GREATEST DAY OF MY LIFE: Zach Bryan broke another arena attendance record, with more than 18,000 fans at Desert Diamond Arena in Glendale, Arizona. (Courtesy venue)
Country music sensation Zach Bryan “burned, burned, burned” through ticket sales at Desert Diamond Arena in Glendale, Arizona, on Aug. 25, breaking an 18-year-old attendance record held by U2.
The U.S. Navy veteran turned singer-songwriter performed to a sold-out crowd of more than 18,000 fans during the in-the-round show.
Dale Adams, ASM Global’s general manager, said he could not cite specific numbers for the 2005 U2 concert, but “they weren’t quite at 18,000.”
“We were a hockey building until a couple years ago, when the Coyotes moved out,” he said. “We have that bigger floor that is a benefit more than anything else. We have the seating capacity that any other major arena has. It’s fun when you have these successes. You don’t always have them every week, every day.”
Adams said at the time of the show, Desert Diamond Arena also broke the record for merch sales on the tour.
The 360-degree format has worked for Bryan at other arenas as well, with a sellout earlier this year at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse in Cleveland, breaking that facility’s attendance record, with 19,000 tickets sold. Venue manager Antony Bonavita said Aramark’s food and beverage per caps for that show were $31.56.
Bryan’s Desert Diamond Arena show happened the same day his self-titled album was released, which was accompanied by the announcement of “The Quittin’ Time Tour.”
The itinerary includes two return performances at Desert Diamond Arena, on Dec. 3-4. Along with many two-night arena stands, the tour sees the breakout star jumping to stadiums in multiple markets, such as US Bank Stadium, AT&T Stadium, Raymond James Stadium, Mercedes-Benz Stadium and Lincoln Financial Field.
Desert Diamond Arena hosted another hit tour Sept. 5-6, with Drake’s “It’s All a Blur Tour.” Adams said although the concerts were sold out, the stage cuts down the capacity compared to Bryan’s shows.
September is a big month for the arena.
“We led with Zach Bryan,” he said. “We had two Drake shows, two RBD shows, Mana in the middle, Carin Leon and the WWE. We have a ton of things this month.”
Glendale is becoming an entertainment hub with Desert Diamond Arena, Desert Diamond Casino, Topgolf, Chicken and Pickle, Popstroke and State Farm Stadium, as well as the under-construction VAI Resort and Mattel Adventure Park, he said. He chalked that up to the arena’s success, driving traffic among tourists seeking live entertainment.
“All this stuff is happening and we’re the center of it,” Adams said. “It’s growing and it’s a vacation destination. The successes accentuate what’s going on in the area. This is an Arizona destination for entertainment. We have a lot of opportunities to host groups and people and augment it with a stay. It’s a combination of a lot of cool things happening. We’re excited about it and (potentially) breaking more records in the future.”
