University of Iowa’s hallowed Hawkeye football grounds have never seen a conversion like this week’s blitz.
Transforming the stadium into a concert venue for Saturday’s Back Porch Revival country music show — featuring the likes of Tucker Beathard, Big & Rich, Thomas Rhett and headliner Blake Shelton — is taking a Herculean effort that includes forklifts, unique sound checks, goal post removal and a 246,000-pound crane.
Kinnick was designed for football, not concerts, which means much of the equipment needed to set up the show doesn’t fit through the stadium’s narrow tunnels.
An All Terrain crane from Tri-State Crane & Rigging Services in Cedar Rapids hoisted in rigging, United Rentals Broderson 18-ton IC-250 carry deck crane, a Blackhawk Rental Genie S-65 telescopic boom lift, and a Genie GTH-5519 compact telehandler over the stadium’s north wall. Assisting in the transformation of the stadium was a CAT telehandler, a Shuttlelift CD5560B Industrial Carry Deck Crane.
“I think they said the crane is 246,000 pounds, so we had to have our engineers decide if that (concrete just off the street) would hold that crane,” Jennings said.
In typical concert fashion, stage teardown and equipment loadout is to begin immediately after Saturday’s show and continue all night and all day Sunday, Jennings said. The crane returns Monday and by Tuesday the flooring is to be gone.
Things need to move quickly since kickoff for the UI football season begins Sept. 3, when the Hawkeyes face Miami of Ohio at 2:30 p.m.
By Diana Nollen
