HARTFORD, CT (WFSB) – Crews are prepping Rentschler Field for the first UConn football game of the season after hosting their first concert in 18 years.
Last week, it took stadium workers five days to set up for the sold out Chris Brown concert.
With just one week in between events, crews repaired and refitted the stadium for UConn football fans on Saturday.
“There’s a lot to do, a lot to maintain, a lot to get ready for,” said Ben Weiss, General Manager, Pratt and Whitney Stadium at Rentschler Field.
After almost two decades, Rentschler Field hosted a concert for 30,000 people.
Before the concert, workers applied a protective cover to the grass field in order to preserve it for the UConn game.
However, crews did make some repairs to the grass around the perimeter where people walked over the weekend.
Other than that, stadium officials said the preparation process involved the usual cleaning of the stadium and stocking food and beverages.
They noted how the quick turnaround time helped them jumpstart UConn’s football season.
“It was a blessing in some regards to have the concert the week before because we did a lot of that prep work extra early this year,” Weiss said.
In UConn’s first week back, students are excited for their first visit to Rentschler Field this Saturday for football.
“I’m excited, dude. You know, hang out with my friends, bro. Get the bus ride,” said Jackson Lavecchia, Freshman, UCONN.
“The environment is better now. I’d say a lot more people are going, and it’s just a great time,” said Damon Simpson, Senior, UCONN.
The stadium also has a few new menu items.
“There’s going to be a ton of new food and beverage offerings on the concourse. There’s going to be things from paninis, to quesadillas, to teriyaki chicken bowls,” Weiss said.
Between the revival of live music and the return of football, this is a big moment for the venue.
“We’re really proud and really happy to get that concert in the stadium. It really puts us on the map,” said Weiss. “No promises about the future in terms of additional shows, but we’re optimistic.”
“I would definitely go to that. If they had someone performing there, I would definitely go,” said Simpson.
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