After years waiting to see my favorite artist, I finally saw Morgan Wallen live in concert at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium this past weekend. About six months ago a close family friend, Heide, purchased four tickets to the show in Gainesville. She also enjoys country concerts and has wanted to see Wallen for quite some time. After surprising me with the tickets, she extended the invitation to my boyfriend, Sawyer, and I to go with her. We, of course, said yes and began looking forward to the concert.

The time to see Wallen was finally here; we headed north from Sarasota to Gainesville Friday afternoon. After a long, six-hour drive in stop-and-go traffic, we arrived at our Airbnb in downtown Gainesville. Friday night we settled in and decided to walk around downtown Gainesville. Since we were not going to the Friday night show, we thought it would be best to get our concert t-shirts that night instead of Saturday. The booth had various designs, along with hats and drink koozies, for purchase.

The big day came! We got dressed and prepared for the concert atmosphere. We decided to Uber, as parking was costly in comparison. We regretted that decision later, as no car service was readily available after the concert. Oh well, we got our steps in!

Arriving to the stadium, everyone was decked out in boots and hats. After checking in and grabbing drinks, we found our great seats. Zach John King and Gavin Adcock opened for Wallen, and their hits excited the crowd. The entire stadium was packed, and more people kept coming as the show continued. Next, Ella Langley, one of my other favorite artists, took the stage playing songs from her new album Dandelion (my favorite!). She ended with her hit “Choosin’ Texas,” and the crowd went absolutely crazy.

The time came and a video played on the large screen, with comedian Theo Von and the man himself, Morgan Wallen. The video and his entrance with University of Florida legend Steve Spurrier hyped the entire crowd. Wallen is known for his walkouts with athletes or celebrities that align with the city he is in. Friday night he walked out with Tim Tebow, another UF legend.

Wallen played hit after hit as he has so many. During his show he had fireworks that shot up and fire that lit up during certain beats of songs. He truly knows how to put on a show for his fans. I can write about each song he played and the album it comes from and even the first time I heard that said song, but I will spare you the details. It was truly the best concert we have been to, and I was so impressed with how well he performed. After many years of waiting to see him live, he exceeded my expectations.

— Megan Gragg, account executive