Orchard Park, N.Y. (WBEN) - George Strait and Chris Stapleton will headline Highmark Stadium with a show on June 14, but could this be the last big concert at the stadium with a new facility set to open in 2026?
Liz Mantel of 107.7 The Wolf says it would be a fitting end.
"The cowboy rides away, the last hurrah at Highmark. That would be huge," said Mantel in an interview with WBEN.
Mantel says Strait is known as the "King of Country" and can sell out Highmark Stadium alone.
Former concert promoter Don Tomasulo says unless they pull something out of thin air at the last moment, this concert will probably be the last one at the current Highmark Stadium. He says that has prompted a flood of memories of concerts past.
"In 1981, we did the Rolling Stones with Journey and George Thorogood, and it was one of my first big shows that I was working on," Tomasulo recalled with WBEN. "They played the stadium in 1975, and that was going to be the last time we're going to see the Stones. Then they played in 1978, and that was the last time we're going to see the Stones. Then they played in 1981 and that was going to be the last time. And a million years later, they're still touring, which is was pretty interesting to me."
Another notable concert memory was the Jacksons in 1984.
"We did two days in-a-row at the stadium, which was the first time that ever happened, and just the excitement of being around the Jacksons and the buzz that was going in and actually to see them," Tomasulo said.
Tomasulo believes the George Strait concert will sell out, but will concerts sell out at the new Highmark Stadium?
"That is the question of the day," Tomasulo said. "I know the music business has changed so much. Will there be enough big band to fill the stadium? I'm sure there will be. Once the new stadium is open, with the design and everything, I'm sure we'll see more shows in the future, but that's looking into the crystal ball. I just don't think there would be as many as there was in the past."
Tickets for Strait and Stapleton's show go on sale next Friday, Feb. 21.