Clemson University says AEG Global Touring will foot the bill for a field replacement typically valued at between $200,000 and $300,000 after country star Morgan Wallen performs June 26 at Memorial Stadium.
As reported by The Post and Courier of Charleston, S.C., the new surface is slated to be installed in July.
“The setup, the stage, the flooring, everything is going to be different for Morgan Wallen,” said Eric Sabin, Clemson deputy athletic director for finance and operations, in an episode of the podcast 2 Right Turns recapping George Strait’s performance at the stadium earlier this month and looking ahead to Wallen.
“We're gonna have that field covered all week long. We're not gonna be able to do some of the things that we did this go-around with George to try to keep some of the field open,” Sabin added.
There were just over 90,000 attendees amassed around a 45-foot-wide round stage planted at midfield May 2 as Strait, the “King of Country,” held his most-attended performance outside of the state of Texas, Jon Blau of The Post and Courier reported.
Unlike Strait, Wallen tours with a sound stage that spans from the back of Memorial Stadium’s east end zone to the 45-yard line, according to Sabin.
“I would say that Eric was very easy going with George and the team, because it is pretty typical to put in a field cost replacement [in a contract], regardless of whether you're gonna do it or not,” said Jared Stone, CEO of Does Entertainment, told The Post and Courier.
"Clemson could have requested Strait’s team address the field at Clemson following his concert, but Sabin noted the football program had its football camps coming up in late May and early June. That didn’t leave much turnaround time to flip a field," Blau wrote Monday. "Fields can be replaced relatively quickly, though. In 2021, the bermudagrass in Death Valley was ravaged by nematodes and a 'ready play' surface was laid down between Sept. 18 and Oct. 2 home games at a cost of roughly $100,000.
"This time around, it’s giant stages leaving imprints for the first time since Strait last performed at the venue in 1999."
Per Blau's report, the concerts are organized by Clemson Ventures, the university’s revenue-generating arm. Clemson Ventures pays Clemson a facility rental fee of $6,000 a day and also reimburses the athletic department for its operation costs for the event, "but that’s just money changing hands between two parts of a larger enterprise," Blau wrote.
Clemson athletics itself generates concessions revenue from the event while Ventures makes money from whatever revenue splits it negotiated with the artists’ management.
Clemson and Clemson Ventures will bring in a seven-figure dollar amount from the Strait concert, according to Blau, who reported there were 106,226 alcoholic beverages sold, which came at an average cost of $17 per unit. Alcohol sales are typically split evenly with Clemson’s vendor Aramark.
The Strait concert saw $2.8 million in food and beverage sales, including $1.8 million in alcohol.
