ICYMI: Lincoln bustles with country fans as Garth Brooks performs at Memorial Stadium

LINCOLN, Neb. (KOLN) -The last time a concert took place inside Memorial Stadium was back in 1987 at Farm-Aid. On Saturday, some of country music’s biggest fans were packed in for award-winning superstar Garth Brooks.

The streets of downtown Lincoln looked more like Bourbon during Mardi Gras or the Las Vegas Strip. People were everywhere, traffic was backed up and it’s all because Garth Brooks performed in the Capital City.

“I wouldn’t be anywhere in the country rather than Memorial Stadium for Garth Brooks,” said a Garth Brooks fan.

Fans got the party started at around 10 a.m. with tailgating, blasting music, and drinking, all ahead of Saturday’s concert.

“We came on a bus with 54 people from Norfolk,” said another Garth Brooks fan.

The almost 90,000 fans came from all over. Parts of Nebraska, Iowa, South Dakota and Kansas. But they all had one thing in common, the desire to see Garth take the stage.

“I’m just looking forward to all the music,” said a Garth Brooks fan.

For some, seeing Garth on Saturday was a new experience.

“It’s exciting because it’s actually like my first major country concert, and I think it’s a good one to come to,” said a Garth Brooks fan.

Many said it was an opportunity they just couldn’t miss.

“I’m just really excited to see everybody just being all together and singing all the songs that we’ve all heard for so long. That’s super exciting to me,” said a Garth Brooks fan.

And the cherry on top is that it’s all going down in a place Husker Nation knows and loves all to well, Memorial Stadium.

“There’s nothing better than a stadium concert. Just being with 86,000 people. It’s amazing. It’s unbelievable, like no other concert,” said a Garth Brooks fan.

Between people booking hotels, eating at restaurants and buying drinks, the Garth Brooks concert is expected to brings tens of thousands of dollars in into the Capital City this weekend.

According to Lincoln Police, there were 67 calls for service downtown between 6 p.m. and 5 a.m. This is a notable, but expected, increase from last week, which had only 41 calls for service downtown during the same timeframe.

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