Nissan Stadium (Nashville)
On the 7th of May 1996, voters in Metropolitan Nashville/Davidson County approved a partial funding plan for a new stadium. The referendum passed with a 59 percent majority and allocated $144 million of public money to the project. This vote came after Houston Oilers owner Bud Adams met Nashville Mayor Phil Bredesen during an NFL preseason game at Neyland Stadium in Knoxville. Adams expressed discontent with his team's lease at the Astrodome and the unwillingness of Houston to build a new football-only stadium. The pro-stadium organization known as NFL Yes! outspent the anti-stadium group by a ratio of 16:1 during the campaign. Funds were initially raised through an increase in the Metro water tax. Much of the remaining construction costs were funded through the sale of personal seat licenses. Some money from the State of Tennessee was allocated on the condition that the Tennessee State University football team move its home games there. The state also requested that the incoming NFL team be named Tennessee instead of Nashville. Construction faced a major setback when a tornado struck downtown Nashville on the 16th of April 1998. The storm destroyed several cranes at the site but did not delay the opening. The stadium opened in time for the first scheduled event.
Upon completion, the stadium received the name Adelphia Coliseum in a 15-year, $30 million naming rights arrangement with Adelphia Business Solutions. This subsidiary belonged to the larger Adelphia telecommunications company. However, after Adelphia missed a required payment and filed for bankruptcy in 2002, the agreement was abandoned. The stadium became known simply as The Coliseum for four years until Adelphia itself dissolved in 2006. A new deal with Nashville-based Louisiana-Pacific was inked on the 6th of June 2006. Louisiana-Pacific paid $30 million over 10 years for naming rights. LP's influence inside the stadium led to the creation of the LP Building Zones in 2007. These zones were located beneath the giant scoreboards from Daktronics at the north and south ends of the stadium. Concession stands and restrooms in these areas were decorated to look like suburban homes using LP products. On the 24th of June 2015, car manufacturer Nissan bought the naming rights for the stadium in a 20-year contract. Nissan rebranded the stadium as Nissan Stadium. As part of the sponsor agreement, a 2016 Nissan Titan pickup truck was placed next to the stadium scoreboard.
The Tennessee Titans began playing at Nissan Stadium in 1999, winning their first 13 games before losing to the Baltimore Ravens on the 12th of November 2000. Their first regular-season game took place on the 12th of September 1999 where they defeated the Cincinnati Bengals 36, 35. One of the most memorable plays in NFL history occurred on the 8th of January 2000 at then-Adelphia Coliseum. The Music City Miracle was a last-minute trick play on a kickoff return that resulted in a touchdown. This play catapulted the Titans past the Buffalo Bills to the Divisional Playoffs. It also ensured that the Titans would go undefeated in the team's first season in their new home. The victory was seen in front of a franchise-record crowd. From 2014 and 2015, the stadium hosted the Nashville Kickoff Game featuring major NCAA teams for Tennessee. During the 2018 season, two 20th anniversary logos were put in each end zone to celebrate the Titans' 20th year in Nashville. The yard line numbers were changed to match the number style on the new uniforms. As of the 2023 season, the stadium is the largest in the Football Championship Subdivision with Tennessee State as tenants.
The venue was first used for soccer on the 20th of April 2004 in an exhibition game between the Los Angeles Galaxy of Major League Soccer and Tecos UAG of the Mexican Primera División. Since then Nissan Stadium has been used for friendly matches by the U.S. women versus Canada in 2004. A return of Tecos against rival F.C. Atlas occurred in 2005. The U.S. men played Morocco in 2006. The stadium helped host the CONCACAF men's 2008 and 2012 qualifying tournaments for the Summer Olympics. On the 1st of April 2009, the U.S. men's national team beat Trinidad and Tobago 3, 0. Jozy Altidore became the youngest American to score a hat trick for the national team during this match. The record crowd for a soccer game played in Tennessee reached 56,232 on the 29th of July 2017. This event featured English Premier League clubs Manchester City and Tottenham playing an exhibition match at Nissan Stadium. Nashville SC began temporarily playing at the stadium in 2020. Their first game on February 29 was a 1, 2 loss against Atlanta United FC in front of 59,069 fans. Their final game there was on the 23rd of November 2021 during the first round of playoffs where they won 3, 1 against Orlando City SC.
The main stage for the annual CMA Fest held every June is located in the stadium. George Strait headlined the first concert to be held at the stadium on the 30th of April 2000. Kenny Chesney performed multiple times including The Road and the Radio Tour on the 8th of July 2006 which drew 47,699 attendees and generated $2,681,562 in revenue. One Direction's Where We Are Tour on the 19th of August 2014 attracted 53,472 people and earned $4,286,308. Taylor Swift's Reputation Stadium Tour on the 25th of August 2018 brought in 56,112 fans and grossed $9,007,179. Billy Joel and Stevie Nicks' Two Icons, One Night on the 19th of May 2023 set a highest-grossing boxscore report in the stadium's history with $11,281,469. George Strait's Stadium Tour on the 28th of July 2023 achieved an attendance of 103,053 and generated $31,692,656. Luke Combs World Tour on the 14th of April 2023 saw 95,031 attendees across two shows generating $9,187,134.
The stadium received upgrades during mid-2012 including a new sound system and high-speed elevators to the upper levels. LED ribbon boards were mounted on the faces of the upper mezzanines. Two new HD Lighthouse brand LED video displays measuring by were installed replacing the entire end zone scoreboard apparatuses. At the time of installation, the two boards became the second-largest displays in the National Football League trailing only AT&T Stadium. As of the 2023 season, the playing surface is Matrix Helix Turf with an organic infill. Prior to 2023, the playing surface was Tifsport Bermuda Sod which was natural grass. The climate of Nashville and the wear of hosting a game nearly every weekend often required the field to be resodded in the area between the hashes in November. The stadium had amongst the highest lower body injuries of any in the NFL during the 2018, 2021 seasons. On the 3rd of May 2010, the stadium's playing surface was filled with water due to heavy rains and flooding from the Cumberland River. The flood also reached down to the locker rooms of the stadium. In February 2022, the Titans paused ongoing renovations citing rising costs and explored the possibility of replacing the facility.
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Common questions
When did voters approve funding for Nissan Stadium in Nashville?
Voters approved a partial funding plan for the stadium on the 7th of May 1996. The referendum passed with a 59 percent majority and allocated $144 million of public money to the project.
Who owns the naming rights to Nissan Stadium as of 2023?
Nissan bought the naming rights to the stadium on the 24th of June 2015 in a 20-year contract. This agreement rebranded the venue from LP Field to Nissan Stadium.
What is the largest crowd recorded at Nissan Stadium for a soccer match?
The record crowd for a soccer game played in Tennessee reached 56,232 on the 29th of July 2017. This event featured English Premier League clubs Manchester City and Tottenham playing an exhibition match at Nissan Stadium.
Which concert generated the highest revenue at Nissan Stadium?
George Strait's Stadium Tour on the 28th of July 2023 achieved an attendance of 103,053 and generated $31,692,656. This performance holds the highest-grossing boxscore report in the stadium's history.
When did the Tennessee Titans play their first regular-season game at Nissan Stadium?
The team played their first regular-season game on the 12th of September 1999 where they defeated the Cincinnati Bengals 36, 35. The stadium opened in time for this first scheduled event after construction began following the 1996 vote.