Baylor & Waco welcome thousands for back-to-school, McLane concert, football opener
Over the course of four days last week, Baylor welcomed to Waco 3,500+ new freshmen (and their families), another 15,000+ returning students — and almost 40,000 concertgoers who came for The Boys From Oklahoma Texas Encore, a country music festival held at McLane Stadium Saturday night.
Cross Canadian Ragweed and Turnpike Troubadours co-headlined the show, joined by special guests Shane Smith and the Saints, Wade Bowen, and American Aquarium. With more than 37,000 tickets sold (plus those distributed by the bands), the concert was the largest non-football event in McLane history — and the sold-out crowd raved about the experience. Fans arrived long before the gates opened at 3:30 p.m., and stayed until the final note some time after midnight. (Click here for a photo gallery from the concert.)
Less than an hour after the bands left the stage, crews began the process of readying McLane for another big event this coming Friday — Baylor football’s sold-out season opener against Auburn. Slated for a national FOX broadcast, the game is one of the biggest of college football’s opening weekend. The time-lapse below shows about 72 hours of activity, from final concert prep Saturday back to football-ready status by late Monday:
One reason the stadium was able to turn so quickly was the special TerraTrak Plus flooring used to protect the turf — provided by a flooring rental company built, coincidentally enough, by a former Baylor football player, Mike Beane (BA ’71, MSED ’73). It’s the same flooring used by the Texas Rangers, Houston Astros, Miami Marlins and others to protect their fields during concerts and other special events.
The combination of the three events — back to school, The Boys From Oklahoma, and the football game — is a major economic boon for Waco. While many numbers are still being tallied, one early indicator points to what they’ll show: Waco hotels reported a 96% occupancy rate last weekend, double what it was this time a year ago. Restaurants were full, and families and concertgoers enjoyed all the amenities Waco has to offer.
The tireless work of countless Baylor staffers across many areas of the university, plus incredible partnerships with local and state agencies, made all of this possible. And it’s not the end for major Baylor/Waco events; Friday is just the first of seven Baylor home football games this year, and three more major performances are planned for the Foster Pavilion this fall (Lauren Daigle, Jeff Dunham, and Tucker Wetmore). Add in Baylor Family Weekend and Homecoming, and you get a very busy fall for Baylor and Central Texas!
Sic ’em, Bears!