The country star had Michigan Stadium rocking under the stars on a crisp September night.
On a picture perfect late September evening in Ann Arbor, a massive crowd of 100,000-plus filed into Michigan Stadium Saturday for Zach Bryan’s sold-out concert, making the first show at the storied venue a potential record breaker for the highest attended ticketed concert in U.S. history.
Final attendance figures were not available at the conclusion of the show, but ticket sales were said to exceed 112,000, which would set a record.
Bryan, the 29-year-old Oklahoman and country music rabble-rouser, gave a spirited, soulful, two-and-a-half hour headlining set, which featured guest appearances by opener John Mayer and Albion, Michigan country/ Americana duo the War and Treaty.
“Thank you so much for the best night of my life!” Bryan said a few songs into his 26-song set, during a rollicking, emotion-packed “East Side of Sorrow.”
Bryan was dressed in a crowd-pleasing maize and blue University of Michigan football jersey, No. 2, with “Bryan” spelled out in the nameplate. He performed with a massive band that numbered at least 16 musicians, including fiddle and horn players, and his songs turned into fervent stadium-shaking sing-alongs that rivaled the might of any Saturday football game.
Later in the evening he reflected on his journey, skyrocketing from playing 1,000-capacity clubs three years ago to selling out the Big House on a history-making night. “I can’t believe we’re here,” he said, prior to diving into “Starved.”
The record holder for largest concert attendance in the U.S. going into Saturday was George Strait’s 2024 concert at Texas A&M, which packed a reported 110,905 into Kyle Field.
The inaugural concert at the 99-year-old stadium came with the same set of issues that can be expected when any building hosts more than 100,000 fans: crowded concourses, long lines for food, long lines for bathrooms, long lines for merchandise, long lines for traffic getting into Ann Arbor; basically, long lines for anything for which there can be long lines.
But the vibe was jovial among the gathered masses, many of whom came wearing cowboy boots, 10-gallon hats and chic, tiered mini-dresses. Crowds roared and did the wave prior to Bryan’s set, which kicked off around 9:20 p.m., after he hit the stage to the sounds of “Mr. Brightside,” the Killers’ 2003 hit, which has become a Big House anthem and cherished tradition during U-M football games.
The production was set up in-the-round, with the stage located at the center of the field. Around 5,700 seats were set up on the floor, and huge video screens were placed above all four sides of the stage, giving everyone in the stands a pristine view of the on-stage action.
At one point Bryan, who admitted he’d never been to Ann Arbor before, stepped on a landmine when he introduced one of his bandmates as being from Ohio and was hit with an immediate chorus of boos and some salty anti-Ohio chants. “Whoops,” said Bryan, with a laugh.
Later, during “28,” he shouted “Go Birds!” a popular Philadelphia Eagles chant, and the crowd answered with chants of “Ja-red Goff!” after the song’s conclusion. It was the Big House, after all, and it’s not like there wasn’t going to be some football talk in the playbook.
Mayer, a headliner in his own right, opened the concert, performing a laid back set of pop rock hits which showcased his bluesy, virtuoso guitar playing. “Good evening Ann Arbor, it’s good to see y’all. I’m Zach’s friend John,” he told the crowd early in his set, which mixed songs from 2021’s “Sob Rock” with fan favorites like “Gravity,” which closed out his performance.
Mayer joined Bryan on stage during the headlining set and provided towering guitar work on a rendition of the Grateful Dead’s “Friend of the Devil,” which Bryan introduced by saying, “this is one of my favorite songs ever, I’m gonna try not to ruin it.” The pair also performed their 2024 duet “Better Days” together.
Bryan also brought out special guests the War and Treaty to sing “Hey Driver,” their 2023 duet. “MICHIGAAAN!” the group’s Michael Trotter Jr. shouted to the fans, who shouted the song’s lyrics right back, one of the loudest responses of a very loud evening.
Ryan Bingham and the Texas Gentleman played earlier in the night. “Let’s get this party started,” Bingham said to the crowd, as he and his bandmates passed around a bottle of liquor on stage.
The sheer size of the Big House instilled fear into opener Joshua Slone, who took the stage just before 6 p.m. “I could probably throw up right now, I’m not gonna lie,” he said at the top of his 25-minute set of acoustic country ballads.
Prior to Mayer’s set, there was a flyover in the sky above the stadium during a singing of the National Anthem.
Temperatures were in the lower 70s by the time Bryan took the stage on the crisp, early fall evening, ideal weather for the venue’s concert debut. By 7 p.m., sunshine was still hitting only slivers of fans seated in the top rows of the stadium.
Saturday’s concert kicked off not only a new era for Michigan Stadium but for concertgoing in Michigan; the Big House is now “open for business” to touring acts, stadium officials told The News earlier this week.
‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.detroitnews.com ’
