On Saturday night, Steinbrenner Field hosted it's first concert in 18 years. According to the Tampa Bay Times Soundcheck blog, rock bands Linkin Park and Thirty Seconds to Mars played in front of 14,931 fans at the home of the Tampa Yankees.
While concerts have been played at baseball fields for years - The Beatles played Shea Stadium in New York in 1965 - the post-game phenomenon is a relatively new marketing ploy to get fans to the ballpark.
The Tampa Bay Rays have been hosting post-game concerts since 2008. From 2008 to 2013, concerts have added 8.44% to Friday attendance, 5.21% to Saturday attendance, and 10.84% to Sunday attendance.
This year, the Clearwater Threshers started booking post-game concerts. The Threshers have hosted acts such as Coolio, Jamie Lynn Spears, and The Black Honkeys. An O-Town concert is scheduled for later this month. So far, Threshers post-game concerts are averaging 3,221 fans, 437 (15.7%) more than their average attendance.
According to TBT Soundcheck editor Jay Cridlin, no additional shows are booked for Steinbrenner Field. But after the success of Saturday night, there may be a new concert venue in town and the Tampa Yankees could have an new asset in the battle to get fans in the seats.