Morgan Wallen's record-breaking Knoxville weekend: Neyland Stadium filled with music and superstars
Morgan Wallen knows how to put on a show, especially when it's in his hometown.
The country superstar’s two-night affair at Neyland Stadium was record-breaking with some help from Peyton Manning, Miranda Lambert, Darius Rucker, Tennessee baseball and football stars – and just about 160,000 fans.
“I don’t think that I have ever been this proud in my entire life, stepping out on this stage tonight. Man, this is truly incredible,” Wallen, a Gibbs High School graduate, told the crowd Sept. 22.
The Sunday show was his final night of performances at the Tennessee football stadium following his Neyland debut Sept. 20. The show featured a few heavy-hitters right out the gate – or tunnel, in this case.
“I thought Friday night was going to be hard to top but then I got Peyton Manning, I got Josh Heupel, I got Nico (Iamaleava),” Wallen said after they escorted him to the stage before he sang the first two songs of the night, “Ain’t That Some” and “I Wrote the Book.”
The rest of the night was filled with giant flames, fireworks, surprises and lots of Tennessee pride. Here are some of the best moments from Morgan Wallen’s Neyland Stadium shows.
Morgan Wallen, hometown pride
Morgan Wallen is only the fourth artist to headline Neyland, the sixth-largest college football stadium in the United States. And fans came out in droves to support the native East Tennessean, breaking the record for Knoxville’s largest weekend.
A total of 156,161 fans attended Wallen’s two-show run at the stadium, according to a press release. The previous record (148,407) was held by Michael Jackson and The Jackson 5 set across three shows in 1984. The stadium could seat just over 91,000 people back then. The capacity has since grown to more than 101,000.
Garth Brooks and Kenny Chesney are the other two artists to headline Neyland. Brooks’ 2019 show, the last concert at Neyland, broke the concert attendance record with a crowd of 84,000 people.
Peyton Manning puts on his Tennessee uniform one more time
Iamaleava and Heupel joined other stars who have walked Wallen to the stage, such as Travis Kelce, Patrick Mahomes, Eli Manning, Tom Brady and Mike Tyson.
But it was seeing Tennessee legend Manning dressed in a full Vols uniform that really got the 80,000-person crowd going wild.
Coach Tony Vitello and the Tennessee baseball team escorted Wallen − NCAA championship trophy proudly in hand − through the stadium and onto the field during the Sept. 20 show. Wallen, a huge Tennessee baseball fan, wasn’t scheduled to play Knoxville during his massive stadium tour, but that changed when Tennessee won the national championship earlier this year.
Miranda Lambert and Darius Rucker deliver Neyland Stadium surprises
Manning wasn't the first big surprise of the night.
Halfway through the show, Wallen left the main stage for a B-stage near the opposite end zone for an intimate stripped-down set. After performing his version of Jason Isbell’s “Cover Me Up,” Wallen invited Miranda Lambert to the stage to perform “Thought You Should Know.”
“I needed a woman’s perspective to help me write a song for my mama,” Wallen explained. “And to be honest, we haven’t sang this song since the day we wrote it.”
Nearing the end of the two-hour show, Wallen had one more surprise: Darius Rucker. The Hootie and the Blowfish frontman performed alongside Wallen for Rucker’s version of “Wagon Wheel,” a popular singalong originally by Old Crow Medicine Show. The moment was one of the most memorable of both nights.
Eric Church was the surprise guest during the Sept. 20 show. The country star joined Wallen to sing “Quittin’ Time,” a song Church co-wrote for Wallen’s sophomore record, “Dangerous: The Double Album."
Wallen plays ‘Talkin’ Tennessee’ and other hometown songs
Vols pride electrified both concert nights. Orange was everywhere you looked, including on the stage. Wallen wore Vols-themed hats and jerseys during each show. The band also wore Tennessee jerseys, with the drummer opting for a Power T bass drum.
Wallen performed several of his songs with Tennessee and Knoxville references for the hometown audience, including “Talkin’ Tennessee,” “The Way I Talk,” “More Than My Hometown” and “Sand in My Boots.”
A recorded version of “Rocky Top” played both nights to welcome him back on stage for the encore. The crowd sang along to every word each night.
Morgan Wallen reflects on Gibbs and Mamaw Boots
It was obvious the Knoxville homecoming shows hit differently for the Gibbs High School graduate. The typically rambunctious superstar showed his softer side during both shows when talking about his great-grandmother and his time at Gibbs.
“I know that this is probably going to be really hard for you guys to believe, but I was a little bit rowdy in high school as well,” Wallen said with Gibbs High School flags on a side-stage setup before singing “’98 Braves” while his band performed on steel bleachers.
At one point during the Sept. 22 show, Wallen performed in a Gibbs Eagles jersey for several songs.
Wallen also performed "Chasin' You" in front of a replica home from the "One Thing at a Time" album cover. The actual Sneedville, Tennessee, home belonged to Mamaw Boots, his great-grandmother. Before she died, Wallen sat Mamaw Boots at the front of one of his shows so he could see her smiling face.
“I can only think what she’d be looking like tonight if she was down there in the front of the stage with 80-some-thousand people in Knoxville, Tennessee, her hometown,” Wallen said during Friday’s show. “I’d say her smile would be at least twice as big.”
Opening acts wow Neyland audience
ERNEST and HARDY were the opening acts for both shows at Neyland.
A night out almost caused HARDY to lose his voice for the Sept. 22 concert, but he pushed through. The country rocker performed an hourlong set just before Wallen took the stage. He hyped the crowd with “Quit!!,” “Rockstar,” “Give Heaven Some Hell,” and “God’s Country.”
ERNEST welcomed the audience with performances of “Why Dallas,” “Hangin’ On,” and “Would If I Could.” During the Sept. 20 show, he was joined by East Tennessee mandolin prodigy Wyatt Ellis. The two performed a rendition of “Family Tradition” by Hank Williams Jr.
ERNEST and HARDY also appeared during the main show each night for special performances with Wallen.
Neyland Stadium setlist for Morgan Wallen's second night in Knoxville
Wallen's setlist for the Sept. 22 show was slightly different from previous shows on the "One Night at a Time" tour. Here's everything he performed Night 2:
“Ain’t That Some”
“I Wrote the Book”
“One Thing at a Time”
“Everything I Love”
“You Proof”
“’98 Braves”
“7 Summers”
“Love Somebody” (Release date: Oct. 18)
“I Had Some Help” (Post Malone cover)
“Cover Me Up” (Jason Isbell cover)
“Thought You Should Know” (with Miranda Lambert)
“Lies Lies Lies”
“Sand in My Boots
“Up Down” (with HARDY)
“Cowgirls” (with ERNEST)
“Chasin’ You”
“Talkin’ Tennessee”
“Heartless”
“Wasted On You”
“This Bar”
“Wagon Wheel” (with Darius Rucker)
“More Than My Hometown”
“Whiskey Glasses”
Encore
“Rocky Top” (recorded interlude)
“Thinkin’ Bout Me”
“Last Night”
“The Way I Talk”
Bold = Neyland Stadium additions
“This is something that’s going to be hard to top in my career! I appreciate every single one of y’all!” Wallen told the crowd during his final song Sept. 22. “Go Vols!”
Devarrick Turner is a trending news reporter. Email devarrick.turner@knoxnews.com. On X, formerly known as Twitter @dturner1208.
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This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Morgan Wallen Knoxville show: Peyton Manning, Miranda Lambert, Darius Rucker
