Kinnick concert raises logistical issues

IOWA CITY - The first-ever concert to be held at the University of Iowa's Kinnick Stadium is forcing university officials to step back and take a look at the accommodations.

These include staging and quick access to the stadium to build and equip a stage.

The April 18 concert will be part of the 2008 Gridiron Bash one of several events on Division I college campuses throughout the nation tied to spring football at the colleges. Singer and American Idol season one winner Kelly Clarkson will headline the Iowa City concert.

MSL Sports and Entertainment, a Manhattan, N.Y., entertainment company promoting the show, contacted the UI Athletics Department about 10 months ago to see if a venue was available.

The Athletics Department and its facilities team are taking a lot of things into consideration to make sure the concert goes off without a hitch because the stadium was not designed for outdoor concerts.

"One of the big hurdles is staging," Rick Klatt, UI associate athletics director of external affairs, said Tuesday. He said staging will be similar to that at a Super Bowl. It will be lightweight, portable and easily removable.

But first, workers have to get it in there. "There are two ways we could bring it in," UI athletics facilities director Damian Simcox said. "We could wheel it out and put it together or we could crane it in."

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