As the weather gets warmer and the summer approaches, summer concerts will become a constant in the Meadowlands and there is no bigger venue in the region than MetLife Stadium. Over the next two weeks, country music star Morgan Wallen and the Rolling Stones, one of the most iconic bands of all time, will be getting the summer concert festivities started at MetLife Stadium.
The concert will be kicking off a summer of star-studded concerts at MetLife Stadium, which will see the likes of Luke Combs and Kenny Chesney perform.
Morgan Wallen Visits MetLife Stadium This Weekend
On May 17 and 18, one of country music’s biggest stars, Morgan Wallen, will be taking the stage at MetLife Stadium as part of his One Night at a Time World Tour, which will feature guest appearances from Parker McCollum, Nate Smith and Lauren Watkins.
Wallen has long been a major draw in the world of country music and is one of the biggest names performing at MetLife Stadium this year. Wallen was named the 2022 American Music Awards’ Favorite Country Artist, on top of winning Favorite Country Song. Wallen’s 2022 Dangerous Tour spanned over 50 shows and set records in 30 venues over the course of 8 months.
Friday’s show is set to start at 5:30 p.m., with the gates opening an hour prior at 4:30 p.m. The parking lots, however, will open at 1:30 p.m., for anyone who wants to be ahead of the curve. Saturday will begin slightly earlier at 5 p.m.
For all shows on the American leg of the tour, $3 for every ticket sold will go towards the Morgan Wallen Foundation, which funds causes that hold a special place in his heart. Wallen is partnering with Greater Good Music to donate to a variety of charities including the Salvation Army through his foundation.
Rolling Stones Come to the Meadowlands on May 23 & 26
Next week, we will see another big name come to East Rutherford, this time with much more experience on their resume. The Rolling Stones, who earned a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award and a spot in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, will be performing at MetLife Stadium on May 23 & 26 as a part of their Hackney Diamonds Tour.
The Rolling Stones will be touring for their latest project, the Grammy-nominated album Hackney Diamonds. This is the band’s first time releasing an album since 2005. The Rolling Stones previously played at MetLife Stadium in 2019 for their No Filter Tour, which generated a total attendance of 104,964 fans over the two days that they played, by far the largest number from their North American shows.
The Rolling Stones played their first concert in July 1962 at the Marquee Club in London. Now, over 6 decades and thousands of shows later, the band is still packing arenas. The Rolling Stones have played over 2,000 shows since their inception, including playing two of the highest-grossing tours of all time, sitting at 9 and 10, respectively. The ‘A Bigger Bang Tour’ and ‘No Filter Tour’ grossed over $1 billion, with the ‘A Bigger Bang Tour’ holding the No. 1 spot when it initially took place from 2005-2007.
The band will be joined by two special guests for each of their performances in East Rutherford. On May 23, they will be joined by Jon Batiste, a singer/songwriter who took home 5 Grammys in 2022 and was nominated once again this year. For their show on May 26, Lawrence, a pop band composed of two siblings raised in New York, will be joining the band.
Both shows are set to start at 8 p.m., with the gates opening two hours before at 6 p.m. and the parking lot scheduled to open at 3 p.m.
May Concerts Boost Hotel Activity in the Meadowlands
As expected, the influx of fans from across the country coming to see these artists has brought significant commotion to the tourism industry in the Meadowlands. The Fairfield by Marriott located in East Rutherford has reported a massive increase in activity this week as a result of the concert. Additionally, the Courtyard by Marriott in Lyndhurst has reached full capacity this weekend due to such high demand for Morgan Wallen’s concert.
On top of tourism being affected, it is safe to assume that traffic in the area will also be heavily impacted as a result of these concerts, so if you plan on traveling this weekend be sure to keep that in mind.
For those looking for transportation to the concert, NJ Transit offers rail service from Secaucus Junction to MetLife Stadium via the Meadowlands Line. On Friday, it will run to the stadium from 3:02 p.m. to 8:45 p.m., while on Saturday, it will run from 3:16 p.m. to 8:47 p.m.