Iconic Events At The Cajundome In Lafayette, Louisiana

(Lafayette, Louisiana) – The Cajundome in Lafayette has been the home to so many great events through the years, and so many famous people have walked through the doors of the dome nestled in the heart of Acadiana.

A few days ago, we got into a conversation at the station about the many events hosted at the Cajundome, and then it shifted to all of us highlighting the famous people who’ve walked through its doors.

So, let’s take a look back at the SIX most famous people to ever walk through the doors of the Cajundome in Lafayette

Let’s start with Prince. Yes, if you didn’t know, the music icon Prince performed at the Cajundome on August 13, 1997. The tour was called “Jam of the Year.”

Now, while the show was massive in the Cajundome, the afterparty carried on over to a club called The Plaza, and if you never heard the story about Prince showing up there after his concert in the Cajundome, it is a MUST WATCH.

Watch as Shannon Wilkerson, owner of the Plaza, describes the night Prince showed up to a packed Lafayette club. Click HERE to watch.

Then, of course, there’s Garth Brooks. This country music icon performed for five shows in the Cajundome in June/July of 2017. Each show drew more than 10,000 people, and his wife, Trisha Yearwood, was part of the tour.

Will any other artist ever be able to perform FIVE shows in the Cajundome on their stop? Probably not.

Another famous artist to perform in the Cajundome was Elton John. I can still recall the day we got word that Elton John was coming to Lafayette, and that announcement just felt bigger than life.

Elton John performed at the Cajundome on three separate occasions: March 17, 1999, during his “An Evening with Elton John” tour; in 2003; and on November 10, 2010, with Leon Russell.

His 1999 show was among the highest-attended recorded at the Lafayette venue.

Shifting away from musical artists, let’s go to the world of professional wrestling. WWE has hosted many shows at the Cajundome, and while all of the shows have featured some big names on the card, there’s one name that’s recognizable worldwide: Hulk Hogan.

Hogan walked through the door of the Cajundome in the later part of his career when WWE SmackDown was televised in Lafayette.

I remember when his iconic entrance song hit, and the place erupted as the biggest WWE superstar was in Lafayette.

Now, let’s flashback to when Pop Icon Taylor Swift performed in the Cajundome. Early in her career, when she wasn’t selling out stadiums across the world, T Swift was on stages in venues like the Cajundome, and, much like Hulk Hogan, if you say her name anywhere in the world, people will recognize it.

Taylor Swift performed in the Cajundome twice: in 2007, she opened for another country music icon, George Strait, and in 2009, she headlined her own tour in Lafayette, “Fearless Tour.”

Lastly, during our conversation about famous people to visit the Cajundome, a colleague mentioned Mother Teresa. I asked, “Wait, she came ot the Cajundome?”

And yes, I was informed that she visited Lafayette and the Cajundome in 1986, drawing 16,000 people into the dome. Many Catholics and clergy attended the gathering in the Cajundome, where she spoke on the importance of giving to the less fortunate and to charity.

Of all the names highlighted here, perhaps none is bigger than the religious icon Mother Teresa.

Look, I could probably add 20 more names to this list, so if you think we left anyone off the list above, feel free to add their names in the comments section. We are lucky to have the Cajundome in our community, and we hope that large names and events continue to visit “Cajun Country” in the year ahead.

One more thing: of all the events the Cajundome has hosted through the years, none was more important than when the executives and the city elected to open the doors of the dome to evacuees from the New Orleans area during Hurricane Katrina. Here’s a recap.