Clemson’s return to the stadium-concert business is paying off in a big way, and Morgan Wallen’s two-night run at Memorial Stadium only padded the numbers.
Wallen played Death Valley on June 26-27 as part of his “Still The Problem” tour, and Clemson athletics pulled in about $2.1 million in net revenue from alcohol, food and beverage sales alone, according to data provided to The State through a public records request. Add in Clemson Ventures’ share of the event, and the final haul climbs even higher.
On the concessions side, the math was straightforward: Clemson’s gross revenue from the two shows came in at roughly $4.2 million, then was split about 50-50 with Aramark, the stadium’s concessions provider. That left the athletic department with roughly $2.1 million in net earnings from those sales.
And those weren’t small crowds buying one drink and heading home. Across the two nights, fans bought 135,931 alcohol units and 211,573 units of food and non-alcoholic beverages.
Clemson reported 68,939 alcohol units and 116,749 food or drink units on the first night, then 66,992 alcoholic beverages and 94,824 food or non-alcoholic items on the second. The average alcoholic drink cost $20.60, while the average food or non-alcoholic item was $6.61.
The second night came with a weather wrinkle. Clemson had planned to open gates at 4:30 p.m., but storms pushed the public opening back to 7:15 p.m.
The concessions totals are only part of the story. Clemson Ventures handled additional pieces of the deal, including percentage cuts from parking, tickets, merchandise and other event-related revenue streams. Those figures aren’t public because Clemson Ventures, not Clemson athletics, signed the contract with Wallen’s touring company.
That setup matters. Clemson Ventures was created as a private affiliate organization of Clemson athletics in part so contracts with artists, touring companies and sponsors would not fall under public records law. The same arrangement also applies to the department’s revenue-sharing deals with Tigers athletes.
Even so, the school’s cut from the Wallen concerts was still meaningful. An athletics source said Clemson’s total revenues from the two nights, including Clemson Ventures’ earnings, will be comfortably in the seven figures. For comparison, TigerIllustrated.com reported that the May 2 George Strait concert at Memorial Stadium generated about $4 million in total revenue, and said Wallen’s shows “will fetch even more” than that.
Clemson also rented out stadium space for the weekend and received $84,000 from Clemson Ventures for those rentals. That included $78,000 for Memorial Stadium for 13 days, covering prep work and the concerts, plus $6,000 for Jervey Gym for three days during concert weekend.
Wallen also made the Clemson experience part of the show. On both nights, he played up the school’s traditions by riding a bus around the stadium, appearing at the top of The Hill and jogging down while “Tiger Rag” played over the speakers.
“Man, I bet these boys, they think they’re gonna win every game after this,” Wallen joked as he prepared to run down the hill in front of a roaring crowd.
Attendance was strong, too. Memorial Stadium’s concert capacity was roughly 70,000 to 75,000, and the two-night total drew somewhere between 100,000 and 200,000 fans, though Wallen’s management team did not release final attendance numbers.
Clemson said it improved post-event traffic flow after taking heat for that issue following the Strait concert, but fans still reported problems getting out after Wallen’s shows. The school says traffic flow remains a major focus for future concerts.
After the concerts, Clemson athletics replaced the grass field at Memorial Stadium to get the venue ready for the 2026 football season, and Wallen’s touring company agreed to cover that cost.
Athletic director Graham Neff said in a June radio interview that Clemson was already talking with artists and companies about the next round of Death Valley concerts, which are expected in spring or summer 2027.
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