Inside Zach Bryan’s Record-Setting Michigan Stadium Concert

In the span of a couple years, from 2021 to 2023, country upstart Zach Bryan shifted from active service in the U.S. Navy to major festival headliner. From there, he quickly went on to break attendance records at many arenas on his “Quittin’ Time Tour”  last year. Now, he appears set on continuing to break records and test just how strong the demand is for tickets to see his high-energy, captivating concerts.

“We have a lot of records that we set every year in terms of attendance, having the largest stadium in this country and third largest in the world,” said David Ablauf, associate athletic director for football communications at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, where Zach Bryan is booked to play to more than 112,000 fans Sept. 27. It’s the first concert for Michigan Stadium, also known as “The Big House,” and home to the famed University of Michigan Wolverines football team since being built in 1927. “We’ve never done a concert and, to finally be able to go into that space and to have it sell out in less than 36 hours, it looks like it’s going to be record-setting in terms of attendance.”

So how does a stadium go from never hosting a concert in almost 100 years to having the biggest one ever? Enter AEG Presents.

“Michigan was a bucket list for the entire team, it checked so many boxes,” said Rich Schaefer, president of global touring at AEG Presents, the show’s promoter. “The team at Michigan has been great and total pros, especially considering it’s their first show ever. There’s always something extra special about being the first show anywhere, especially in such a legendary building. Zach and his team are always looking for new and exciting opportunities.  It keeps it fun for all of us.”

While not divulging the total number of tickets, Schaefer said the show is sold out of just about everything, although some holds and suites are still being sold through. “Feels like it will be a historic night,” he said. “We did a discrete pre-sale for Michigan football season ticket holders. It was very successful and most importantly, we didn’t see any tickets on secondary after those sales.”

While the Zach Bryan show will be the first concert for Michigan Stadium, the venue is well accustomed to large crowds — and not just for football.

“Michigan likes to have everything big,” said Ablauf, noting outdoor hockey events like “The Big Chill” and the NHL winter classic, International Champions Cup Soccer Matches and other events. The storied Wolverines football program remains a strong draw, as well. “We have led the nation in attendance 47 of the last 50 years, and all of those events I mentioned earlier were record setting for their sport. To have a concert here that has the ability to be played in-the-round, with 6,000 fans on the field, could be record setting, and that’s what excites our fans, to be part of something bigger than yourself. These events are big, and the ability to have them here at Michigan Stadium is pretty cool.”

Ablauf said discussions for the Bryan show heated up after the College Football Playoffs at the end of the year, noting that the university has long been on the hunt to land a big-time concert, but the stars never fully aligned until now.

“It’s a new venture for us, and it’s something we’ll learn from and help us as we move forward to hopefully hosting more concerts in the future,” Ablauf said.

Zach Bryan’s college stadium plans are not limited to U-M, either, as shortly thereafter, the Grammy winner announced another doozy, this time at Notre Dame Stadium in Indiana on Sept. 6.

This will be the fourth concert for Notre Dame, which hosted Garth Brooks in 2018 and 2022, and Billy Joel, who also played in 2022. The Joel show reported 45,200 tickets sold and more than $5 million grossed. Notre Dame Stadium has a listed seated capacity of 78,000, and an AEG Presents rep says the in-the-round capacity is 81,000. Tickets for Bryan’s Notre Dame show went on sale this morning (March 7).

The college stadium blockbusters build on already eye-popping stadium announcements for Bryan, who in July will play three nights at MetLife Stadium, which at 82,500-capacity is already large even by NFL venue standards. In August he’s doing a special outdoor gig at Golden Gate Park in San Francisco, the usual home of Outside Lands Festival, and earlier in the summer is set for massive gigs in the UK and Ireland, including British Summer Time festival at Hyde Park in London.

He’s also headlining Stagecoach in Indio, California, in late April.

Bryan will be joined by Shane Gillis and Dermot Kennedy at the Notre Dame Stadium show. When announcing the concert on Instagram on March 4 Bryan confessed that he plans on taking a break from touring soon.

“My good friends Shane, Dermot and me are coming to play for The Fighting Irish. Public on sale is Friday, March 7th @ 10am eastern,” Bryan wrote. “This will be one of the last shows we announce. thank you guys for understanding the boys and me taking time away from the road. Couldn’t go without having some of the most talented people I know play with me out at Notre Dame. Love you guys and feel more blessed by the day.”

However, more announcements seem likely and, if history is any indicator, could somehow still push the envelope and go bigger.

“If we told you, would it be a surprise?” Schaefer quips when asked what’s next. “Zach is not interested in touring like traditional artists. It’s really a privilege to work with such a creative genius.”