Clemson could see record crowds for country legend George Strait show
A record number of people are expected at Clemson Memorial Stadium for country music legend George Strait’s concert on Saturday, May 2.
- George Strait’s concert set a new attendance record at Clemson’s Memorial Stadium with over 90,000 fans.
- The record-breaking crowd led to significant traffic delays, taking about two and a half hours to clear many vehicles from campus.
- University officials view the traffic issues as a learning experience for managing future large-scale events.
- Upcoming concerts, like Morgan Wallen’s, are expected to have a smaller capacity, which may help reduce traffic congestion.
History was made in Clemson when country legend George Strait took the stage last weekend, but afterward, hours of traffic ensued.
According to the Clemson University Athletics department, Strait’s performance on May 2 set a record for capacity at Clemson’s Memorial Stadium, with 90,037 fans in attendance. The previous record was 86,092 fans who watched Clemson football take on Florida State in October 1999.
The university said it was Strait’s biggest show ever outside of Texas and his fourth-largest concert on record.
After the concert, Strait posted photos and videos on Instagram. “A full-circle moment in Clemson! The last to play it in 1999—and the first to bring it back to Death Valley 27 years later. Thanks to all the fans for making it something special!” he wrote.
The Clemson University Police Department Communications Director, Davis Simpson, said it was a learning experience for them when it comes to hosting larger crowds than usual for a Saturday football game, as the university said it took around 2.5 hours to clear a lot of vehicles off campus after the concert.
“I think really Saturday night was a huge learning experience,” Simpson said. “As Clemson continues to host these types of events in the future, this certainly gives you some really good feedback from everybody involved. To be able to go back and say, ‘OK, what went well, what can we improve,’ and kind of move forward from there.”
This was the first concert at Memorial Stadium since 1999, which was also headlined by Strait. The concert is part of the “Death Valley Nights” summer series of stadium shows.
Cody Johnson and Wyatt Flores also took the stage, performing before Strait. Strait performed a two-hour set in front of the sell-out crowd.
Simpson said that the majority of the university’s parking lots were 90% full as the concert was starting. By midnight, he said, around 30 minutes after the concert ended, parking lots were 33% full.
“I can understand people felt like it took a long time to get out, but there is some data to show that traffic was at least moving,” Simpson said.
How will the university handle upcoming concerts?
Morgan Wallen will have stops for his “Still the Problem” shows on June 26 and June 27. Those shows will also have guest artists Brooks & Dunn, Ella Langley, Gavin Adcock, and Jason Scott & the High Heat. The Death Valley Nights series plans to bring top-tier musical acts to the iconic stadium, enhancing the cultural offerings available to the Clemson community.
A major difference between Wallen’s concert and Strait’s is their styles. Wallen’s stage will be against the eastern endzone, while Strait’s was “in-the-round” and placed on the 50-yard line. Wallen’s concert will likely attract fewer fans, helping alleviate traffic.
“We anticipate the capacity during the event to be a little bit less than what we had for George Strait,” said Clemson University Senior Associate Athletic Director for Communications Jeff Kallin.
Simpson said that as large concerts come to Clemson, the university will learn more about handling crowds that normally don’t attend football games. He asked guests to be patient, as there will always be traffic at any large event in a town and on a campus the size of Clemson.
“It’s going to take some time, but that’s just the nature of the, you know, the geographic footprint of the campus, and unfortunately, there’s not a lot we can do about that. The campus is what it is, and we just have to do the best that we can,” Simpson said.
Traffic issues for George Strait concert
Prior to the concert, the university told guests to expect increased traffic and congestion.
According to the Clemson Police Department, Highway 93 was restricted to one-way traffic toward Central, with on- and off-ramps at Highway 76 and 93 closed.
Left turns from Highway 93 onto College Avenue were also restricted, and police blocked the intersection. Northbound traffic on College Avenue was rerouted toward Highway 123, while southbound traffic was directed to North Clemson Avenue.
Kallin said one thing the university and city police could do is inform newcomers to the university how to get in and out in a timely manner.
“We need to better educate people because a lot of them were at Clemson for their first time, or maybe they’re not frequent visitors to campus. We need to do a better job on the front end of some of the next shows,” Kallin said.
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