Morgan Wallen at American Family Field: What you need to know before the country star's tour kickoff in Milwaukee
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Morgan Wallen is polarizing, temporarily deemed ineligible at awards shows, canceling festival appearances and having songs pulled from radio stations after video circulated of him saying a racial slur in 2021. (He apologized and fulfilled a pledge to donate $500,000 to Black-serving organizations, according to USA Today).
But the country star is wildly popular. For the past four weeks (at least), he has had the No. 1 album in the country; the 36-track "One Thing at a Time" received the fifth-largest streaming week ever, and the largest streaming week ever for a country album.
That follows "Dangerous: The Double Album," which was No. 1 when Wallen's controversy broke, and ultimately stayed in the top spot for 10 weeks. Last fall, it became the longest-running album in Billboard magazine's top 10 for a solo artist in any genre.
And here's further proof of Wallen's superstardom: He'll be the first artist to play consecutive stadium shows in Milwaukee, at American Family Field April 14 and 15, for the kickoff of his North American "One Night at a Time" tour.
Here's everything you need to know before going to the shows.
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When do gates and parking open for Wallen's American Family Field show?
The parking lots open at 2:30 p.m. for each show, three hours before the first act takes the stage. That seems like a lot of time, but you may still want to head over to the stadium on the earlier side Friday, considering the history of terrible traffic to Brewers' ballpark concerts on working days. Saturday should be a bit easier traffic-wise, but give yourself plenty of time to get into the lots. And give yourself extra time to walk into the stadium, with security checks at the five public entrances expected to cause backups. The gates open at 4 p.m. for each show.
How much is parking? (Tip: Save money by paying in advance.)
There's two reasons to get your parking in advance: A spot will be guaranteed (not a given if you just pull up to pay), and it'll be cheaper. For general parking in advance, it’s $25 per day, or $40 for a spot in a preferred lot closer to the stadium. You can buy parking at brewers.com/wallen. On the day of the concert, it'll cost $30 for general parking, or $50 for a preferred spot.
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Not driving? Here are some other options for getting to the Wallen concerts.
Milwaukee County Transit System offers two routes that'll drop you off within walking distance of the ballpark: the GoldLine on Wisconsin Avenue and Route 18 on National Avenue. Get the schedule and more information at ridemcts.com.
If you take a cab to the concert, you'll get dropped off at the transit area located outside Helfaer Field, where you can also grab a cab after the show. Drop-off and pick-up for Uber and Lyft is in the Gantner parking lot, but be warned: Last year, the area was mobbed after Kenny Chesney's American Family Field show, and there was hardly any order to the lines.
You also can check with bars that typically offer shuttle service to Brewers games, to see if they'll do the same for the Wallen shows.
Are tickets still available? How much are they?
The shows are practically sold out, but there are a handful of tickets available directly from ticketmaster.com. (And only Ticketmaster — you can't buy them at the Brewers box office.) For the April 14 show, prices range from $192.70 (including fees) for the back rows in the 200 sections to $814.15 (also including fees) for a couple of first-row seats behind the pit on the field. There are even fewer seats for the April 15 show, which went on sale first, but there's a wider range of options, from $102.70 (fees included) for a lone seat on the 300 level, up to a whopping $1,031.95 for pit access (fees included).
You might be able to score some cheaper seats through resellers. As of this writing, tickets started at $142 for April 14 and $168 for April 15, fees included, through Seatgeek. Stubhub has a similar starting price, around $140 (including estimated fees) for April 14 and $169 for April 15.
What to do if your tickets are on the field or at will call
Fans with tickets for the field will need to get a wristband to get access to their seats. Wristband stations will open at 4 p.m., located on the field level concourse near Sections 110, 118 and 127. Each ticketholder will need to present a barcode for their field seat to redeem a wristband.
If your tickets are waiting at will call, you can pick them up at the box office near the home plate gate. Tickets will only be distributed to the designated will-call contact, who must present their ID and credit card used for the purchase.
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How to contact security if there's an issue
If there’s a problem, text “Crew” and explain the issue to 41835. You also can flag a staff member or visit one of three guest relations booths, at the field level behind Section 116, the loge level behind Section 222, or the terrace level behind Section 419. Signs cannot be more than 18 by 24 inches, cannot be attached to poles or handles, and cannot be inappropriate. And there’s no standing around in the aisles or on the seats.
Country artists and collaborators Hardy, Ernest and Bailey Zimmerman will open
Two of Wallen’s frequent openers, collaborators and friends Hardy and Ernest, are on the bill in Milwaukee. In addition to their own sets, they tend to make appearances with Wallen, and likely will do so again in Milwaukee. Get there early for the first opener, Bailey Zimmerman, who's already scored a top 10 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 with the relationship ballad "Rock and a Hard Place" ahead of his debut album out next month.
What will Morgan Wallen play in Milwaukee?
Considering Milwaukee will be the first shows of his North American tour, we can't say for sure. Although Wallen released his first album in 2018, there's a lot to choose from. His last three albums had a combined 80 songs, not including bonus tracks. He won't get to everything, although his biggest hits — including "Last Night," "7 Summers," "Wasted on You," "You Proof," "Thought You Should Know" and "One Thing at a Time,” all top 10 hits on the Billboard Hot 100 — are likely to make an appearance. And there’s a good chance the Milwaukee setlists will resemble the ones he had in New Zealand last month — where he touched on 28 songs.
Contact Piet at (414) 223-5162 or plevy@journalsentinel.com. Follow him on Twitter at @pietlevy or Facebook at facebook.com/PietLevyMJS.
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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Morgan Wallen in Milwaukee: What you need to know, tickets to parking
