Staff Picks: Our Wish List For The First Beaver Stadium Concert
With every new semester comes new concerts. Artists like Kanye West, Rascal Flatts, and KISS already headlined the BJC this year, but with the announcement that Beaver Stadium will host its first concert this summer, more big name acts are expected to visit Penn State.
After analyzing some demographics and working our way through a few complex equations, we arrived at our own conclusions for who we want to see on the Beaver Stadium stage come July. Behold, our Beaver Stadium Concert Wish List:
Steve Connelly — Bon Jovi
The only way Beaver Stadium is holding a concert is if it’s for someone huge, and Bon Jovi is certainly a stadium-filling act. The band is going on tour in 2017 and I’ve heard they have some openings left. Bon Jovi has been to Penn State before, but the last time they were here was three years ago. I wouldn’t be surprised if this turns into the inaugural Beaver Stadium concert.
Derek Bannister — Roger Waters
My pick for the first concert in Beaver Stadium is former Pink Floyd bassist, lyricist, and singer Roger Waters. Waters has a history of tremendously impressive live shows — his The Wall tour, which kicked off in 2010, was the highest grossing solo tour of all time. He’ll tour North America next summer beginning on May 26, so a stop at Beaver Stadium wouldn’t be out of the question. Business Insider ranked Pink Floyd as the ninth highest-grossing band ever, so it’s not hard to imagine our beloved football field packed to the brim for this show. I personally love Waters and Pink Floyd, so I’d gladly make the trek from home in southeast Pennsylvania to State College if this concert happens.
Tim Reams — The Eagles
Though I think Coldplay, Adele, and Beyoncé are three strong contenders to take the spot, I ultimately want the Eagles to headline the first-ever in Beaver Stadium. The latest Eagles tour was one of the top ten grossing tours since 2010, and they consistently sold out the largest stadiums and venues in the country.
Penn State opening the gates of Beaver Stadium for a concert in itself is going to be both huge and expensive, so they’ll certainly want an act that will draw a crowd to fill as much of it as possible. The Eagles are cross-generational, so Beaver Stadium could fill with both old-timers and new lovers of the timeless sound. The Eagles put on an unparalleled live performance full of impromptu jams, solos, and songs, so they’ll undoubtedly draw a large crowd and maybe even make history if chosen for Beaver Stadium’s first concert.
Gabriela Stevenson — Darius Rucker
When I was scanning through the artists on my phone and trying to pick the perfect artist to play at Beaver Stadium, one name definitely stuck out: Darius Rucker. Rucker played at the Bryce Jordan Center in 2010 with Rascal Flatts and in 2012 with Lady Antebellum, but I think it’s time Penn State brings him back as a headliner. Anyone who’s stood in the student section this year knows how popular his cover of “Wagon Wheel” by Old Crow Medicine Show is with the crowd, so playing the song live at Beaver Stadium would be a huge success and an even bigger nostalgia bomb. Country music always seems to be a hit at the BJC, and Darius Rucker would definitely bring some major summer vibes back to the stadium.
Ethan Kasales — Bruce Springsteen
The first concert in Beaver Stadium is the perfect opportunity to bring The Boss back to State College. I’ve been to five Springsteen shows in my lifetime, each longer and more incredible than the last. As we’ve seen in Springsteen’s four stops (’00, ’09, ’12, and ’16) at the Bryce Jordan Center, fans young and old flock to Happy Valley from all over the country to experience the majesty of his four-hour set, which changes every night. You wanna talk about a historic opening act that would bring students and alumni together like nothing else? Imagine 107,000 folks packed into Beaver Stadium for an unparalleled evening of timeless rock. Seeing Springsteen and the E Street Band in person is without a doubt the most incredible live music I’ve ever experienced. An open-air stadium set next summer would be on a different level. Plus, there’s a large Penn State student and alumni population from Springsteen’s native Garden State.
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