Ohio State expects to turn a $600,000 profit from hosting a Rolling Stones concert. That’s a handsome number by any measure.
Why not Athens, you may ask? Beats me. It’s not like McGarity lacks experience.
Athletic director Greg McGarity worked at Florida when the Rolling Stones performed before a packed house at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium in 1994, so he understood the enthusiasm that SEC football fans might show over a concert in their stadium.
Instead, it was Jason Aldean and settling for a $250,000 “operational fee”, plus parking and concessions, because, believe it or not,
“There’s a little bit of a carrot out there for us,” Brooks said, “but at the end of the day, the goal of this was never, ‘Let’s think about how we can make some money.’ It was, ‘Hey, let’s do something cool and if we make a little money off of it, great. We’ll use that money to offset some field improvements we need to do.’ “
So the athletic department that’s known for squeezing every last cent out of the budget, for zealously guarding its reserve fund, has a vanity project. (“Although I’m not a country music fan, I got that and I understand that. How cool is it that these guys love Georgia athletics and they’re from Georgia?”)
There are times when I really don’t get the Georgia Way.
Get The Picture 
Internationally the Rolling Stones will get you more publicity but The Zac Brown Band would be my pick, and it would be even if I were college age! I would question why people don’t let a band in their 70s go but I still go to see Willie every time he is nearby (admittedly because I think it might be the last time I might see him). Now, get off my lawn!
LikeLike
Mac, I don’t give two hoots about the publicity. I just don’t understand why Georgia thinks it’s a neat idea to leave a ton of money on the table. From those two concerts, OSU nets $600K, while Georgia grosses less than half that.
If you’re gonna go to the trouble of hosting events like this, get every penny you can get. Who knows, maybe it’ll be enough to let McGarity forego scheduling one cupcake game.
LikeLike
Senator, you’ve got it all backwards – McGarity will look at it as the concert money basically pays to host one more cupcake game;-)
LikeLike
Senator, I don’t care about the publicity either, was just putting up a protective shield from those who would claim the Rolling Stones are a bigger act. Truth is, there are many entertainment acts that could pack Sanford and generate bigger money than Jason Aldean. I was just saying you could have it both ways since Zac Brown is from Georgia, a big draw, and extremely relevant. I have to admit I agree about Sanford being under utilized for too much of the year. There are tens of thousands of students in the vicinity most of the year, most who are the target audience for high energy acts, and they have money to spend based on the Athens bar scene. I would use the stadium at least twice a year for a big name act.
LikeLike
It would be great to see a concert in Sanford. If it would ever happen, I would prefer it be a rock concert. Athens isn’t known for country music, thank god. I’d definitely go see the Rolling Stones.
LikeLike
I don’t know what “the Georgia Way” is anymore.
LikeLike
Jason Aldean? WTF? Isn’t he the guy from Full House or something. I think it was ’94 when I saw the Stones in Columbia. Great time. I was just ticked that I had to go to that crap stadium to see them instead of Sanford. I don’t know about now, but Mick and the boys could still put on a show then.
LikeLike
Jason Aldean is a Georgia native and big on the country charts. He was playing stadiums all over the US on his tour. He is also a huge UGA fan who wears his colors all the time. The concert also included Luke Bryan also a Georgia native and UGA fan and one of the biggest names in country. Kids today live country music. Zach Brown would be a great act but he is not a bigger name than Jason and Luke.
LikeLike
We will have to disagree about that last sentence, especially with the college demographics. Everyone has different tastes, but I agree that since Bryan and Aldean support UGA our fans ridiculing them doesn’t make much sense. Not a big Samuel Jackson movie fan, but the man is welcome to watch a UGA game on my porch some fall, and drink some of my fine brown water, eat off my grill, and smoke a stogie. And if he can fill Sanford with fans……book him, it sits vacate most of the year.
LikeLike
The Athletic Department has at least a 36 year tradition of ignoring this revenue source. Why stop now? The Senator has nailed the Georgia Way™.
LikeLike
Dooley the horrible AD was worried about his grass.
Grass that was created by UGA scientists.
LikeLike
Hell if we’re gonna daydream… get these guys back together and bring them to the hedges!
LikeLike
Yeah the Georgia Way is getting harder and harder to define. I’m all for money making concerts in Sanford. But I just wish they would get somebody good if they are going to do it. That sideshow with those two karaoke singing clowns Luke Bryan and Aldean was embarrassing. No I did not go. I can’t remember what year that happened so I don’t know if R.E.M. Had broken up yet. If not they would have been a much better choice. There are tons of better choices. I don’t know if Widespread Panic could fill Sanford but I would sure go. If it has to be a mainstream country act get Jayme Johnson. Or if we are just throwing names out there and really want to try and fill the stadium, pick up the phone and call Willie’s people. The worst they can say is no.
LikeLike
It must be June.
LikeLike
Maybe McGarity is afraid the APD would bust the Stones,they don’t have a stellar reputation.
LikeLike
I work at NC State and Athletics here is getting in on that act in July. They make money, everybody around here seems excited. Everybody wins as far as I can see.
LikeLike
As much we would love to think that Sanford would be a natural fit for the Stones, please take a look at the cities on the tour:
LA
San Diego
Columbus
Minneapolis
Dallas
Atlanta
Orlando
Nashville
Pittsburgh
Milwaukee
Kansas City
Raleigh
Indianapolis
Detroit
Buffalo
Buffalo is the smallest city on the list and it is a population over a milion.
LikeLike
I’ve always wished Sanford could host some sort of GA Music Fest (maybe coincide it with Athfest in the summer?) and bring in bands like WSP, REM (get them together for one gig, anyway), B52s, Zac Brown Band, Outkast, Ludacris, Usher, Lil John, Travis Tritt, Alan Jackson, Black Crowes, Drivin N Cryin, Allmans (same as REM, get them back together for a weekend), Drive By Truckers.
Athens should be hosting a major music festival every year that uses Sanford Stadium. Athfest is a good time, but it should be the downtown portion of an even bigger set up during the Summer.
LikeLike
Where? Athens doesn’t have the venues or public space to host that many big names at once. The IM fields would be the only place I could think of.
LikeLike
Remember when lynyrd skynyrd played Stegman in July of 77. Man was that great or what?
LikeLike
Yea, my senior year. One of their last concerts before the plane crash in Oct that year. Saw Linda Ronstadt at the pregnant oyster that year also.
LikeLike
ya gotta go to Tech next week to see them
LikeLike
#GetJeffLynne
LikeLike