Soldier Field

Soldier Field is an American football and soccer stadium located in the Near South Side of Chicago, Illinois, near Downtown Chicago. It opened in 1924 and is the home field of the Chicago Bears of the National Football League (NFL), who moved there in 1971, and Chicago Fire FC of Major League Soccer (MLS), who will begin playing at the stadium in 2020.[12][13] It has a football capacity of 61,500, and it is the oldest stadium in the NFL.

For other uses, see Soldier Field (disambiguation).

Soldier Field
Stadium in a Park
Soldier Field in October 2006
Soldier Field
Location in Chicago
Soldier Field
Location in Illinois
Soldier Field
Location in the United States
Former namesMunicipal Grant Park Stadium (1924–1925)
Address1410 S Museum Campus Drive
LocationChicago, Illinois
Coordinates41.8623°N 87.6167°W / 41.8623; -87.6167[1]
Public transit Metra: 18th Street
Roosevelt
Red Orange Green
OwnerChicago Park District
OperatorSMG
Executive suites133
Capacity66,944 (1994)
61,500 (2003)[2]
Acreage7 acres (2.8 ha)[3]
SurfaceKentucky Bluegrass
(1924–1970, 1988–present)
AstroTurf (1971–1987)
Construction
Broke groundAugust 11, 1922[4]
OpenedOctober 9, 1924
96 years ago
Renovated2002–2003
ClosedJanuary 19, 2002 –
September 26, 2003 (renovations)
Construction costUS$13 million (original)[3]
($194 million in 2015 dollars)[5]
$632 million (2001–2003 renovation)[6]
Renovations: ($878 million in 2015 dollars[5])
ArchitectHolabird & Roche
Wood + Zapata, Inc.
Lohan Caprile Goettsch Architects
Project managerHoffman Associates[7]
Structural engineerThornton Tomasetti
Services engineerEllerbe Becket[7]
General contractorTurner/Barton Malow/Kenny[7]
Tenants
Chicago Bears (NFL) 1971–present
Chicago Fire FC (MLS) 1998–2005, 2020–Present
Notre Dame Fighting Irish football (NCAA) 1929[8][9]
Chicago Rockets/Hornets (AAFC) 1946–1949
Chicago Cardinals (NFL) 1959
UIC Chikas football (NCAA) 1966–1973[10][11]
Chicago Spurs (NPSL) 1967
Chicago Owls (CFL) 1968–1969
Chicago Sting (NASL) 1975–1976
Chicago Fire (WFL) 1974
Chicago Winds (WFL) 1975
Chicago Blitz (USFL) 1983–1984
Chicago Enforcers (XFL) 2001
Designated1987
Delisted2006

The stadium's interior was rebuilt as part of a major renovation project in 2002, which modernized the facility but lowered seating capacity, while also causing it to be delisted as a National Historic Landmark. Soldier Field has served as the home venue for a number of other sports teams in its history, including the Chicago Cardinals of the NFL, University of Notre Dame football, as well as games from the 1994 FIFA World Cup, the 1999 FIFA Women's World Cup, and multiple CONCACAF Gold Cup championships. In 1968, it hosted the first Games of the Special Olympics.

History
Sculpture of a sailor and his family, gazing eastward, over Lake Michigan

Soldier Field was designed in 1919 and opened on October 9, 1924, as Municipal Grant Park Stadium. The name was changed to Soldier Field on November 11, 1925, as a memorial to U.S. soldiers who had died in combat. Its formal dedication as Soldier Field was on Saturday, November 27, 1926,[14] during the 29th annual playing of the Army–Navy Game.[15] Its design is in the Neoclassical style, with Doric columns rising above the East and West entrances.[16] The stadium cost $13 million to construct ($182 million in 2015 dollars), a very large sum for a sporting venue at that time (in comparison, L.A. Memorial Coliseum had cost less than $1 million in 1923 dollars).

Early configuration

In its earliest configuration, Soldier Field was capable of seating 74,280 spectators and was in the shape of a U. Additional seating could be added along the interior field, upper promenades and on the large, open field and terrace beyond the north endzone,[17] bringing the seating capacity to over 100,000.[18]

Chicago Bears move in

Soldier Field was used as a site for many sporting events and exhibitions. The Chicago Cardinals used it as their home field for their final season in Chicago in 1959. A dozen years later in September 1971, the Chicago Bears moved in, originally with a three-year commitment.[12][13] They previously played at Wrigley Field, best known as the home of the Chicago Cubs baseball team, but were forced to move to a larger venue due to post-AFL–NFL merger policies requiring that stadium capacities seat over 50,000 spectators. They had intended to build a stadium in Arlington Heights. In 1978, the Bears and the Chicago Park District agreed to a 20-year lease and renovation of the stadium. Both parties pooled their resources for the renovation.[19] The playing surface was AstroTurf from 1971 through 1987, replaced with natural grass in 1988.[20]

Replacement talks

In 1989, Soldier Field's future was in jeopardy after a proposal was created for a "McDome", which was intended to be a domed stadium for the Bears, but was rejected by the Illinois Legislature in 1990. Because of this, Bears president Michael McCaskey considered relocation as a possible factor for a new stadium. The Bears had also purchased options in Hoffman Estates, Elk Grove Village, and Aurora. In 1995, McCaskey announced that he and Northwest Indiana developers agreed to construction of an entertainment complex called "Planet Park", which would also include a new stadium. However, the plan was rejected by the Lake County Council, and in 1998, Chicago mayor Richard M. Daley proposed that the Bears share Comiskey Park with the Chicago White Sox.[21]

Renovations
Aerial view of the stadium in 1988.
Aerial view of Soldier Field during renovation in April 2002.
Soldier Field as seen from Lake Shore Drive. The modern grandstands, added in 2003, extend well above the original Neoclassical columns.

Beginning in 1978, the plank seating was replaced by individual seats with backs and armrests. In 1982, a new press box as well as 60 skyboxes were added to the stadium, boosting capacity to 66,030. In 1988, 56 more skyboxes were added increasing capacity to 66,946. Capacity was slightly increased to 66,950 in 1992. By 1994, capacity was slightly reduced to 66,944. During the renovation, seating capacity was reduced to 55,701 by building a grandstand in the open end of the U shape. This moved the field closer to both ends at the expense of seating capacity. The goal of this renovation was to move the fans closer to the field.[15] The front row 50-yard line seats were then now only 55 feet (17 m) away from the sidelines, the shortest distance of all NFL stadiums, until MetLife Stadium opened in 2010, with a distance of 46 feet (14 m).

Landmark delisting

In 2001, the Chicago Park District, which owns the structure, faced substantial criticism when it announced plans to alter the stadium with a design by Benjamin T. Wood and Carlos Zapata of the Boston-based architecture firm Wood + Zapata. Stadium grounds were reconfigured by Chicago-based architecture firm of Lohan Associate, led by architect Dirk Lohan, the grandson of architect Ludwig Mies van der Rohe. The stadium's interior would be demolished and reconstructed while the exterior would be preserved. This is an example of facadism. A similar endeavor of constructing a new stadium within the confines of an historic stadium's exterior was completed in Leipzig, Germany's Red Bull Arena, which similarly built a modern stadium while persevering the exterior of the original Zentralstadion. Fans and radio hosts such as WSCR's Mike North criticized the small seating capacity of the new venue, and fans for years have criticized the Park District's lack of care to the field surface after the first seasonal freeze and a refusal to consider a new-generation artificial surface, leaving the team to play on dead grass.

On January 19, 2002, the night of the Bears' playoff loss to the Philadelphia Eagles, demolition was begun as tailgate fires still burned in the trash cans in the parking lots. Removal of 24,000 stadium seats in 36 hours by Archer Seating Clearinghouse, a speed record never exceeded since, was the first step in building the new Soldier Field. Nostalgic Bears fans, recalling the glory seasons, especially 1985, along with some retired players picked up their seats in the South Parking lot.

The foremen on the job were Grant Wedding, who himself installed the seats in 1979, and Mark Wretschko who was an executive for the factory who made the 1979 seats.

Dozens of articles by writers and columnists attacked the project as an aesthetic, political, and financial nightmare. The project received mixed reviews within the architecture community, including criticism by civic and preservation groups.[22] Prominent American architect and Chicagoan Stanley Tigerman called it "a fiasco".[23] The Chicago Tribune architecture critic Blair Kamin dubbed it the "Eyesore on the Lake Shore".[24][25][26] The renovation was described by some as "a spaceship landed on the stadium".[27][28] Lohan responded,

I would never say that Soldier Field is an architectural landmark. Nobody has copied it; nobody has learned from it. People like it for nostalgic reasons. They remember the games and parades and tractor pulls and veterans' affairs they've seen there over the years. I wouldn't do this if it were the Parthenon. But this isn't the Parthenon.[23]

Proponents argued the renovation was direly needed citing aging and cramped facilities. The New York Times ranked the renovated Soldier Field as one of the five best new buildings of 2003.[29] Soldier Field was given an award in design excellence by the American Institute of Architects in 2004.[30]

On September 23, 2004, as a result of the 2003 renovation, a 10-member federal advisory committee unanimously recommended that Soldier Field be delisted as a National Historic Landmark.[31][32] The recommendation to delist was prepared by Carol Ahlgren, architectural historian at the National Park Service's Midwest Regional Office in Omaha, Nebraska. Ahlgren was quoted in Preservation Online as stating that "if we had let this stand, I believe it would have lowered the standard of National Historic Landmarks throughout the country", and, "If we want to keep the integrity of the program, let alone the landmarks, we really had no other recourse." The stadium lost the Landmark designation on February 17, 2006.[33]

Subsequent developments

In May 2012, the stadium became the first NFL stadium to achieve LEED status.[34]

On July 9, 2019, the Chicago Fire announced an agreement with the Village of Bridgeview to release the Fire from its lease for SeatGeek Stadium. As a result, the Fire are expected to return to Soldier Field for the 2020 MLS season.[35]

Public transportation

The closest Chicago 'L' station to Soldier Field is the Roosevelt station on the Orange, Green and Red lines. The Chicago Transit Authority also operates the #128 Soldier Field Express bus route to the stadium from Ogilvie Transportation Center and Union Station. There are also two Metra stations close by—the Museum Campus/11th Street station on the Metra Electric Line, which also is used by South Shore Line trains, and 18th Street, which is only served by the Metra Electric Line. Pace also provides access from the Northwest, West and Southwest suburbs to the stadium with four express routes from Schaumburg, Lombard, Bolingbrook, Burr Ridge, Palos Heights and Oak Lawn.

Events
Main article: List of events at Soldier Field

Football

Single events
The Army–Navy game in 1933 or 1934.
  • The stadium hosted its first football game, on October 4, 1924, between Louisville Male High School and Chicago's Austin Community Academy High School. Louisville's team won 26–0. (Chicago Tribune, October 2, 1924)
  • Over 100,000 spectators attended the 1926 Army–Navy Game. It would decide the national championship, as Navy entered undefeated and Army had lost only to Notre Dame. The game lived up to its hype, and even though it ended in a 21–21 tie, Navy was awarded the national championship.[36]
  • The all-time collegiate attendance record of 123,000+ was established November 26, 1927, as Notre Dame beat the University of Southern California 7–6. In 2016, 150,000+ attended a game between Virginia Tech and Tennessee at Bristol Speedway.[15]
  • Austin defeated Leo to win the 1937 Prep Bowl; another contender for the highest attendance ever (estimated at over 120,000 spectators). The Chicago Prep Bowl games are held at Soldier Field yearly on the day after Thanksgiving. The bowl game is older than the IHSA state championship tournament held since the 1960s.
  • The stadium was host to 41 College All-Star Games, an exhibition between the previous year's NFL champion (or, in its final years, Super Bowl champion) and a team of collegiate all-star players prior to their reporting to their new professional teams training camps. This game was discontinued after the 1976 NFL season. The final game in 1976 was halted in the third quarter when a torrential thunderstorm broke out and play was never resumed.
  • In 2012, Notre Dame hosted a game at Soldier Field against the University of Miami as part of their Shamrock Series.
  • Four NFC Championship Games have been held at the stadium.
  • NFL teams winless at Soldier Field: Baltimore Ravens (0–3) and Cleveland Browns (0–3).
  • NFL teams unbeaten at Soldier Field: Houston Texans (2–0).

NFL playoffs
Aerial view of the stadium in 2008
The outside of soldier field, stating: "Soldier Field, dedicated to the men and women of the armed services".
  • Other Bears playoff games at Soldier Field:

College football

NIU Huskies football plays select games at Soldier Field, all of which have featured the Huskies hosting a team from the Big Ten Conference. Northern Illinois University (NIU) is located in DeKalb, 65 miles (105 km) to the west on Interstate 88.

  • On September 1, 2007, NIU faced the University of Iowa in the first Division I College Football game at Soldier Field since renovations. The Hawkeyes defeated the Huskies, 16–3.
  • On September 17, 2011, the Huskies returned to play the Wisconsin Badgers in a game that was called "Soldier Field Showdown II". The eventual Big Ten champion Badgers topped NIU, 49–7.
  • On September 1, 2012, NIU hosted the Iowa Hawkeyes in a season opener that was called "Soldier Field Showdown III". The Hawkeyes narrowly defeated the Huskies, 18–17.

Notre Dame Fighting Irish football used the stadium as home field for the 1929 season while Notre Dame Stadium was being constructed. The school has used Soldier Field for single games on occasion both prior to and since the 1929 season.

Hockey

On February 7, 2013 the stadium hosted a high school hockey game between St. Rita High School from the city's Southwest side and Fenwick High School from suburban Oak Park.[39]

The 2014 NHL Stadium Series featuring the Chicago Blackhawks and Pittsburgh Penguins

The Notre Dame Fighting Irish and Miami RedHawks played a doubleheader on February 17, 2013 with the Wisconsin Badgers and Minnesota Golden Gophers in the Hockey City Classic, the first outdoor hockey game in the history of the stadium.[40] A Chicago Gay Hockey Association intra-squad game was held in affiliation with the Hockey City Classic.[41]

The Chicago Blackhawks played against the Pittsburgh Penguins on March 1, 2014 as part of the NHL's Stadium Series. The Blackhawks defeated the Penguins 5–1 before a sold-out crowd of 62,921.[42] The team also held its 2015 Stanley Cup Championship celebration at the stadium instead of Grant Park, where other city championships have typically been held, due to recent rains.[43]

February 7, 2015 Soldier Field hosted another edition of the Hockey City Classic. The event had been delayed due to unusually warm weather (42 °F (23 °C)) and complications with the quality of the ice. The 2015 edition of the Hockey City Classic featured a match between Miami University and Western Michigan, followed by a match between the Big Ten's Michigan and Michigan State[44][45][46][47][48][49][50][51] February 5 the organizers of the Hockey City Classic organized the Unite on the Ice event benefiting St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. The event was centered upon a celebrity hockey game with former NHL and AHL players, as well as a public free skate at Soldier Field. Participants in the celebrity game included Éric Dazé, Jamal Mayers and Gino Cavallini. Denis Savard was in attendance, serving as an 'honorary coach' during the game.[52] February 15, 2015 Soldier Field hosted another Chicago Gay Hockey Association intra-league match in association with the Hockey City Classic at Soldier Field.[41]

Date Away Team Result Home Team Spectators
February 7, 2013St. Rita High School0–3Fenwick High Schoolunknown
February 17, 2013Miami (OH)1–2Notre Dame52,051
Minnesota2–3Wisconsin52,051
March 1, 2014Pittsburgh Penguins1–5Chicago Blackhawks62,921
February 7, 2015Miami (OH)4–3Western Michigan22,751
Michigan State1–4Michigan22,751

Soccer

1994 FIFA World Cup
Soldier Field before a soccer game
Date Time (CDT) Team #1 Result Team #2 Round Spectators
June 17, 19942:00PM Germany1–0 BoliviaGroup C/Opening Match63,117
June 21, 19943:00PM Germany1–1 SpainGroup C63,113
June 26, 199411:30AM Greece0–4 BulgariaGroup D63,160
June 27, 19943:00PM Bolivia1–3 SpainGroup C63,089
July 2, 199411:00AM Germany3–2 BelgiumRound of 1660,246

1999 FIFA Women's World Cup
Date Time (CDT) Team #1 Result Team #2 Round Spectators
June 24, 199917.00 Brazil2–0 ItalyGroup B65,080
19.00 United States7–1 NigeriaGroup A65,080
June 26, 199916.00 Ghana0–2 SwedenGroup D34,256
18.30 Norway4–0 JapanGroup C34,256

CONCACAF Gold Cups

2007 CONCACAF Gold Cup

Date Team #1 Result Team #2 Round Spectators
21 June 2007 Canada1–2 United StatesSemifinals50,760
 Mexico1–0 Guadeloupe
June 24, 2007 United States2–1 MexicoFinal60,000

2009 CONCACAF Gold Cup

Date Team #1 Result Team #2 Round Spectators
23 July 2009 Honduras1–2 United StatesSemifinals55,173
 Costa Rica1–1 (3–5 pen) Mexico

2011 CONCACAF Gold Cup

Date Team #1 Result Team #2 Round Spectators
12 June 2011 El Salvador6–1 CubaGroup A62,000
 Mexico4–1 Costa Rica

2013 CONCACAF Gold Cup

Date Team #1 Result Team #2 Round Spectators
July 28, 2013 United States1–0 PanamaFinal57,920

2015 CONCACAF Gold Cup

Date Team #1 Result Team #2 Round Spectators
July 9, 2015 Trinidad and Tobago3–1 GuatemalaGroup C54,126
 Mexico6–0 Cuba

Copa América Centenario
Main article: Copa América Centenario
Date Time (CDT) Team #1 Result Team #2 Round Spectators
June 5, 20164:00PM Jamaica0–1 VenezuelaGroup C25,560
June 7, 20167:00PM United States4–0 Costa RicaGroup A39,642
June 10, 20168:30PM Argentina5–0 PanamaGroup D53,885
June 22, 20167:00PM Colombia0–2 ChileSemi-finals55,423

2019 CONCACAF Gold Cup
Main article: 2019 CONCACAF Gold Cup
Date Time (CDT) Team #1 Result Team #2 Round Spectators
July 7, 20198:15PM Mexico1–0 United StatesFinal62,493

Single events

Special Olympics

The first Special Olympics games were held at Soldier Field on July 20, 1968. The games involved more than 1,000 people with intellectual disabilities from 26 U.S. states and Canada competing in track and field and swimming. In 1970, the second international games occurred, when Special Olympics returned to Soldier Field.[54][55]

Rugby union

The stadium hosted its first international rugby union test match between the United States Eagles and New Zealand All Blacks on November 1, 2014 as part of the 2014 end-of-year rugby union tests.[56] More than half of the 61,500 tickets were sold within two days.[57] The All Blacks beat the Eagles 74–6.[58] The stadium hosted its second international rugby union match on September 5, 2015 with the United States hosting Australia as part of the 2015 Rugby World Cup warm-up matches shortly before both teams were due to travel to England for the 2015 Rugby World Cup.[59] The Eagles were defeated 47–10. Ireland beat New Zealand 40–29 on November 5, 2016 at Soldier Field, as part of the 2016 end-of-year rugby union internationals – the very first time Ireland had beaten the All Blacks in a Test match in 111 years of play.[60]

Date Winner Score Opponent Attendance
November 1, 2014New Zealand 74–6 United States61,500
September 5, 2015Australia 47–10 United States23,212
November 5, 2016Ireland 40–29 New Zealand60,000
November 3, 2018New Zealand 67–6 United States35,051
November 3, 2018Ireland 54–7 Italy35,051
November 3, 2018Māori All Blacks 59–22 United States35,051

Concerts
Fare Thee Well: Celebrating 50 Years of the Grateful Dead in 2015
Date Artist Opening act(s) Tour / concert name Attendance / Capacity Revenue Notes
August 21, 1937 Lily Pons
Rudy Vallee
Jascha Heifetz
Bobby Breen		 N/A 8th Annual Chicagoland Music Festival N/A N/A
August 15, 1964 Johnny Cash
June Carter		 N/A Chicagoland Music Festival N/A N/A
August 9, 1966 Barbra Streisand N/A An Evening with Barbra Streisand Tour N/A N/A
July 18, 1970
Performers
 N/A WCFL's Big Ten Summer Music Festival N/A N/A
June 4, 1977 Emerson, Lake & Palmer Foghat
The J. Geils Band
Climax Blues Band		 ELP Works N/A N/A
June 19, 1977 Pink Floyd N/A In the Flesh Tour 95,000 N/A
July 9, 1977 Lynyrd Skynyrd Point Blank 77,197 N/A
July 10, 1977 Ted Nugent Lynyrd Skynyrd
REO Speedwagon
Journey
.38 Special		 Super Bowl of Rock #3 N/A N/A
August 13, 1977 Peter Frampton Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet Band
Rick Derringer
UFO		 N/A N/A
July 8, 1978 The Rolling Stones Journey
Southside Johnny & The Asbury Jukes
Peter Tosh		 The Rolling Stones US Tour 1978 N/A N/A
August 26, 1978 Parliament-Funkadelic The Bar-Kays
Con Funk Shun
A Taste of Honey		 Funk Fest N/A N/A
July 19, 1980 Smokey Robinson The O'Jays N/A N/A
August 10–18, 1983
Performers
 N/A ChicagoFest N/A N/A
August 9, 1985 Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band N/A Born in the U.S.A. Tour 71,222 / 71,222 $1,228,500
July 31, 1987 Madonna Level 42 Who's That Girl World Tour 47,407 / 47,407 $1,066,658
July 29, 1990 Paul McCartney N/A The Paul McCartney World Tour 55,630 / 55,630 $1,807,975
June 22, 1991 Grateful Dead N/A N/A N/A
June 25, 1992 Steve Miller Band
June 26, 1992
June 18, 1993 Sting
June 19, 1993
July 12, 1994 Pink Floyd N/A The Division Bell Tour 51,981 / 51,981 $2,056,105
July 23, 1994 Grateful Dead Traffic N/A N/A
July 24, 1994
September 11, 1994 The Rolling Stones Lenny Kravitz Voodoo Lounge Tour 90,303 / 90,303 $4,194,320
September 12, 1994
July 8, 1995 Grateful Dead The Band N/A N/A The 1995 Grateful Dead concerts were the band's last, as guitarist and vocalist Jerry Garcia died a month later.[61]
July 9, 1995
July 11, 1995 Pearl Jam Bad Religion
Otis Rush		 Vitalogy Tour N/A N/A Played on the Grateful Dead's Stage
September 14, 1996 Little Feat Taj Mahal N/A N/A
June 27, 1997 U2 Fun Lovin' Criminals PopMart Tour 116,912 / 127,500 $5,956,587
June 28, 1997
June 29, 1997
July 18, 1997
Performers
 N/A Vans Warped Tour N/A N/A
September 23, 1997 The Rolling Stones Blues Traveler Bridges to Babylon Tour 107,186 / 107,186 $6,260,000
September 25, 1997
May 10, 1998 George Strait N/A Country Music Festival Tour N/A N/A
April 25, 1999
May 13, 2000 Wilco N/A N/A N/A
June 29, 2000 Dave Matthews Band Ben Harper & The Innocent Criminals
Ozomatli		 The Summer 2000 Tour 115,006 / 115,006 $5,175,270
June 30, 2000
June 16, 2001 NSYNC BBMak
3LW
Dream		 PopOdyssey 85,650 / 103,903 $4,739,359
June 17, 2001
July 6, 2001 Dave Matthews Band Buddy Guy
Angélique Kidjo		 The Summer 2001 Tour 103,675 / 103,675 $4,834,864
July 7, 2001
September 10, 2005 The Rolling Stones Los Lonely Boys A Bigger Bang 55,046 / 55,046 $7,231,427
July 21, 2006 Bon Jovi Nickelback Have a Nice Day Tour 52,612 / 52,612 $3,988,455
October 11, 2006 The Rolling Stones Elvis Costello & The Imposters A Bigger Bang 33,296 / 33,296 $4,020,721
June 21, 2008 Kenny Chesney Keith Urban
LeAnn Rimes
Luke Bryan
Gary Allan		 The Poets and Pirates Tour 46,463 / 48,585 $4,063,663
October 11–12, 2008
Performers
 N/A Chicago Country Music Festival N/A N/A
June 13, 2009 Kenny Chesney Lady Antebellum
Miranda Lambert
Montgomery Gentry
Sugarland		 Sun City Carnival Tour 48,763 / 50,109 $3,184,606
September 12, 2009 U2 Snow Patrol U2 360° Tour 135,872 / 135,872 $13,860,480
September 13, 2009
June 12, 2010
Performers
 N/A The Bamboozle Roadshow 2010 N/A N/A Event held at Soldier Field parking lot
June 19, 2010 Eagles Dixie Chicks
JD & The Straight Shot		 Long Road Out of Eden Tour 29,233 / 32,420 $3,186,493
July 7, 2010 deadmau5 Rye Rye
Brazilian Girls		 N/A N/A
July 30, 2010 Bon Jovi Kid Rock The Circle Tour 95,959 / 95,959 $8,606,259
July 31, 2010
July 5, 2011 U2 Interpol U2 360° Tour 64,297 / 64,297 $5,786,335
August 23, 2011 Wayne Baker Brooks Sugar Blue N/A N/A
July 7, 2012 Kenny Chesney
Tim McGraw		 Jake Owen
Grace Potter and the Nocturnals		 Brothers of the Sun Tour 51,100 / 51,100 $5,109,399
July 12, 2013 Bon Jovi The J. Geils Band Because We Can 45,178 / 45,178 $4,690,204
July 22, 2013 Jay-Z
Justin Timberlake		 DJ Cassidy Legends of the Summer 52,671 / 52,671 $5,715,152
August 10, 2013 Taylor Swift Ed Sheeran
Casey James
Austin Mahone		 The Red Tour 50,809 / 50,809 $4,149,148
July 24, 2014 Beyoncé
Jay-Z		 N/A On the Run Tour 50,035 / 50,035 $5,783,396
August 29, 2014 One Direction 5 Seconds of Summer Where We Are Tour 104,617 / 104,617 $9,446,247 During the August 29 show, the band performed a cover of "Happy Birthday" by Mildred J. Hill dedicated to Liam, and one of "The Way You Make Me Feel" by Michael Jackson.
August 30, 2014
August 31, 2014 Luke Bryan Dierks Bentley
Lee Brice
Cole Swindell
DJ Rock		 That's My Kind of Night Tour 50,529 / 50,529 $3,754,362
June 6, 2015 Kenny Chesney
Miranda Lambert		 Brantley Gilbert
Chase Rice
Old Dominion		 The Big Revival Tour 43,630 / 48,278 $3,776,207 Chesney was the main headliner, Lambert joined as the co-headliner only for the Chicago show
July 3, 2015 Grateful Dead N/A Fare Thee Well: Celebrating 50 Years of the Grateful Dead 210,283 / 210,283 $30,683,274 50th Anniversary concerts[62]
July 4, 2015
July 5, 2015
July 18, 2015 Taylor Swift Vance Joy
Shawn Mendes
HAIM		 The 1989 World Tour 110,109 / 110,109 $11,469,887 Andy Grammer and Serayah were special guests on the July 18 show
July 19, 2015 Sam Hunt and Andreja Pejić & Lily Donaldson were special guests on the July 19 show
August 23, 2015 One Direction Icona Pop On the Road Again Tour 41,527 / 41,527 $3,382,655
May 27, 2016 Beyoncé Rae Sremmurd The Formation World Tour 89,270 / 89,270 $11,279,890
May 28, 2016 DJ Scratch
July 1, 2016 Guns N' Roses Alice in Chains Not in This Lifetime... Tour 82,172 / 96,088 $8,843,684
July 3, 2016
July 23, 2016 Coldplay Alessia Cara
Foxes		 A Head Full of Dreams Tour 95,323 / 95,323 $10,215,572 The July 23 show was cut short due to inclement weather.[63]
July 24, 2016
June 3, 2017 U2 The Lumineers The Joshua Tree Tour 2017 105,078 / 105,078 $13,435,925
June 4, 2017
June 18, 2017 Metallica Avenged Sevenfold
Local H
Mix Master Mike		 WorldWired Tour 51,041 / 51,041 $6,093,976
August 17, 2017 Coldplay AlunaGeorge
Izzy Bizu		 A Head Full of Dreams Tour 52,726 / 52,726 $6,026,402
June 1, 2018 Taylor Swift Camila Cabello
Charli XCX		 Taylor Swift's Reputation Stadium Tour 105,208 / 105,208 $14,576,697
June 2, 2018
July 28, 2018 Kenny Chesney Thomas Rhett
Old Dominion
Brandon Lay		 Trip Around The Sun Tour 52,189 / 52,189 $5,751,195
August 10, 2018 Beyoncé
Jay-Z		 Chloe X Halle and DJ Khaled On the Run II Tour 86,602 / 86,602 $12,303,099 During the second show, “Summer” was added to the setlist. “Apeshit” was also performed for the first time in its entirety with choreography and background dancers.
August 11, 2018
October 4, 2018 Ed Sheeran Snow Patrol
Lauv		 ÷ Tour 47,263 / 47,263 $4,339,350
May 11, 2019 BTS N/A Love Yourself World Tour 88,156 / 88,156 $13,345,795 [64]
May 12, 2019
June 21, 2019 The Rolling Stones St. Paul and the Broken Bones No Filter Tour 98,228 / 98,228 $21,741,564
June 25, 2019 Whiskey Myers
June 26, 2021 Kenny Chesney Florida Georgia Line

Old Dominion

Michael Franti & Spearhead

 Chillaxification Tour
September 1, 2021 Rammstein Stadium Tour


Other events
President Franklin D. Roosevelt at Soldier Field
Gen. Douglas MacArthur at Soldier Field
Opening ceremonies of the 2006 Gay Games
President Barack Obama throws a football at Soldier Field after the 2012 NATO summit.
  • In the Marvel Comics event Siege, Soldier Field is inadvertently destroyed mid-game by Thor's friend Volstagg when he is tricked into fighting the U-Foes through Loki and Norman Osborn's manipulations of events.[88] The stadium is later seen being rebuilt by the heroes after Steve Rogers is appointed head of U.S. Security, following the aforementioned event.[89]
  • The 1977 documentary film Powers of Ten focuses on two people having a picnic on the east side of Soldier Field.[90]
  • The stadium appears in the 2006 Clint Eastwood–directed movie Flags of Our Fathers, when the survivors of the Iwo Jima flag-raising reenact it for a patriotic rally.[91]
  • The opening match of the 1994 World Cup at Soldier Field was one of the five events covered in the ESPN 30 for 30 documentary June 17, 1994.
  • Soldier Field features (much changed) in August 4017a.d. in From The Highlands short story in David Weber's anthology collection Changer Of Worlds. It appears to have gone through multiple renovations, rebuilds and even having been built over, until nothing but the open space of the original remained.
  • In Tom Clancy's H.A.W.X, one of the games missions takes place in Chicago. Soldier Field can be seen along with the rest of the city.
  • In the 13th episode of Chicago Fire's fourth season, Soldier Field is featured on one of their calls for a terrorist hoax. The stadium appears again in the 21st episode of the fifth season as one of their calls for a high angle rescue. This stadium is featured again in the eighth season as members of firehouse 51 respond to help victims of a deadly infection.
  • Aerial view, c. 1988, behind the stadium is the Field Museum of Natural History
  • View from Northerly Island
  • The stadium mid-renovation in March 2003.
  • Front of bronze mural
  • View towards the western grandstand's cantilever over the original western colonnade
  • Soldier Field nearing completion, 1924
  • Soccer game
gollark: Why do I have a highlight on ewe?
gollark: FEAR anomalous foxes.
gollark: I could probably autoharvest targets from GEORGE, as I mentioned. For purposes.
gollark: Is there an API for that?
gollark: More GEORGEsites™?

See also

References
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  11. Ford, Liam T. A. Ford (2009). Soldier Field: A Stadium and Its City (1st ed.). Chicago: University Of Chicago Press. p. 236. their last home game at Soldier Field, on November 3, 1973
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  88. Siege #1
  89. Avengers (vol. 4) #1
  90. "Powers of Ten". Film and description. Organisation Européenne pour la Recherche Nucléaire (CERN). June 14, 2011. Retrieved August 11, 2011. The zoom-out continues, to a view of 100 meters (10^2 m), then 1 kilometer (10^3 m), and so on, increasing the perspective. The picnic is revealed to be taking place near Soldier Field on Chicago's waterfront, and continuing to zoom out to a field of view of 10^24 meters, or the size of the observable universe.
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Further reading
  • Ford, Liam T. A. (2009). Soldier Field: A Stadium and Its City. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press. ISBN 978-0-226-25706-8. OCLC 317923072.
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