IGNITE AND UNITE: Kenny Chesney gets up close and personal with fans at TQL Stadium on June 29. (Courtesy venue)

MLS venue builds concert base

TQL Stadium officially joined the ranks of No Shoes Nation — the fan club of country music star Kenny Chesney — June 29 with a sold-out show, an event venue execs say was a success they hope to build on for additional concerts.

“It sounded great, it looked great, it seemed like everybody had a wonderful time, and roughly 75% of the guests attending the concert were not already in our system for FC Cincinnati so it certainly was a lot of new guests coming into the building,” said Vince Cicero, senior vice president of partnerships, and broadcasting for FC Cincinnati, which has called TQL Stadium home since it opened in 2021.

New guests is the goal at TQL Stadium, among the bigger Major League Soccer venues with 26,000 capacity.

“Whether they come back for a soccer match or another music event, or decide to come in for a private event or anything else, hopefully they walked away saying this is a very cool venue and I’d like to come back again,” added Cicero. “That’s certainly what we want to do. We’re still a relatively young club, so we have a lot of growth ahead of us.”

The show, promoted by longtime Chesney promoter Messina Touring Group, with assistance from booking consultant Terrapin Station Entertainment, sold 22,736 tickets and grossed $2.93 million as reported to Pollstar. It’s the stadium’s second show, following The Who in 2022, which was a smaller configuration at 15,911 tickets sold.

Cicero credited Messina Touring Group for strong communication and being easy to work with during the run-up to the show.

“Working with Messina, there were a lot of great learnings from it,” Cicero added, noting the difficulty of doing a concert on natural grass and with a partial roof. “We knew as we went into the event that it was important that the fans had a good experience on all levels, but we want to make sure that also goes for artist and the promoter as well, because that frames the future discussion. That’s going to be beneficial for us down the road.”

Other nearby stops on the “Sun Goes Down Tour” included American Family Field in Milwaukee; Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City; Soldier Field in Chicago; Acrisure Stadium in Pittsburgh; and Blossom Music Center near Cleveland. Messina Touring Group, part of the AEG Presents promoter umbrella, is considered a hands-on boutique promoter and also produces blockbuster North American tours by Ed Sheeran and Taylor Swift.  

WHEN THE SUN GOES DOWN: Kenny Chesney’s “Sun Goes Down Tour,” shown here at TQL Stadium, also covers amphitheaters, NFL stadiums MLB parks. (Courtesy venue)

While the Chesney concert was only the second show in TQL Stadium’s three-year history, the venue is plenty busy on game day and the rest of the year, according to Cicero.

“We do about 250 private events in the stadium annually; we’re using one of our four private club lounges and the general seating area,” he said. “An event like this brings a new audience into the stadium and the facility is configured well with a lot of premium opportunities.”

Cicero joined FC Cincinnati as it transitioned from the USL to MLS with the building of TQL Stadium, after working for the Detroit Pistons, Cincinnati Bengals and the Western & Southern Tennis Tournament. Concerts were discussed during the design phase of TQL, with considerations for major productions and ample space for a large stage. For the Chesney show, the field was fully covered with a geotextile turf cover, Cicero said, protecting the natural playing surface.

More concerts are certainly hoped for, but the concept will be about quality over quantity, Cicero says.

“There’s a regular cadence and an expectation if you’re going to TQL stadium, that you know it’s going to be sold out,” Cicero said. “We want to make sure (a concert) is aligned with that expectation. As we look at an artist, will this be someone that will fill the building? Is it going to bring some new guests in? We’re confident with Terrapin, they’ve got so many different options and connections out there that there won’t be a shortage of things to explore.”