Zach Bryan's Record-Setting Night in the Big House

By: Manny Shklar

November 2, 2025

Photo Credit: Associated Press

112,408 people packed into the Big House, eagerly anticipating Zach Bryan’s 27-song, three-hour-long concert. Announced in February of this year, fans within U of M, as well as from all over the world, had been expecting a turnout, but not necessarily a historic one. The event ended up being the largest ticketed concert in American history, topping George Strait’s record of 110,905 from 2024. The concert was not just a once-in-a-lifetime performance, but also a key piece of history combining sports and music.

Many concert attendees had barely heard of Zach Bryan, if at all. However, this was not just the largest concert in American history. It was also the first of hopefully many concerts to be hosted in the Big House. The promotions, details, and planning that went into an event of this magnitude can take months or even years, but it all paid off based on the concert turnout and total revenue amassed.

In an interview with Billboard, Rob Rademacher, the chief operating officer of Michigan Athletics, said that hosting anything other than football on the Big House field would be “sacrilegious” just 20 or 30 years ago. However, things have changed. Since 2000, the university has been close to hosting many concerts, with Rademacher noting that Bob Seger nearly performed in 2015. While Bryan ended up selling out the show and is one of the most popular artists in the world, Michigan had originally tried to get Eminem, knowing his Detroit ties would draw even more fans.

Another part of the concert to be accounted for was marketing and ticket sales. According to Billboard, over 76,000 tickets were sold for under $50, as the priority for AEG, the company who directed the concert, was to break records, not necessarily to maximize revenue. One of the other records broken by this team was their merchandise sales, as merchandise sold before and during the concert brought in $5 million dollars of revenue. The success of this event should pave the way for Michigan Athletics to utilize the Big House and continue bringing in popular artists often.