Kinnick Stadium’s first-ever concert is a smashing success

I was honored to help make history recently by attending the concert at Kinnick in Iowa City ... and it rocked! The Back Porch Revival, in my opinion, was a huge success for Kinnick Stadium’s first concert and to raise awareness and funding for The Native Fund. It was all about “Iowans helping Iowans,” and that is exactly what happened.The event was put on my former Hawkeye football player Dallas Clark and actor Ashton Kutcher, an Iowa native, and both saw the devastation that came to Iowa in 2008 after the flooding and decided to do something about it.I think this hit home with quite a few Iowans that have heard about or just went through the major flooding we saw last week that was just a taste of what we know could return and could happen again.The Native Fund is committed to raising funds and organizing resources that can be used to assist the people of Iowa in their times of need.Event organizers estimated 50,000 fans at the stadium in the early afternoon with gates opening at 1 p.m. and the music beginning at 2 p.m., going all the way until midnight. The numbers continued to grow throughout the night with the biggest acts hitting the stage from 6 p.m. on.Big names such as Big and Rich, Blake Shelton, Thomas Rhett, Tucker Beathard and more were in Iowa City to play for fans.The day also made history with alcohol sales available in Kinnick, while some fans, of course, partied a little too hard, many were well behaved and I thought it was a successful sale.Over the last view years more stadiums have begun to sell beer at their stadiums during the football season with one of the closest ones to us being Minnesota.Was this a tester for Kinnick? Only time will tell.Yes, it turned out to be a very humid day. Yes, it was crazy crowded in those stands with hardly any room to move. But yes, I was glad I attended - getting to see not only some of my favorite artists but also making history in the state of Iowa!I can easily say I am not the only one that hopes the Back Porch Revival continues in Kinnick and hope that concerts with a cause continue to draw the crowds and support they need to make a difference in Iowa, the midwest and beyond.