Garth Brooks performs at Memorial Stadium on Saturday, his last gig before rescheduling his stadium tour.
EAKIN HOWARD, star of the newspaper
Journal Star Editorial Board
Garth Brooks came, saw and conquered Memorial Stadium on Saturday, delivering the biggest entertainment event in Lincoln with the biggest paid concert in Nebraska history.
With more than 90,000 people, the concert was the equivalent of a football game in Nebraska, and it injected the equivalent of a game into the local economy, especially downtown bars, restaurants and hotels. city that had been devastated by the pandemic.
While the amount of money that was spent in Lincoln over the weekend will not be known until sales tax receipts are reported in a few weeks, it was clear from sold-out hotels, the crowded bars and crowded restaurants that the concert achieved one of the main goals Nebraska Athletics set for themselves in programming the show – giving back to the community.
It also provided substantial revenue for Nebraska Athletics, which experienced a dramatic drop in revenue last year. Concert revenues are closely held. But with roughly $ 9 million gross from ticket sales before ancillary revenue from concessions, parking, merchandise, etc., a $ 2 million payment to Nebraska Athletics would be up to standard. ‘industry.
And Nebraska Athletics got extra money in the form of concessions and, in particular, beer sales. First offered at the stadium, reports indicate that approximately 115,000 cans of beer were sold at the concert for $ 10 a can.
