Could Hughes Stadium Host Concerts Again? After 35 Years

It was a huge shock to me to find out Hughes Stadium, Colorado State University's sporting center, once held the great acts such as The Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan and The Beach Boys. It's hard to imagining Hughes Stadium with 40,000 people in attendance but that's what ticket sales reached in 1975 when the Rolling Stones performed there with a surprise guest appearance from Elton John.

Unfortunately, after Bob Dylan's performance at Hughes Stadium, every square inch of the turf had to be replaced due to  a mixture of the fans and rain water and all concerts  have ceased since then.

“The energy level was off the charts,” said Mims Harris, a former Colorado State University campus events director who planned the concerts. “It was extraordinary. It was fabulous.”

But why did they stop? Well basically because the concerts that drew thousands of attendees was a bit to noisy for the neighbors of Hughes Stadium. After some residents close by the stadium took it to the courts, a judge commenced a ban on concerts that reached over 80 decibels at the property line of the residents. But CSU quickly realized that it wouldn't be able to host many concerts that were quiet enough to not go over that decibel limit.

Well, things are changing... slowly. Within the last few years CSU officials and city leaders have met up discussing the possibility of bringing back the concerts to Hughes Stadium. However, the efforts are hindered due to CSU leaders also trying to push for an on-campus stadium.

The other issues revolving around bringing concerts back to Hughes are the financial burdens that come with bringing in artists to perform in front of a crowd that large. Some say to bring in artists it could cost upwards of $2 million in upfront fees to the artist.

For now the issue is still in talks and we're not likely to be seeing any shows at Hughes any time soon. But I myself would love it if CSU and city officials brought back concerts to Hughes Stadium.

[Coloradoan]