Soldier Field celebrates 100th birthday this month, has seen its fair share of history

CHICAGO -- In one of many concerts at Soldier Field this year, Pink recently sang and flew around the historic stadium to a sold-out crowd. While it's best known for hosting the Chicago Bears, Soldier Field - which turns 100 years old this month - may be busier now than ever.

"This building has been so successful for 100 years now. While the cosmetics change, the events still keep coming," said Luca Serra, marketing director.

And over the last century, Soldier Field has hosted a pretty wide variety of events.

In 1927, the stadium hosted the heavyweight championship boxing match between Jack Dempsey and Gene Tunney. In 1964, it held a civil rights rally featured Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

The largest crowd for football was a college game between Notre Dame and the University of Southern California in 1927. And the largest crowd for any event was more than 250,000 people who filled every inch of space inside and outside the stadium for the Catholic Eucharistic Congress in 1954.

"We're so luck to have a place that all walks of life can come to and enjoy," Serra said.

The biggest crowd for a single concert was for Ed Sheeran in 2023, with more than 70,000 in attendance. But seating capacity depends on where the stage is set up. Among the record-tying eight shows in 2024 are concerts from Kenny Chesney, George Strait, Metallica and Billy Joel to name a few.

The Chicago Park District is grateful. In a statement, CEO Rosa Escareno said Soldier Field contributes to Chicago's vibrant cultural landscape and generates vital revenue that directly supports parks and programming.

The Bears have only played in Soldier Field for the last 50 or so years. While they are now pursuing a new stadium, the legacy of Soldier Field continues.

"One of the things people don't understand is this stadium is used over 200 event days a year," Serra said.

The concert schedule is wrapped up for this year, and only one more Chicago Fire game is scheduled. The Bears will be the primary tenant for this year for large events. But they're already looking ahead to next year and an even bigger concert schedule.