TAMPA, Fla. — Country singer Morgan Wallen is performing back-to-back concerts in Tampa this week.
Wallen's concerts on Thursday and Friday are at Raymond James Stadium starting at 6 p.m. as part of his "One Night at a Time" tour.
The lineup also features Jelly Roll, Nate Smith, and Bryan Martin.
Parking lots opened at 2:30 p.m. on Thursday, and fans came out to tailgate.
Marissa Helms traveled from Polk County to attend the concert.
"I've been obsessed with Morgan Wallen since probably day one, probably before anybody even really loved Morgan Wallen. I love Morgan Wallen," said Helms.
Tickets vary in price. A quick search on Ticketmaster showed tickets as low as $69.75.
Helms said her friend was able to score tickets early on, so she paid $150 for a ticket.
"I have friends who bought tickets that are like on the floor, and they were like $700 a piece, yeah, so we didn’t get those, but we got what we could get, so I’m excited," said Helms.
"I started listening to his music when I was probably 10, and I related to his music. Some of his songs were really good. I started listening to more and more, and now my favorite songs are like 'Lies, Lies, Lies' and the new one with Post Malone," said Hayden Foust, a Morgan Wallen fan.
J.R. Jaus is a morning show host at 99.5 QYK. He said artists are able to perform back-to-back shows based on demand. They have also crossed musical genres, allowing them to reach a wider audience.
"These artists are such crossover artists, so they’re going into multiple genres, so Morgan Wallen, you can hear on a country station, but also hear on a pop station too on some of his songs, the same with Taylor Swift and same with Luke Combs. He had his big hit "Fast Car," the Tracy Chapman cover that was on multiple stations and for a long time. Audiences are growing bigger and bigger," said Jaus.
Fans at Raymond James mean an economic impact on Tampa Bay, including hotel stays and restaurant visits.
"The fact that they can do it if, they can do it and hit a city for multiple nights, that’s a big deal and lucrative for them for sure," he added. "I know, like Kenny Chesney, he only did one night, but he says he starts his tour in Tampa on purpose because the energy is insane every time, so way to go, Tampa, when the artists are going to keep coming back if we keep showing out."
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