TOLEDO – Over 20,000 fans gathered in the Glass Bowl at the University of Toledo on Saturday, May 24, to hear Zac Brown Band, Dustin Lynch, Luke Grimes and Gaelic Storm perform at Glass City Live. It was the first concert at the Glass Bowl since July 1, 1994, when the Beach Boys and America performed.
Before the show, fans enjoyed grilling, tailgating and playing corn hole. Food trucks lined up by the end zone opposite the Larimer Athletic Complex, while The Stubborn Brother Pizza Bar set up shop on the field.
Lydia Fairchild, from Maumee, was one of the fans eagerly waiting for the show to start. Recently, she became a fan of the Zac Brown Band after friends in college eventually persuaded her to give country music a chance. Her favorite song? “Chicken Fried.”
“I love live music. It’s just a different way of feeling,” she said. “You can feel it here. It changes the energy of music, too. Once you listen to something live, you love it more.”
Fairchild highlighted the positives the concert provided, like the money it brought into the university and for local businesses, like the food trucks on site.
“I see El Viejon over there. They’ve been outside of my family’s business (Meredith Party Rentals) every single day for the past 10 years, and they make some really good food; they deserve it, and they deserve the business, just like bringing attention to our local businesses and just how cool our city is. I’m sure a lot of people came from far away [to attend].”
She said she would love to see “pop princesses” in the future, like Sabrina Carpenter or Chappell Roan, perform at the Glass Bowl.
Gaelic Storm kicked off the show to awaken the guests settling into their seats. They performed hits like “Johnny Tarr” and “Johnny Jump Up.”
Luke Grimes followed their set and performed fan favorites like “Burn” and “No Horse to Ride.”
Bryant Koback, a former running back for the University of Toledo, who is now with the Seattle Seahawks, was one of the fans waiting for Dustin Lynch to take the stage.
“It’s good that they bring something back here at the Glass City, at the University of Toledo,” he said. “It’s been a long time since they played something in the Glass Bowl; it’s cool, a great environment.”
According to Koback, the Glass Bowl is equipped for the event because of its design. The sound echoes upward toward people sitting high up in the stands. He said the only thing he would change about the setup is making all seats available (several seats were blocked off because of the stage). According to Koback, no matter who performs here, it will draw a crowd.
“Anytime anything’s going on here, you’re gonna have a crowd. The City of Toledo is so diverse, it doesn’t really matter. You’re gonna have a crowd; it’s gonna be packed.”
Dustin Lynch went up third and gave a powerful performance as the sun started to set on the Glass Bowl. He performed for an hour as the fans continued to pour in. When he left the stage, everyone knew it was finally time for the main event.
Finally, the moment came for Zac Brown Band to take the stage. The crowd remained lively, and the music stayed loud for the duration of the set. Because it was finally dark, the band could give a full light show that they delivered for their fans, performing hits like “Toes,” “Colder Weather” and “Chicken Fried.”
He even played a cover of “The Devil Went Down to Georgia” by Charlie Daniels and “Bohemian Rhapsody” by Queen.
David Madigan, from Perrysburg, was one of the thousands in attendance. He said he enjoyed the show and agreed with Fairchild that “Chicken Fried” is a stand-out in the Zac Brown Band catalog.
Madigan said he would love to see more performers at the Glass Bowl in the future, and would love to see other genres represented. He named Mötley Crüe as a band he would love to see live in the Glass City. He said live music is important because it takes away stress and brings people together.
“It’s how people forget about what’s going on around them, and it’s a good night out.”
As mentioned in our preview story, Glass City Live is intended to be an annual event, depending on the success of Saturday night’s show.
