For the first time since Paul McCartney sang “Hey Jude” to a crowd of nearly 50,000 in 2019, the Lambeau Field bowl will fill up once again with a concert crowd.
News that Luke Combs is making a May 16 stop on his My Kinda Saturday Night Tour immediately puts a bull’s-eye on Green Bay’s 2026 music calendar and makes the country star’s signature onstage red Solo cup a tailgating must, but it also begs the question: What took so long?
Seven years between major concert tours at Lambeau is a sizable gap, but don’t forget a lot happened during that time, including COVID-19, stadium construction projects and hosting duties for the 2025 NFL draft. All were factors in the pause from concerts, along with the always delicate dance of getting the timing of tours by the limited number of stadium-caliber acts out on the road to jive with Lambeau’s limited availability to welcome them.
The Green Bay Packers’ ideal window of opportunity for hosting concerts is six weeks roughly from mid-May through June, a time when they’re not actively growing the grass on the field, said Gabrielle Dow, vice president of marketing and fan engagement for the Packers. It’s early enough in the summer to allow time for Lambeau’s turf to be repaired from the impact of the staging so it’s in prime condition for the preseason.
“Football comes first at Lambeau Field. and so we’re about winning championships here,” Dow said.
That approach doesn’t always sync with touring itineraries, which tend to be busiest in the latter half of summer.
“It is a bit of a give and take, and sometimes we’ve lost major acts because they can only get here in August or September,” Dow said.
But landing Combs is “another opportunity for Lambeau Field to host an iconic act,” Dow said. It puts the country singer whose many hits include “When It Rains It Pours” and “Beautiful Crazy” on a short list of headliners who have played the stadium: McCartney, Billy Joel and Kenny Chesney (twice).
It’s a goal of new Packers president and CEO Ed Policy, who stepped into the role in July after Mark Murphy’s retirement, to bring more events to Lambeau, Dow said. Next year will be the first time the stadium has hosted two large-scale happenings in the same year: the Combs concert on May 16 and a Wisconsin Badgers vs. Notre Dame Fighting Irish football game on Sept. 6.
Because booking a stadium show tends to happen a year or more out, the Packers’ concert calendar for 2026 is likely already wrapped up, Dow said, but they are pursuing other undisclosed things beyond next year. Bids for some events are three to five years down the road, she said.
Playing Lambeau Field is a bucket list item for many performers, Dow said. The Packers have a wish list of acts they would like to see take the stage inside Lambeau one day, and Dow was willing to spill the beans on at least one name that’s on it.
“I can say this, that we would love to host a Bruce Springsteen show for sure, and our president Ed Policy, that’s one of his favorite bands, and so every time we sit down to talk about something new, we talk about Bruce,” Dow said.
“Other big acts that are out there, iconic bands like Metallica. The genre doesn’t matter. It’s just can you sell out Lambeau Field?”
Kendra Meinert is an entertainment and feature writer at the Green Bay Press-Gazette. Contact her at 920-431-8347 or [email protected]. Follow her on X @KendraMeinert.
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