In a span of seven days, Washington-Grizzly Stadium will host three soldout shows with an estimated combined attendance of 72,000. Prior to this year's concert series with Pearl Jam, Tyler Childers and Pink, the University of Montana had only booked musical acts there six times. In the years ahead, you're likely to see more.
"Our goal is to continue to do shows like this, and we want to expand the number," UM President Seth Bodnar said. While it's too early to give an exact count, UM plans to continue working with promoters to help make the campus and city a destination. "We want to put Missoula on the map as a place that big, globally recognized acts want to make part of their tour," he said.
As Missoula's a hub in the region for arts and culture, UM believes it's a benefit for the campus, the city and the state as a whole. "One of the beautiful things about this university is that it enables and creates opportunities for people in a place like Missoula to have the best of both worlds — to get to live in a community like Missoula, to be close to the great opportunities of outdoor living in Montana, but also have acts like this that give you the benefits of being in a large city," Bodnar said. Paula Short, associate vice president of campus operations, preparedness and response, said that historically the city was more of a convenient stop on a tour route.
But it's becoming "a little more of a destination." "Washington-Grizzly Stadium has brought some really amazing acts, a.