Highmark Stadium

Información del lugar

Formerly known as: Rich Stadium (1973–1997) Ralph Wilson Stadium (1998–2015) New Era Field (2016–2019) Bills Stadium (2020–2021) It is the home for the Buffalo Bills, of the NFL. What is now known as Ralph Wilson Stadium, also known as "The Ralph", was commissioned as a result of the AFL–NFL merger. While suitable for American Football League play, Buffalo War Memorial Stadium was both in disrepair and deemed undersized for a National Football League team, with a capacity of under 47,000 (league mandates instituted after the merger dictated a minimum of 50,000 seats). The stadium opened in 1973. The construction of the stadium and its location were the source of years of litigation, which ended with a financial settlement for a developer who had planned to erect an all-weather stadium in Lancaster, New York. Concerts Occasional concerts that had high demand were prominently held at the stadium, during the 1970's-2001, including The Grateful Dead, as documented on their Truckin' Up to Buffalo CD/DVD. The stadium held The Monsters of Rock Festival, featuring Van Halen, Scorpions, Dokken, Metallica & Kingdom Come, on June 19, 1988. There were notable large concerts that were scheduled to take place at the stadium but was later canceled. Led Zeppelin was set to perform at the stadium on their 1977 North American Tour. The concert was canceled due to the death of lead singer Robert Plant's son. The last concert that would have played at the stadium was a Bruce Springsteen concert in 2003. That concert was canceled due to low ticket sales and moved to the smaller Darien Lake Performing Arts Center instead. Concert appearances began to wane in the 1990's at the stadium. No concerts have been held at the stadium since 2001. This was due to the availability of other venues such as Art Park, Darien Lake Performing Arts Center and HSBC Arena, which opened in 1996, replacing Buffalo Memorial Auditorium in downtown Buffalo.