CLEMSON, S.C. - A sold-out crowd of 90,037 set the Memorial Stadium record as Clemson's Death Valley Nights concert series opened on Saturday night with headliner George Strait. It was the first major concert in Death Valley since Strait's Country Music Festival was held in the venue on March 28, 1999.
Strait's return to Memorial Stadium was 27 years in the making, and served as his largest show ever outside the state of Texas and his fourth-largest on record. He was joined by Wyatt Flores and Cody Johnson, who set the stage for Strait's two-hour set.
Saturday's crowd surpassed that of the 86,092 fans who watched Clemson Football take on Florida State in October 1999. Clemson's official capacity for football games is listed at 81,500, but more than 9,000 seats filled Frank Howard Field for the show, which was held "in the round" and featured a rotating stage at the 50-yard line.
Clemson's Death Valley Nights series continues on June 26 and June 27 when Morgan Wallen's "Still the Problem" tour swings through. He’ll be joined by special guests Brooks & Dunn, Ella Langley, Gavin Adcock, and Jason Scott & the High Heat.
The shows were set after Clemson Ventures announced in September a partnership with DOES Entertainment. The sides announced the Strait show a month later.