The Morgan Wallen PIT Experience

Morgan Wallen is arguably the hottest musician in the world right now. Although the Swifties might vehemently disagree, the Billboard charts don’t lie.

Considering Wallen’s impressive statistics and massive influence on today’s music landscape, it’s no wonder artists outside of the country music genre – from Lana Del Rey to Machine Gun Kelly – are suddenly racing to release their own country albums.

After having seen countless videos posted online from Wallen’s previous concerts and experiencing crippling FOMO as a result, my friends and I decided that we were finally ready to bite the financial bullet and buy tickets to his “One Night at a Time” World Tour. After all, money comes back – experiences don’t. Since Wallen is collectively our favorite artist, however, we decided that we didn’t want to sit just anywhere – we wanted to be in the coveted PIT section right up against the stage.

Standing in-between us and our dream concert, however, was a nail-biting Ticketmaster pre-sale, which we just narrowly escaped with early-admission PIT tickets, and a year-long concert postponement due to the mandated vocal rest Wallen was put on in April of 2023. While frustrating at the time, these events ultimately made concert day all the more exciting.

When the rescheduled date finally rolled around last month, my friends and I were exhilarated. After all, we had been patiently waiting for the day to arrive since we purchased our tickets in late 2022.

Although Wallen typically doesn’t begin performing until just after 9:00 PM, early admission ticketholders were allowed to claim their spots in the PIT at 4:00 PM. Just prior to unlocking the gates, venue staff informed everyone in line that running to the PIT would not be tolerated and that anyone who dared to do so would be removed and forced to go to the end of the general admission line if they wanted to re-enter. I could only imagine the events that must’ve transpired at previous concerts that led to the venue implementing this rule.

As expected, the entire perimeter of the stage had been claimed within minutes of early admission – a true testament to the passion of Wallen’s fanbase, especially since it’s not an easy feat to stand in place for over five hours. Thankfully, my friends and I secured center stage spots in the second row.

As the rest of the rows closest to the stage began to fill in, competition for space quickly became fierce. One girl standing nearby, who looked to be at least six feet tall, sat down on the ground and spread her arms and legs as far as they would reach, announcing to everyone around her that she was saving space for her friends who were on their way.

As I looked around the slowly-growing crowd, I immediately spotted several people sporting t-shirts with Wallen’s newest mugshot that read, “leave them Broadway chairs alone,” a play on the infamous line from his 2021 hit “Broadway Girls.”

The hour-and-a-half-long wait for the opening acts then began. To pass the time, many in the crowd began talking to the people next to them. Suddenly, I found myself eavesdropping on a conversation taking place behind me, speculating about the reasons behind the infamous Florida Georgia Line breakup. Having interviewed Brian Kelley just a few days prior, I was quick to jump in and throw my support behind the Florida half of the iconic duo.

Before I knew it, I was telling three other strangers behind me about my country lifestyle magazine and recent interview. We all quickly became friendly, talking about everything from school and work to the best and worst country concerts we’ve been to. By the time Lauren Watkins glided onto the stage to open the show, it felt like only a few minutes had passed.

Six songs later, it was time for the first break of the night. At that point, it started to get chilly, and some people dared to leave their spots in the crowd to go to the bathroom or grab food. Two friends who were both leaving asked the strangers next to them to save their spots, and told everyone around them to remember their faces because they would be back shortly – seemingly insinuating that there would be trouble if anyone tried to steal their spots.

Half an hour later, ERNEST emerged from backstage wearing a leather jacket with a giant eagle and his catchphrase, “Legalize Country Music” emblazoned on the back. A black-and-white video of the Tennessee state flag waving majestically played on a loop in the background as he put on a soulful eight-song performance.

After everyone in the crowd sang their hearts out to “Flower Shops” and ERNEST left the stage, it was apparent that many people’s backs and feet were beginning to hurt. By then, we were nearly three hours into the night, with about three hours left to go before Wallen’s debut. The wind then started to pick up and, even though it didn’t look like rain, many claimed it was imminent.

As Wallen’s showtime neared, attempts to seat-steal became more aggressive. It seemed as though everyone began inching towards the stage as much as possible – majorly invading other people’s personal space in the process.

My friends then left in search of food, leaving me to defend their places in the crowd. While they were gone, a teenaged couple who came out of nowhere and couldn’t stop PDA-ing tried to steal their spots. When my friends eventually maneuvered their way back with chicken fingers and fries in hand, however, the couple was thankfully forced back to wherever they had come from, but not without first putting up a little bit of a fight.

As the sun began to set and the stadium grew even chillier, Parker McCollum coolly strode onto the stage wearing Ray-Bans, a Raising Cane’s bomber jacket, jeans, and boots. Holding a shiny gold microphone, he introduced himself as a Texas boy before delving into “Like a Cowboy” and a handful of other hits.

By the end of his set, there was just one hour remaining until Wallen’s showtime. This realization seemed to immediately wash over many in the PIT, re-energizing those who, until then, had grown tired and cold from standing in place for four hours.

Unsurprisingly, space in the crowd then became even more limited than it had been all night, as seemingly everyone pressed closer to the stage, eager to secure an unobstructed view.

Shortly before 9:30PM, the stage lights suddenly went out, and the haunting but nevertheless well-loved intro to “Broadway Girls” started reverberating throughout the stadium. Excited screaming and cheering ensued before everyone whipped out their phones and began scream-singing along.

Halfway through the song, a live feed of Wallen’s journey to the stage was broadcasted on the stadium’s massive screens for all to see, causing another wave of even louder screams and cheers.

As “Broadway Girls” ended and Wallen hopped out of the UTV he had been riding in, a fast-paced EDM remix of “Ain’t That Some” began, followed by streams of stage fog that led to the back of the stage where Wallen was no doubt going to pop out of any second.

Red lasers from the concert’s accompanying light show then lit up the stadium, and a spotlight was trained on the back of the stage. In perfect time with the song’s beat drop, several bursts of fire, and the start of the anticipated rainfall, Wallen kicked down the wooden stage doors, finally making his highly-anticipated grand entrance (and, yes, it really was timed that perfectly, although I still can’t figure out how he was able to get the skies to open up the very second he walked on stage).

As the crowd roared with excitement, not even taking note of the rain, Wallen, dressed in a white long-sleeve shirt, ripped jeans, boots, and a camo ball cap, energetically ran to the front of the stage to greet everyone. He then opened the show with a full rendition of “Ain’t That Some,” complete with beat-synced bursts of fire so hot they could even be felt by people standing a few rows back from the stage.

When the song ended, Wallen took a moment to acknowledge the fact that all of the night’s attendees had purchased their tickets back in 2022, and graciously thanked everyone for being patient with him. He then paused on stage for a moment, seemingly awestruck at the overwhelming number of fans in the stadium.

As he stood reveling, the crowd’s cheers progressively got louder. After about thirty seconds of just standing on stage, taking in the non-stop screaming, Wallen commented on his surprise at the large turnout in our city. Seconds later, a “USA” chant broke out in the PIT. With a smile and a “Hell yeah,” Wallen then quickly introduced the next song.

Half an hour later, the first bra of the night was thrown. Wallen then picked it up and hung it on a microphone stand, where it swayed in the breeze as he performed acoustic versions of “Cover Me Up,” “Thought You Should Know,” and “Lies, Lies, Lies.” The owner had printed her cell phone number in large font in black Sharpie across the entire bra, and it was broadcasted on the stadium’s screens for all 40,000 attendees to see.

Shortly after Wallen started performing “Thought You Should Know,” a father whose young daughter was sitting on his shoulders bulldozed his way from the back of the PIT to the front, directly in front of Wallen. The bold act earned a smile from Wallen, but dirty looks from everyone else in the surrounding area. The venue security was also not pleased, and immediately escorted the man back to his original spot.

A few songs later, ERNEST joined Wallen on stage for “Cowgirls.” Mid-song, a second bra was thrown in Wallen’s direction. After he picked the bra up off of the stage, he snuck up behind ERNEST and placed it around his neck. Glancing back with a sly grin, ERNEST then grabbed the bra and waved it in the air as he sang before tossing it back into the PIT.

With each passing song, Wallen’s love for his fans became more and more evident. Although the PIT section seemed to span the entire width of the inside of the stadium, Wallen made sure to spend equal time on both sides of the stage, as well as in the center. He would also momentarily pause to autograph a hat or sign, grab a fan’s phone to take a selfie, and wave at various people in the crowd. While some girls had normal reactions upon receiving a wave from Wallen, others would scream like they were on a rollercoaster at an amusement park just after it does a zero-gravity drop.

By the end of the night, both Wallen and the crowd had given it their all. As Wallen wound down the show with a final “thank you” and “God bless you all,” fans began exiting the stadium, along with their raspy voices, achy backs, and camera rolls full of unforgettable memories (and, if you’re the girl who threw the first bra of the night, likely several missed calls and texts).

The Morgan Wallen PIT experience is simply unbeatable. Although it’s some of the most competitive real estate in the concert world, it’s worth every penny, sore body part, and hour spent standing in place. If you’re like my friends and I, and you’re debating whether you should buy PIT tickets to Wallen’s next tour, the answer, by now, should be unequivocal.