The acts who’ve played AT&T
AT&T Stadium has become a stop for top-selling artists looking to reach the largest possible audience in one indoor space in North Texas. Here are the major musical events at the stadium since it opened in 2009 (as Cowboys Stadium before its name change in 2013). All reviews by Preston Jones, unless otherwise noted.
George Strait, Reba McEntire, Blake Shelton & Lee Ann Womack — June 6, 2009
What we thought: “During opener Lee Ann Womack’s 30-minute set … a wicked echo made her vocals sound as if they were underwater. Nevertheless, Womack persevered … delivering a string of sterling tunes.”
The Jonas Brothers — June 20, 2009
What we thought: “As America’s teen heartthrobs launched their 61-city world tour from the new home of America’s team … the air was thick with anticipation, kids hopped up on adrenaline — and, of course, insane screaming. Insane screaming by almost 50,000 fans, most of them tween and teenage girls.” — Catherine Mallette
Paul McCartney — Aug. 19, 2009
What we thought: “The sold-out crowd … sang and danced in the aisles, basking in the evening’s nostalgic glow. The audience reaction was almost as powerful as the tunes emanating from the stage.”
U2 — Oct. 12, 2009
What we thought: “Despite more than three decades in the business, U2 still attacks its songs with a ferocity that belies its standing. That said, the overwhelming scale of the stage, not to mention Bono’s healthy ego, can hold even the most ardent fan at arm’s length.”
Kenny Chesney — April 16, 2011
What we thought: “It was as choreographed as a Broadway musical, which is fine. It didn’t lack for entertainment value, even without the element of surprise one hopes for from any kind of popular singer.” — Mark Lowry
Taylor Swift — Oct. 8, 2011
What we thought: “When she closed out Sparks Fly, the crowd roared in adoring approval, and you couldn’t miss Swift’s reaction on the 72-foot Mitsubishi screen. Her jaw dropped, she adjusted her earpieces, and quietly mouthed: ‘Oh, my God. I love you so much.’ ” — Heather Svokos
Dallas Opera simulcast of The Magic Flute — April 28, 2012
What we thought: “Considering the colorful costumes and scenery, there couldn’t have been a more ideal opera for such an event.” — ML
Kenny Chesney & Tim McGraw — June 9, 2012
What we thought: “Chesney, who doesn’t have much vocal range and sings generically likable songs, seemed to lack stage charisma after McGraw’s performance. But the fans loved Chesney.” — ML
Kenny Chesney & Eric Church — May 11, 2013
What we thought: “Chesney’s style of island escapism is, and always has been, less Parrothead and more beach volleyball, with the tan and hard-bodied Tennessean, now 45, prowling the stage and slapping hands.” — Shirley Jinkins
Taylor Swift — May 25, 2013
What we thought: “Multiple costume changes were deployed, and through it all, the slick video packages unfolding on the high-def screens, including the four-sided beast hanging at midfield, kept the pace lively.”
George Strait, Jason Aldean, Alan Jackson, Miranda Lambert, Martina McBride, Faith Hill, Eric Church, Vince Gill, Kenny Chesney & Asleep at the Wheel — June 7, 2014
What we thought: “Apart from the Titanic-sized screen looming overhead, Strait’s staging was a remarkably stripped-down affair, somehow managing to make a concert with over 100,000 people feel intimate. Some of that closeness might be attributable to Strait’s direct delivery, wringing nuance out of others’ songs with the practiced skill of countless other nights like this one.”
Beyoncé & Jay Z — July 22, 2014
What we thought: “There’s a tangible electricity between the two, and in spots — particularly at the end of Drunk in Love, when Jay hugged his wife, a broad smile on both their faces — the couple was absolutely captivating.”
One Direction — Aug. 24. 2014
What we thought: “For roughly 110 minutes, One Direction endeavored to entertain every last corner of the cavernous space, working the enormous runway attached to the overwhelming whirligig of a stage squeezed into one end zone of AT&T Stadium.”
50th annual Academy of Country Music Awards — April 19, 2015
What we thought: “A 3 1/2 -hour spectacle packed with more than 20 performances and a healthy number of goofy shenanigans … the 50th annual ACMs managed to live up to the hype, although it may take the reported five-year interval to recover from it.”
Kenny Chesney & Jason Aldean — May 16, 2015
What we thought: “If Saturday night’s Kenny Chesney and Jason Aldean doubleheader at AT&T Stadium was a competition — however friendly — it was not a close one. In the opening moments of his two-hour set, Chesney laid Aldean out flat and never looked back.”
The Rolling Stones — June 6, 2015
What we thought: “Simply put, at an age when the Stones should be a fond relic of wilder times, the impossibly lithe Mick Jagger and his astonishingly ageless bandmates … acted like eager upstarts, ripping through more than two hours of hits with gusto.”
Taylor Swift — Oct. 17, 2015
What we thought: “Each trip through town has found her to be more surefooted, more capable of handling the myriad pressures placed upon a show of such scale and more smoothly integrating the various bits of fan business her rabid followers expect.”
Greg Laurie’s Harvest America event with Chris Tomlin, Lecrae, MercyMe & Switchfoot — March 6, 2016
What we thought: “It was the largest Christian stadium evangelism event in North Texas in 14 years.” — Brett Hoffman
Beyonce — May 9, 2016
What we thought: “The visual impact, particularly down on the floor, bordered on overwhelming, particularly when Beyonce began layering on special effects like rotating mirrors … claustrophobic cabinets … or a water-filled runway. In concert as in life, it is more or less useless to resist Beyonce — she will wear you down or win you over, one way or another.”
Kenny Chesney & Miranda Lambert — June 4, 2016
What we thought: “It is astonishing to watch Chesney work a room of such scale, although given his familiarity with the space, perhaps it shouldn’t be as surprising. Apart from Taylor Swift, no other A-list musical act has played AT&T Stadium as often as Chesney. His repeated trips to Arlington have allowed him to utilize the full space in a way that collapses the overwhelming cavernousness and fosters a riveting intimacy.”
Guns N’ Roses — Aug. 3, 2016
What we thought: “If every other aspect of Guns N’ Roses’ performance at AT&T Stadium … felt comparatively safe, you only needed to look into Axl Rose’s eyes — glittering, with a hint of madness dancing behind his pupils — to understand the unhinged force of nature this influential band was and, arguably, still is.”
This story was originally published August 25, 2016 at 10:53 AM with the headline "The acts who’ve played AT&T."