaks records at Neyland Stadium
Another 16 years passed before the stadium welcomed another performer. This time, it was country music legend Garth Brooks.
More than 75,000 tickets sold in the first day and, by the day of the concert, 84,000 tickets had been sold. Brooks wore Tennessee orange during the show and said playing in Neyland was like "Christmas morning for me."
His concert was one of the first events that allowed fans to purchase alcohol at a UT athletics venue. Alcohol sales launched earlier in 2019 with the Alice Cooper concert at Thompson-Boling Arena.
Brooks ended his set, fittingly for the venue, with "Rocky Top". He said it was "the first and only time" he’s played it with fiddle player Jimmy Mattingly, and it was a crowd pleaser.
Areena Arora, data and investigative reporter for Knox News, can be reached by email at [email protected]. Follow her on X @AreenaArora and on Instagram @areena_news.
This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: How rare are Neyland Stadium concerts?
