Davis Wade Needs Concerts

Life Editor | Megan Gordon life@reflector.msstate.edu

Photography Editor | Ivy Rose Ball

Online Editor |Kennedy Keyes multimedia_editor@reflector.msstate.edu

Ad Manager | Annalise Rome advertising@reflector.msstate.edu

Graphics Illustrator | Bryce Yzaguirre Circulation | Tommy Townsend circulation@reflector.msstate.edu

Davis Wade Stadium at Scott Field is historic. At 109 years old, it is one of the longest-standing stadiums in all of college football. In those 109 years, however, one question continues to go unanswered.

Davis Wade is a classic college football battleground, but for nine months out of the year, what is it there for? Sure, renovations happen, events are held in the Gridiron Suite and tours are taken, but I feel as though we are missing out on an extreme opportunity.

Mississippi State University exists in a state where concert venues for all intents and purposes do not exist. There is the Cadence Bank Arena in Tupelo and the Brandon Amphitheater, but neither could hold enough people for a massive act. In fact, according to websites for each venue, neither has a capacity over 13,000.

In December, Ole Miss announced that Vaught-Hemingway Stadium would be hosting Morgan Wallen this month. Ticket sales are high, as expected, and thousands will pour into Vaught-Hemingway April 22.

Vaught-Hemingway is an open-air stadium with a grass field. It has one big jumbotron behind the student section and two smaller jumbotrons opposite the student section. Because it is a full stadium, a lot of seating sections will not be used, as the stage will be placed in front of them.

Davis Wade, shares these suboptimal qualities for a concert. It is open-air and has a grass field, but it excels in every other direction.

Davis Wade holds 61,000 people for a football game. Being that it is not a fully circular stadium, you would not have to block off seats. Therefore, I imagine capacity could be raised to 63,000 for a concert when accounting for the pit.

MSU is the second-most diverse university in the SEC, according to College Raptor.

While students that attend other universities may find that shocking, I see it as a gateway for opportunity.

We argue over which kind of act should headline Bulldog Bash every single year. The reason for this, ultimately, is because the event is for us.

It is impossible to make everyone happy when you have such a wide and diverse audience, and this is where Davis Wade could go from historical landmark to a staple of the state of Mississippi. If Davis Wade opened up and became a concert venue in the nine months that regulation football is not being played, it would lessen editorial staff. The contents of The Reflector have not been approved by Mississippi State University. arguments over who is booked for Bulldog Bash.

The first concert I ever went to, outside of a street venue, was last semester. I traveled two hours to see Greta Van Fleet. While there, I did not meet a single person from Birmingham, Alabama, where it was taking place. This is not at all shocking, since according to Ticketmaster, 10% of ticket purchasers will travel over 100 miles for a concert.

Davis Wade holding concerts would not just be for the students or for the residents of Starkville, instead serving a purpose for everyone in Mississippi. I could sit back and continue to talk about how the ticket sales, vending sales and hotel room bookings could boost the earnings of MSU and Starkville as a whole and while all are good points, that is not what this is about.

At the end of the day, making Davis Wade Stadium a concert venue, or even just having a single concert a year, would have a big impact. It would bring people to both Starkville and MSU, and it would bring people together as a whole.

If we have the opportunity to create a profitable venture from the enjoyment, connection and memories that people will get from coming to Starkville, why would we even hesitate?

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