Michigan Stadium at Ann Arbor will be jam-packed. More than 110,000+ people will be in attendance, churning in the biggest footfall a college stadium has seen since the Notre Dame clash against the Wolverines, where a record crowd of 115,109 people broke into a celebratory ‘Chicken Dance’. But on Saturday, it’s not the gridiron that will see such hearty attendance…

The University of Michigan is witnessing, for the first time, a sold-out concert on its turf. Grammy Award-winning musicians Zach Bryan and John Mayer, along with other surprise guests, will make their appearance. Ann Arbor, along with the bustling gridiron season, will relish a refreshed music experience.

The Michigan Insider’s Alejandro Zúñiga gave a scoop on Saturday prep. “The stage is set at the Big House for the Zach Bryan and John Mayer concert,” he wrote on X. “Michigan is expecting 110,000+ tomorrow as it seeks to set a new attendance record for a concert in the United States.” One individual commented, brimming with excitement. “Everyone I know in Michigan is attending. Going to wild!” ”

And Bryan’s reaction? “You guys just sold out the biggest ticketed show in American history,” he wrote on social media. “I owe you my life, my humility and every ounce of effort I have.” At The Big House, a 98-year-old stadium, and outside, preparations have been made accordingly. Ann Arbor Police Deputy Chief Patrick Maguire stated, per CBS Sports. “My understanding is that they sold out within minutes to hours when they went on sale quite some time ago. Over 100,000 people. It takes a big act to fill that up, and they had no problem doing it,”

The plan to host the concert materialized last November, when Rob Rademacher, the chief operating officer of Michigan Athletics, decided to bring the beloved Zach Bryan to Ann Arbor. A concert is being held at one of the largest stadiums in the US.

The Big House, Zach Bryan, and the making of the concert

Michigan’s push towards utilizing its stadium for concerts arose from reaping financial benefits. During the pandemic, universities’ revenue stream took a hit. But an introduction to music industry veteran Gregg Latterman solved that cash puzzle. “We got to this introduction to AEG (concert promoter), and it went from 0 to 100 in a matter of weeks,” said Rademacher. “We had this concept, this vision, and we pulled it together.”

The crew at the Big House has been busy with the preparation since September 21. However, the coming together of such a large event was a plan in the making for a while now. Surely, the Michigan Stadium is huge, but could the old concrete structure and the limited infrastructure make it a fun experience both for the concert-goers and the producers?

“It’s not a modern stadium and all that comes with that,” said Rademacher per the Detroit Free Press. “We’ve got one tunnel with a low ceiling and not a lot of width. That brings a lot of cost and complexity. We needed the right partner to help us figure that out.” At the end of the day, with the 98-year-old concrete structure, just one question loomed large. “It was really a matter of figuring that out. Can you get everything through there?” The famous narrow Michigan tunnel, where for years, Wolverines fans have watched their team run towards the trenches, proved a challenge.

So, they set to work and tried to drive a crane through the tunnel, but failed. “It’s tight. You’ve got to go slow,” he said. “We made it within inches,” he added. But that was years ago. Last year, they confirmed the crane tunnel access. Another update came in 2010, when the Stadium was fitted with permanent lights.

Moreover, a football stadium is not built looking at the necessities of concert requirements. “Access to the field, getting equipment down the tunnel, how many people can you put on the floor — all those things that are normal to facilities are not normal here,” Rademacher added.