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Baseball And Country Music Converge At Field Of Dreams

FODTim

A baseball legend and country music superstar converge at the Field of Dreams in Iowa.

The 193-acre farm and baseball complex, built around the fictional Kinsella family farmhouse, beloved corn field and spirited baseball diamond, will host a concert for the first time featuring Tim McGraw on Aug. 30 – the day McGraw’s birth dad and Major League Baseball relief pitcher Frank Edwin “Tug” McGraw would have turned 81.

The pop culture tourist attraction and tournament haven in Dyersville, Iowa, was the site of the 1989 sports fantasy film by the same name. The film which was nominated for three Academy Awards featured Keven Costner as farmer “Ray Kinsella,” who answered a voice: “If you build it, he will come.”

Staging a major concert event for the first time on the rural farmland, didn’t hit Nick Abate, founder and CEO of U.S. Concert Agency, as a mystical message but the pull to create something out of the box and the tenacity to pull it off was equally strong. Abate spent years developing a relationship with the Field of Dreams owners, who eventually put it up for sale.

“We got to a comfortable spot and it was in the midst of them selling the property,” explained Abate. “A lot when on and there were a few opportunities that never came to fruition so I’m grateful we were able to get this one done.”

The field is open from sunrise to sunset year-round with a busy calendar of tournaments for youth baseball, softball and 50+ senior baseball. MLB at Field of Dreams is a recurring Major League Baseball regular season specialty game played in a ballpark next to the Field of Dreams. The first edition of the game was played on Aug. 12, 2021, with the Chicago White Sox defeating the New York Yankees.

Field of Deams hosts Ghost Saturday with character actor/players and the Moonlight Graham Classic in September an homage to the film and baseball player/doctor Archie “Moonlight” Graham, who played one game in 1922 for the New York Giants but never got to bat.

Dyersville is 30 minutes from Dubuque and an hour from Cedar Rapids. Because of its remote location, Abate said production will be brought in and built from the ground up for an expected 20,000 concert goers.

“First and foremost, this property is magical,” offered Abate. “I had the opportunity to go there, visit the site, walk it, and it was an immersive experience just to be on the property where the film took place. Everything remains the same even the benches. So, planning the event, we are bringing everything in. We are building everything out.”

The concert will take place on the front of the property to preserve the famed baseball diamond. Parking will be on site and shuttles will be available from Dubuque to reduce traffic as well as ride share drop offs.

“It’s not just the production piece that is super important, we’ve got safety, traffic control and we have spent a lot of time specifically on that to ensue flow, easy in and out, and working with vendors and shuttle services,” said Abate, who did not disclose the vendors or cost.

A first-time event has plenty of unknowns, but Abate was certain about Tim McGraw and weaving Tug McGraw into the event, especially given the sentimental storyline of the film and the relationship between Kostner’s character and his dad, John.

“It was all part of the vision,” admitted Abate. “I live in Nashville and thought Tim McGraw would be a great act because country does very well in the Midwest…He was like, ‘Absolutely, I’m doing this.’ It was an easy sell.”

Tug McGraw played for the New York Mets and Philadelphia Phillies between 1965 and 1984. He coined the phrase “Ya gotta believe,” which became the rally call of the 1973 Mets and remains a popular slogan with fans. McGraw struck out Willie Wilson to end the 1980 World Series against the Kansas City Royals giving the Phillies their first World Series championship in franchise history.

Tug McGraw died on Jan. 5, 2004, from a from Glioblastoma, a type of brain cancer. Several years later, Tim McGraw spread a handful of his ashes on the pitcher’s mound at the Phillies current home park, Citizens Bank Park, for game three of the 2008 World Series.

“As I continue to disrupt the live events industry, I wanted to create a monumental event in a market that deserves to be showcased,” said Abate. “As I searched for inspiration, I realized that doing a first time ever show here would be huge; and thought even more that Tim McGraw would make it even more of a historic moment with the relation to Tim and his father MLB legend Tug McGraw.”

Tickets go on sale Monday including VIP experiences through a partnership with StubHub with more concerts planned at the site in the future. StubHub presale starts Monday, Jan. 20 with event pre-sale on Tuesday, Jan. 21 and general on-sale on Friday, Jan. 24.  

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