Soldier Field

Soldier Field is a multi-purpose stadium on the Near South Side of Chicago, Illinois, United States. Opened in 1924, the stadium has served as the home of the Chicago Bears of the National Football League since 1971, as well as Chicago Fire FC of Major League Soccer since 2020. It also regularly hosts stadium concerts and other large crowd events. The stadium has a football capacity of 62,500, making it the smallest stadium in the NFL. Soldier Field is also the oldest stadium in the NFL and MLS.
The stadium's interior was rebuilt as part of a major renovation project in 2002 and 2003, which modernized the facility but lowered its seating capacity, eventually causing it to be delisted as a National Historic Landmark in 2006. Soldier Field has served as the home venue for a number of other sports teams in its history, including the [History of the Chicago (band)|Chicago Cardinals|Chicago Cardinals] of the NFL and [Notre Dame Fighting Irish football|University of 1929 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team|Notre Dame football]. It hosted the 1994 FIFA World Cup, the 1999 FIFA Women's World Cup, and multiple CONCACAF Gold Cup championships. In 1968, it hosted the inaugural World Games of the Special Olympics, as well as its second World Games in 1970. Other historic events have included large rallies with speeches, including by Amelia Earhart, Franklin D. Roosevelt, and Martin Luther King Jr.

WWW soldierfield.com

History

On December 3, 1919, Chicago-based architectural firm Holabird & Roche was chosen to design the stadium, which broke ground on August 11, 1922. The stadium cost $13 million to construct, a large sum for a sporting venue at that time. On October 9, 1924, the 53rd anniversary of the Great Chicago Fire, the stadium was officially dedicated as "Grant Park Stadium", although it had hosted a few events before then, including a field day for Chicago police officers on September 6, and the stadium's first football game, between Louisville Male High School and Austin Community Academy High School, on October 4. On November 22, the stadium hosted its first college football game, in which Notre Dame defeated Northwestern University 13–6.
On November 11, 1925, the stadium's name was changed to Soldier Field, in dedication to U.S. soldiers who had died in combat during World War I. Its formal rededication as Soldier Field was held during the 29th annual playing of the Army–Navy Game on November 27, 1926. Several months earlier, in June 1926, the stadium hosted several events during the 28th International Eucharistic Congress, the first held in the United States. During the Century of Progress World's Fair in 1933, it served as the main stage.
The stadium's design is in the Neoclassical style, with Doric columns rising above the East and West entrances. In its earliest configuration, Soldier Field was capable of seating 74,280 spectators, and was in the shape of a U. Additional seating could be added along the interior field, upper promenades, and on the large, open field and terrace beyond the north endzone, bringing the seating capacity to over 100,000. It was estimated that 123,000 fans saw Notre Dame defeat [1929 1929 USC Trojans football team|USC Trojans football team|USC] 13–12 on November 16, 1929.

Chicago Bears move in

Before they moved into the stadium, the Chicago Bears had played select charity games at Soldier Field as early as, when they played their former crosstown rivals, the Chicago Cardinals. The Cardinals also used the stadium as their home field for their final season in the city in 1959.
In, the Bears moved into Soldier Field full-time, originally with a three-year commitment. The team previously played home games at Wrigley Field, the home stadium of the Chicago Cubs of Major League Baseball, but were forced to move to a larger venue due to post-AFL–NFL merger policies requiring that stadium capacities seat at least 50,000 spectators as well as lighting for potential night games. The Bears had initially intended to build a stadium in Arlington Heights, but the property did not fit the league's specifications.
On September 19, 1971, the Bears played their first home game at Soldier Field, in which they defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers 17–15. In 1978, the Bears and the Chicago Park District agreed to a 20-year lease and renovation of the stadium; both parties pooled their resources for the renovation. The playing surface was AstroTurf from 1971 until 1987, and was replaced with natural grass in 1988. On February 27, 1987, Soldier Field was designated a National Historic Landmark.

Replacement talks

In 1989, Soldier Field's future was in jeopardy after a proposal was created for a "McDome", which was intended to be a domed stadium for the Bears, but was rejected by the Illinois Legislature in 1990. Because of this, Bears president Michael McCaskey considered relocation as a possible factor for a new stadium. The Bears had also purchased options in Hoffman Estates, Elk Grove Village and Aurora. In 1995, McCaskey announced that he and Northwest Indiana developers agreed to construction of an entertainment complex called "Planet Park", which would also include a new stadium. However, the plan was rejected by the Lake County Council, and in 1998, then-Chicago mayor Richard M. Daley proposed that the Bears share Comiskey Park with the Chicago White Sox.

Renovations

Beginning in 1978, the plank seating was replaced by individual seats with backs and armrests. In 1982, a new press box, as well as 60 skyboxes, were added to the stadium, boosting its capacity to 66,030. In 1988, 56 more skyboxes were added, increasing capacity to 66,946. Capacity was slightly increased to 66,950 in 1992. By 1994, however, capacity was slightly reduced to 66,944. During the renovation, seating capacity was reduced to 55,701 by building a grandstand in the open end of the U shape. This moved the field closer to both ends in order to move the fans closer to the field, at the expense of seating capacity. The front row 50-yard line seats were only away from the sidelines, the shortest distance of all NFL stadiums until MetLife Stadium opened in 2010 with a distance of.

2002–03 renovation and landmark delisting

In 2001, the Chicago Park District, which owns the structure, faced substantial criticism when it announced plans to alter the stadium with a design by Benjamin T. Wood and Carlos Zapata of Boston-based architecture firm Wood + Zapata. The stadium grounds were reconfigured by the Chicago architecture firm, Lohan Associates, led by architect Dirk Lohan, grandson of Ludwig Mies van der Rohe. The stadium's interior would be demolished, with a new seating bowl built within the existing walls in an example of facadism. Alice Hoffman of Hoffman Management Partners was hired by the Bears just after completion of Ravens Stadium at Camden Yards, and was responsible for bringing together the project team. Her company was the developer's representative for the Bears, and held the contracts for the architects, demolition, and construction companies.
On January 19, 2002, the night of the Bears' playoff loss to the Philadelphia Eagles, demolition began as tailgate fires still burned in trash cans in the parking lots. The removal of 24,000 stadium seats in 36 hours by Archer Seating Clearinghouse, a speed record never exceeded since, was the first step in building the new Soldier Field. Nostalgic Bears fans recalling the team's glory seasons, as well as some retired players, picked up their seats in the South parking lot. The foremen on the job were Grant Wedding, who installed the seats himself in 1979, and Mark Wretschko, an executive for the factory who made the new seats. As Soldier Field underwent renovation, the Bears spent the 2002 NFL season playing their home games at Memorial Stadium at the University of Illinois. On September 29,, the Bears played their first game at the renovated Soldier Field, in which they were defeated by the Green Bay Packers, 38–23. The total funding for the renovation cost $632 million; taxpayers were responsible for $432 million, while the Bears and the NFL contributed $200 million.
Several writers and columnists lambasted the Soldier Field renovation project as an aesthetic, political, and financial nightmare. The project received mixed reviews within the architecture community, with criticism from civic and preservation groups. Prominent architect and native Chicagoan Stanley Tigerman called it "a fiasco." Chicago Tribune architecture critic Blair Kamin dubbed it the "Eyesore on the Lake Shore," while others called it "Monstrosity on the Midway" or "Mistake by the Lake". The renovation was described by some as if "a spaceship landed on the stadium". Lohan responded:

"It's going to be an ultramodern stadium within the walls of the traditional structure, Why is that so bad? Why does that upset people? … We brainstormed this whole thing and decided to do a contemporary stadium that has all the features and qualities of a new stadium but retains the old façade and colonnades. The fact that the seating bowl is so high and reaches over the colonnades is something that is the direct result of the geometry of the sightlines that are now required for stadiums. That makes the slope of the seating shell the way it is."

Proponents of the renovation argued that it was badly needed because of the stadium's aging and cramped facilities. The New York Times named the renovated Soldier Field one of the five best new buildings of 2003. Soldier Field was given an award in design excellence by the American Institute of Architects in 2004. The stadium received many awards after completion, including project of the year by Midwest Construction Magazine, the Best Open Space Project Award by The Friends of Downtown, and the 2004 Excellence in Structural Engineering Award for "Best Structure" by The Structural Engineers Association of Illinois.
On September 23, 2004, as a result of the renovation, a 10-member federal advisory committee unanimously recommended that Soldier Field be delisted as a National Historic Landmark. The recommendation to delist was prepared by Carol Ahlgren, an architectural historian at the National Park Service's Midwest Regional Office in Omaha, Nebraska, who was quoted in Preservation Online stating, "if we had let this stand, I believe it would have lowered the standard of National Historic Landmarks throughout the country.... If we want to keep the integrity of the program, let alone the landmarks, we really had no other recourse." The stadium lost the landmark designation on February 17, 2006.

Subsequent developments

In May 2012, Soldier Field became the first NFL stadium to achieve LEED status, a program intended to award environmentally sustainable buildings.
On July 9, 2019, the Chicago Fire of Major League Soccer announced an agreement with the Village of Bridgeview to release the team from their lease with SeatGeek Stadium, where they had played since 2006. As a result, the Fire returned to Soldier Field for the 2020 MLS season.
On June 17, 2021, the Chicago Bears submitted a bid for the Arlington Park Racetrack property, making a move from Soldier Field to a new venue more possible. On September 29, the Bears and Churchill Downs Incorporated announced that they had reached an agreement for the property.
On September 5,, the Kentucky bluegrass was replaced with Bermuda grass after poor field conditions were noted during a preseason game on August 13.
In February 2022, Mayor Lori Lightfoot announced the formation a working group to study and "make recommendations for strategic investments and reimagine Chicago's lakefront collection of iconic cultural venues and open space," inclusive of Soldier Field.
In April 2024, Dirk Lohan released a proposal for a roof structure over the stadium.

Public transportation

The closest Chicago 'L' station to Soldier Field is the Roosevelt station on the Orange, Green and Red lines. The Chicago Transit Authority also operates the #128 Soldier Field Express bus route to the stadium from Ogilvie Transportation Center and Union Station. There are also two Metra stations close by: the Museum Campus/11th Street station on the Metra Electric Line, which also is used by South Shore Line trains, and 18th Street, which is only served by the Metra Electric Line. Pace also provides access from the Northwest, West and Southwest suburbs to the stadium with four express routes from Schaumburg, Lombard, Bolingbrook, Burr Ridge, Palos Heights and Oak Lawn.

Facility contracts

The pouring rights of non-alcoholic beverages at Soldier Field were held by The Coca-Cola Company from at least 1992 until 2012, when the Bears signed a contract with Dr Pepper Snapple Group, making it the only stadium in the NFL then to have such rights held by the company. With the 2003 renovation, the Bears gained power in striking sponsorship deals at Soldier Field; the Miller Brewing Company was given the pouring rights of alcoholic beverages, while Delaware North Sportservice was named the food and beverage service provider. Aramark took over service operations at the stadium when the latter contract expired in 2013.

Events

American football

Single events

The stadium hosted its first football game on October 4, 1924, between Louisville Male High School and Chicago's Austin Community Academy High School; Louisville's team won 26–0.
Over 100,000 spectators attended the 1926 Army–Navy Game. It would decide the national championship, as [1926 1926 Navy Midshipmen football team|Navy Midshipmen football team|Navy] entered undefeated and [1926 1926 Army Cadets football team|Army Cadets football team|Army] had lost only to Notre Dame. The game lived up to its hype, and even though it ended in a 21–21 tie, Navy was awarded the national championship.
The all-time collegiate attendance record of 123,000+ was established November 26, 1927, as Notre Dame beat the USC Trojans 7–6. Subsequently, in 2016, 150,000+ attended a game between the Virginia Tech Hokies and Tennessee Volunteers at Bristol Speedway.
Austin defeated Leo to win the 1937 Chicago Prep Bowl; another contender for the highest attendance ever. The Chicago Prep Bowl games are held at Soldier Field yearly on the day after Thanksgiving. The bowl game is older than the IHSA state championship tournament held since the 1960s.
The stadium was host to 41 College All-Star Games, an exhibition between the previous year's NFL champion and a team of collegiate all-star players prior to their reporting to their new professional teams training camps. This game was discontinued after the 1976 NFL season. The final game in 1976 was halted in the third quarter when a torrential thunderstorm broke out and play was never resumed.
The University of Notre Dame has hosted two games at Soldier Field, as part of their Shamrock Series. The first was in 2012, against the University of Miami, with another, against the [2021 Wisconsin Badgers men's ice hockey|Wisconsin Badgers football team|University of Wisconsin-Madison], following in 2021.

College football

[Northern Illinois 2011 Northern Illinois Huskies football team|Huskies football|Northern Illinois Huskies] play select games at Soldier Field, all of which have featured them hosting a team from the Big Ten Conference. Northern Illinois University is located in DeKalb, to the west on Interstate 88.

On September 1, 2007, NIU faced the University of Iowa in the first Division I College Football game at Soldier Field since the 2002 renovations. The Hawkeyes defeated the Huskies 16–3.
On September 17, 2011, the Huskies returned to play the Wisconsin Badgers in a game that was called "Soldier Field Showdown II". The eventual Big Ten champion Badgers topped NIU 49–7.
On September 1, 2012, NIU hosted the Iowa Hawkeyes in a season opener that was called "Soldier Field Showdown III". The Hawkeyes narrowly defeated the Huskies 18–17.

Notre Dame Fighting Irish football used the stadium as home field for the 1929 season while Notre Dame Stadium was being constructed. The school has used Soldier Field for single games on occasion both prior to and since the 1929 season, and boasts an undefeated 10–0–2 record there. At Soldier Field, Notre Dame has played Northwestern four times, USC and Wisconsin twice, and Army, Drake, Great Lakes Naval Base, Navy, and Miami once each.

Motorsport

Beginning in the 1940s and through the late-1960s, motorsport races regularly were held on a short track at the stadium. In 1956 and 1957, NASCAR held races at the stadium, including a NASCAR Cup race.
In the early-to-mid 1980s saw the US Hot Rod Association host Truck and Tractor Sled Pull Competitions and Monster Truck exhibitions here. The engines on some of the vehicles would echo through the skyscrapers in downtown Chicago as they made their pull. Damage to the stadium turf on a few of the event occasion's led USHRA to move events to the Rosemont Horizon.

Ice hockey

On February 7, 2013, the stadium hosted a high school hockey game between St. Rita High School from the city's Southwest side and Fenwick High School from suburban Oak Park.
The Notre Dame Fighting Irish and Miami RedHawks played a doubleheader on February 17, 2013, with the Wisconsin Badgers and Minnesota Golden Gophers in the Hockey City Classic, the first outdoor hockey game in the history of the stadium. A Chicago Gay Hockey Association intra-squad game was held in affiliation with the Hockey City Classic.
On March 1, 2014, the Chicago Blackhawks played against the Pittsburgh Penguins as part of the NHL Stadium Series. The Blackhawks defeated the Penguins 5–1 before a sold-out crowd of 62,921. The team also held its 2015 Stanley Cup Championship celebration at the stadium instead of Grant Park, where other city championships have typically been held, due to recent rains.
On February 7, 2015, Soldier Field hosted another edition of the Hockey City Classic. The event had been delayed due to unusually warm weather and complications with the quality of the ice. The 2015 edition of the Hockey City Classic featured a match between Miami University and Western Michigan, followed by a match between the Big Ten's Michigan and Michigan State On February 5, the organizers of the Hockey City Classic organized the Unite on the Ice event benefiting St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. The event was centered upon a celebrity hockey game with former NHL and AHL players, as well as a public free skate at Soldier Field. Participants in the celebrity game included Éric Dazé, Jamal Mayers and Gino Cavallini. Denis Savard was in attendance, serving as an honorary coach during the game. On February 15, 2015, Soldier Field hosted another Chicago Gay Hockey Association intra-league match in association with the Hockey City Classic.

Date	Away Team	Result	Home Team	Spectators
February 7, 2013	St. Rita High School	0–3	Fenwick High School	unknown
February 17, 2013	Miami (OH)	1–2	Notre Dame	52,051
February 17, 2013	Minnesota	2–3	Wisconsin	52,051
March 1, 2014	Pittsburgh Penguins	1–5	Chicago Blackhawks	62,921
February 7, 2015	Miami	4–3	Western Michigan	22,751
February 7, 2015	Michigan State	1–4	Michigan	22,751

Soccer

[1994 FIFA World Cup]

Date	Time	Team #1	Result	Team #2	Round	Spectators
June 17, 1994	2:00PM	'	1–0		Group C (opening match)	63,117
June 21, 1994	3:00PM		1–1		Group C	63,113
June 26, 1994	11:30AM		0–4	'	Group D	63,160
June 27, 1994	3:00PM		1–3	'	Group C	63,089
July 2, 1994	11:00AM	'	3–2		Round of 16	60,246

[1999 FIFA Women's World Cup]

Date	Time	Team #1	Result	Team #2	Round	Spectators
June 24, 1999	17.00	'	2–0		Group B	65,080
June 24, 1999	19.00	'	7–1		Group A	65,080
June 26, 1999	16.00		0–2	'	Group D	34,256
June 26, 1999	18.30	'	4–0		Group C	34,256

[CONCACAF Gold Cup]s

2007 CONCACAF Gold Cup

Date	Team #1	Result	Team #2	Round	Spectators
21 June 2007		1–2	'	Semifinals	50,760
21 June 2007	'	1–0		Semifinals	50,760
June 24, 2007	'	2–1		Final	60,000

2009 CONCACAF Gold Cup

Date	Team #1	Result	Team #2	Round	Spectators
23 July 2009		1–2	'	Semifinals	55,173
23 July 2009		1–1	'	Semifinals	55,173

2011 CONCACAF Gold Cup

Date	Team #1	Result	Team #2	Round	Spectators
12 June 2011	'	6–1		Group A	62,000
12 June 2011	'	4–1		Group A	62,000

2013 CONCACAF Gold Cup

Date	Team #1	Result	Team #2	Round	Spectators
July 28, 2013	'	1–0		Final	57,920

2015 CONCACAF Gold Cup

Date	Team #1	Result	Team #2	Round	Spectators
July 9, 2015	'	3–1		Group C	54,126
July 9, 2015	'	6–0		Group C	54,126

2019 CONCACAF Gold Cup

Date	Time	Team #1	Result	Team #2	Round	Spectators
July 7, 2019	8:15 PM		1–0		Final	62,493

2023 CONCACAF Gold Cup

Date	Time	Team #1	Result	Team #2	Round	Spectators
June 24, 2023	9:06 PM		1–1		Group A	36,666

Copa América Centenario

Date	Time	Team #1	Result	Team #2	Round	Spectators
June 5, 2016	4:00PM		0–1	'	Group C	25,560
June 7, 2016	7:00PM	'	4–0		Group A	39,642
June 10, 2016	8:30PM	'	5–0		Group D	53,885
June 22, 2016	7:00PM		0–2	'	Semi-finals	55,423

Single events

Over 15,000 spectators attended the first leg of the 1928 National Challenge Cup between soccer teams Bricklayers and Masons F.C. of Chicago and New York Nationals of New York City. The match ended in a 1–1 tie, and New York won the second leg 3–0 in New York City.
Numerous Men's and Women's National Team friendly matches.
Liverpool vs Olympiacos in the 2014 International Champions Cup with Liverpool winning 1–0.
Manchester United vs. Paris Saint-Germain in the 2015 International Champions Cup with PSG winning 2–0.
Bayern Munich vs. Milan in the 2016 International Champions Cup with the game resulting in a 3–3 draw and Milan winning the penalty shootout 5–3.
Site of the 2017 MLS All-Star Game, played on August 2, 2017, between Real Madrid and a group of all-stars representing Major League Soccer.
Manchester City vs. Borussia Dortmund in the 2018 International Champions Cup with Borussia Dortmund winning 1–0.
Venue for the 2019 CONCACAF Gold Cup Final, with Mexico defeating the United States 1–0.
During the 2025 Major League Soccer season, a crowd of 62,358 spectators set the record for the highest attendance at a soccer match as the Chicago Fire drew 0–0 with Inter Miami, with the latter team starring Lionel Messi as starter, along with Sergio Busquets, Jordi Alba and Luis Suárez.

Special Olympics

The first Special Olympics games were held at Soldier Field on July 20, 1968. The games involved over 1,000 people with intellectual disabilities from 26 U.S. states and Canada competing in track and field and swimming. In 1970, the second international games occurred, when Special Olympics returned to Soldier Field.

Rugby union

On November 1, 2014, the stadium hosted its first international rugby union test match between the United States Eagles and New Zealand All Blacks as part of the 2014 end-of-year rugby union tests. Over half of the 61,500 tickets were sold within two days. The All Blacks beat the Eagles 74–6. The stadium hosted its second international rugby union match on September 5, 2015, with the United States hosting Australia as part of the 2015 Rugby World Cup warm-up matches shortly before both teams were due to travel to England for the 2015 Rugby World Cup. The Eagles were defeated 47–10. On November 5, 2016, Ireland beat New Zealand 40–29 at Soldier Field as part of the 2016 end-of-year rugby union internationals – the very first time Ireland had beaten the All Blacks in a test match in 111 years of play.

Date	Winner	Score	Opponent	Attendance
November 1, 2014	'	74–6		61,500
September 5, 2015	'	47–10		23,212
November 5, 2016	'	40–29		60,000
November 3, 2018	' women's team	67–6	women's team	30,051
November 3, 2018	'	54–7		30,051
November 3, 2018	'	59–22		30,051
November 1, 2025		26-13		-

Concerts

Date	Artist	Opening Act	Tour / concert name	Attendance / Capacity	Revenue	Notes
August 21, 1937	Lily Pons Rudy Vallee Jascha Heifetz Bobby Breen		Chicagoland Music Festival
August 15, 1964	Johnny Cash June Carter		Chicagoland Music Festival
August 9, 1966	Barbra Streisand		An Evening with Barbra Streisand Tour			First solo headliner
July 18, 1970			WCFL's Big Ten Summer Music Festival
June 4, 1977	Emerson, Lake & Palmer	Foghat The J. Geils Band Climax Blues Band	ELP Works/Super Bowl of Rock #1	63,848 / 65,000	$647,172
June 19, 1977	Pink Floyd		In the Flesh Tour	67,000 / 67,000	$670,000
July 9, 1977	Lynyrd Skynyrd	Point Blank		77,197
July 10, 1977	Ted Nugent	Lynyrd Skynyrd REO Speedwagon Journey .38 Special	Super Bowl of Rock #3	63,870 / 65,000	$627,995	First solo male headliner
August 13, 1977	Peter Frampton	Bob Seger and the Silver Bullet Band Rick Derringer UFO	Super Bowl of Rock #4	47,365 / 65,000	$476,007
September 24, 1977	Chicago		Lincoln Park Zoo Benefit
July 8, 1978	The Rolling Stones	Journey Southside Johnny & The Asbury Jukes Peter Tosh	The Rolling Stones US Tour 1978	70,725 / 70,725	$919,425
August 26, 1978	Parliament-Funkadelic	The Bar-Kays Con Funk Shun A Taste of Honey	Funk Fest
July 19, 1980	Smokey Robinson	The O'Jays	Budweiser Superfest	41,322 / 58,000	$702,474
August 10–18, 1983			ChicagoFest
August 9, 1985	Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band		Born in the U.S.A. Tour	71,222 / 71,222	$1,228,500
July 31, 1987	Madonna	Level 42	Who's That Girl World Tour	47,407 / 47,407	$1,066,658
July 29, 1990	Paul McCartney		The Paul McCartney World Tour	55,630 / 55,630	$1,807,975
June 22, 1991	Grateful Dead		Summer Tour 1991	58,416 / 58,416	$1,573,891
June 25, 1992	Grateful Dead	Steve Miller Band	Summer Tour 1992	110,670 / 118,394	$3,116,492
June 26, 1992	Grateful Dead	Steve Miller Band	Summer Tour 1992	110,670 / 118,394	$3,116,492
June 18, 1993	Grateful Dead	Sting	Summer Tour 1993	115,239 / 115,239	$3,041,690
June 19, 1993	Grateful Dead	Sting	Summer Tour 1993	115,239 / 115,239	$3,041,690
July 12, 1994	Pink Floyd		The Division Bell Tour	51,981 / 51,981	$2,056,105
July 23, 1994	Grateful Dead	Traffic	Summer Tour 1994	111,002 / 111,002	$3,546,758
July 24, 1994	Grateful Dead	Traffic	Summer Tour 1994	111,002 / 111,002	$3,546,758
September 11, 1994	The Rolling Stones	Lenny Kravitz	Voodoo Lounge Tour	90,303 / 90,303	$4,194,320
September 12, 1994	The Rolling Stones	Lenny Kravitz	Voodoo Lounge Tour	90,303 / 90,303	$4,194,320
July 8, 1995	Grateful Dead	The Band	Summer Tour 1995	113,327 / 113,327	$3,694,431
July 9, 1995	Grateful Dead	The Band	Summer Tour 1995	113,327 / 113,327	$3,694,431	Final concert by the band.
July 11, 1995	Pearl Jam	Bad Religion Otis Rush	Vitalogy Tour	47,824 / 47,824	$1,028,216	Played on the Grateful Dead's stage
September 14, 1996	Little Feat	Taj Mahal
June 27, 1997	U2	Fun Lovin' Criminals	PopMart Tour	116,912 / 127,500	$5,956,587
June 28, 1997	U2	Fun Lovin' Criminals	PopMart Tour	116,912 / 127,500	$5,956,587
June 29, 1997	U2	Fun Lovin' Criminals	PopMart Tour	116,912 / 127,500	$5,956,587
July 18, 1997			Vans Warped Tour
September 23, 1997	The Rolling Stones	Blues Traveler	Bridges to Babylon Tour	107,186 / 107,186	$6,260,000
September 25, 1997	The Rolling Stones	Blues Traveler	Bridges to Babylon Tour	107,186 / 107,186	$6,260,000
May 10, 1998	George Strait		Country Music Festival Tour	45,486 / 45,486	$1,813,825
April 25, 1999	George Strait		Country Music Festival Tour	36,022 / 36,022	$1,402,194
May 13, 2000	Wilco
June 29, 2000	Dave Matthews Band	Ben Harper and the Innocent Criminals Ozomatli	The Summer 2000 Tour	115,006 / 115,006	$5,175,270
June 30, 2000	Dave Matthews Band	Ben Harper and the Innocent Criminals Ozomatli	The Summer 2000 Tour	115,006 / 115,006	$5,175,270
June 16, 2001	NSYNC	BBMak 3LW Dream	PopOdyssey	85,650 / 103,903	$4,739,359
June 17, 2001	NSYNC	BBMak 3LW Dream	PopOdyssey	85,650 / 103,903	$4,739,359
July 6, 2001	Dave Matthews Band	Buddy Guy Angélique Kidjo	The Summer 2001 Tour	103,675 / 103,675	$4,834,864
July 7, 2001	Dave Matthews Band	Buddy Guy Angélique Kidjo	The Summer 2001 Tour	103,675 / 103,675	$4,834,864
September 10, 2005	The Rolling Stones	Los Lonely Boys	A Bigger Bang	55,046 / 55,046	$7,231,427
July 21, 2006	Bon Jovi	Nickelback	Have a Nice Day Tour	52,612 / 52,612	$3,988,455
October 11, 2006	The Rolling Stones	Elvis Costello and the Imposters	A Bigger Bang	33,296 / 33,296	$4,020,721
June 21, 2008	Kenny Chesney	Keith Urban LeAnn Rimes Luke Bryan Gary Allan	The Poets and Pirates Tour	46,463 / 48,585	$4,063,663
October 11–12, 2008			Chicago Country Music Festival
June 13, 2009	Kenny Chesney	Lady Antebellum Miranda Lambert Montgomery Gentry Sugarland	Sun City Carnival Tour	48,763 / 50,109	$3,184,606
September 12, 2009	U2	Snow Patrol	U2 360° Tour	135,872 / 135,872	$13,860,480
September 13, 2009	U2	Snow Patrol	U2 360° Tour	135,872 / 135,872	$13,860,480
June 12, 2010			The Bamboozle Roadshow 2010			Event held in parking lot
June 19, 2010	Eagles	Dixie Chicks JD & the Straight Shot	Long Road Out of Eden Tour	29,233 / 32,420	$3,186,493
July 7, 2010	deadmau5	Rye Rye Brazilian Girls
July 30, 2010	Bon Jovi	Kid Rock	The Circle Tour	95,959 / 95,959	$8,606,259
July 31, 2010	Bon Jovi	Kid Rock	The Circle Tour	95,959 / 95,959	$8,606,259
July 5, 2011	U2	Interpol	U2 360° Tour	64,297 / 64,297	$5,786,335
August 23, 2011	Wayne Baker Brooks	Sugar Blue
July 7, 2012	Kenny Chesney Tim McGraw	Jake Owen Grace Potter and the Nocturnals	Brothers of the Sun Tour	51,100 / 51,100	$5,109,399
July 12, 2013	Bon Jovi	The J. Geils Band	Because We Can	45,178 / 45,178	$4,690,204
July 22, 2013	Jay-Z Justin Timberlake	DJ Cassidy	Legends of the Summer	52,671 / 52,671	$5,715,152
August 10, 2013	Taylor Swift	Ed Sheeran Casey James Austin Mahone	The Red Tour	50,809 / 50,809	$4,149,148
July 24, 2014	Beyoncé Jay-Z		On the Run Tour	50,035 / 50,035	$5,783,396
August 29, 2014	One Direction	5 Seconds of Summer	Where We Are Tour	104,617 / 104,617	$9,446,247	During the August 29 show, the band performed a cover of "Happy Birthday" by Mildred J. Hill dedicated to Liam, and "The Way You Make Me Feel" by Michael Jackson.
August 30, 2014	One Direction	5 Seconds of Summer	Where We Are Tour	104,617 / 104,617	$9,446,247	During the August 29 show, the band performed a cover of "Happy Birthday" by Mildred J. Hill dedicated to Liam, and "The Way You Make Me Feel" by Michael Jackson.
August 31, 2014	Luke Bryan	Dierks Bentley Lee Brice Cole Swindell DJ Rock	That's My Kind of Night Tour	50,529 / 50,529	$3,754,362
June 6, 2015	Kenny Chesney Miranda Lambert	Brantley Gilbert Chase Rice Old Dominion	The Big Revival Tour	43,630 / 48,278	$3,776,207	Chesney was the main headliner, and Lambert joined as the co-headliner only for the Chicago show.
July 3, 2015	Fare Thee Well	rowspan="3"	Fare Thee Well: Celebrating 50 Years of the Grateful Dead	210,283 / 210,283	$30,683,274	50th anniversary concerts
July 4, 2015	Fare Thee Well	-	Fare Thee Well: Celebrating 50 Years of the Grateful Dead	210,283 / 210,283	$30,683,274	50th anniversary concerts
July 5, 2015	Fare Thee Well	-	Fare Thee Well: Celebrating 50 Years of the Grateful Dead	210,283 / 210,283	$30,683,274	50th anniversary concerts
July 18, 2015	Taylor Swift	Vance Joy Shawn Mendes HAIM	The 1989 World Tour	110,109 / 110,109	$11,469,887	Andy Grammer and Serayah were special guests.
July 19, 2015	Taylor Swift	Vance Joy Shawn Mendes HAIM	The 1989 World Tour	110,109 / 110,109	$11,469,887	Sam Hunt, Andreja Pejić and Lily Donaldson were special guests.
August 23, 2015	One Direction	Icona Pop	On the Road Again Tour	41,527 / 41,527	$3,382,655
May 27, 2016	Beyoncé	Rae Sremmurd	The Formation World Tour	89,270 / 89,270	$11,279,890
May 28, 2016	Beyoncé	DJ Scratch	The Formation World Tour	89,270 / 89,270	$11,279,890
July 1, 2016	Guns N' Roses	Alice in Chains	Not in This Lifetime... Tour	82,172 / 96,088	$8,843,684
July 3, 2016	Guns N' Roses	Alice in Chains	Not in This Lifetime... Tour	82,172 / 96,088	$8,843,684
July 23, 2016	Coldplay	Alessia Cara Foxes	A Head Full of Dreams Tour	95,323 / 95,323	$10,215,572	The July 23 show was cut short due to inclement weather.
July 24, 2016	Coldplay	Alessia Cara Foxes	A Head Full of Dreams Tour	95,323 / 95,323	$10,215,572
June 3, 2017	U2	The Lumineers	The Joshua Tree Tour 2017	105,078 / 105,078	$13,435,925
June 4, 2017	U2	The Lumineers	The Joshua Tree Tour 2017	105,078 / 105,078	$13,435,925
June 18, 2017	Metallica	Avenged Sevenfold Local H Mix Master Mike	WorldWired Tour	51,041 / 51,041	$6,093,976
August 17, 2017	Coldplay	AlunaGeorge Izzy Bizu	A Head Full of Dreams Tour	52,726 / 52,726	$6,026,402
June 1, 2018	Taylor Swift	Camila Cabello Charli XCX	Taylor Swift's Reputation Stadium Tour	105,208 / 105,208	$14,576,697
June 2, 2018	Taylor Swift	Camila Cabello Charli XCX	Taylor Swift's Reputation Stadium Tour	105,208 / 105,208	$14,576,697
July 28, 2018	Kenny Chesney	Thomas Rhett Old Dominion Brandon Lay	Trip Around The Sun Tour	52,189 / 52,189	$5,751,195
August 10, 2018	Beyoncé Jay-Z	Chloe X Halle and DJ Khaled	On the Run II Tour	86,602 / 86,602	$12,303,099	During the second show, "Summer" was added to the setlist. "Apeshit" was also performed for the first time in its entirety with choreography and background dancers.
August 11, 2018	Beyoncé Jay-Z	Chloe X Halle and DJ Khaled	On the Run II Tour	86,602 / 86,602	$12,303,099	During the second show, "Summer" was added to the setlist. "Apeshit" was also performed for the first time in its entirety with choreography and background dancers.
October 4, 2018	Ed Sheeran	Snow Patrol Lauv	÷ Tour	47,263 / 47,263	$4,339,350
May 11, 2019	BTS	rowspan="2"	Love Yourself World Tour	88,156 / 88,156	$13,345,795
May 12, 2019	BTS	-	Love Yourself World Tour	88,156 / 88,156	$13,345,795
June 21, 2019	The Rolling Stones	St. Paul and the Broken Bones	No Filter Tour	98,228 / 98,228	$21,741,564
June 25, 2019	The Rolling Stones	Whiskey Myers	No Filter Tour	98,228 / 98,228	$21,741,564
August 26, 2021	Kanye West		Kanye West Presents: The Donda Album Experience			Third listening event before the release of his album Donda.
September 4, 2021	Los Bukis	rowspan="2"	Una Historia Cantada	80,335 / 80,335	$9,356,386
September 5, 2021	Los Bukis	-	Una Historia Cantada	80,335 / 80,335	$9,356,386
May 28, 2022	Coldplay	H.E.R.Drama	Music of the Spheres World Tour	107,072 / 107,072	$10,969,930
May 29, 2022	Coldplay	H.E.R.Drama	Music of the Spheres World Tour	107,072 / 107,072	$10,969,930
June 25, 2022	Kenny Chesney	Florida Georgia Line Old Dominion Michael Franti & Spearhead	Here and Now Tour	52,792 / 52,792	$6,054,015
July 24, 2022	The Weeknd	Kaytranada Mike Dean	After Hours til Dawn Stadium Tour	48,887 / 48,887	$7,961,796
August 5, 2022	Elton John	N/A	Farewell Yellow Brick Road	48,813 / 48,813	$7,118,811
August 19, 2022	Red Hot Chili Peppers	The Strokes Thundercat	2022 Global Stadium Tour	47,019 / 47,019	$7,500,942
August 20, 2022	Bad Bunny	N/A	World's Hottest Tour	50,854 / 50,854	$14,109,590
September 3, 2022	Rammstein	Duo Abélard	Rammstein Stadium Tour	47,263 / 48,000	$9,051,337
May 6 2023	Luke Combs			55,047 / 55,047	$5,713,363
June 2, 2023	Taylor Swift	Girl in Red Owenn	The Eras Tour			First female act in history to sell out three shows on a single tour.
June 3, 2023	Taylor Swift	Girl in Red Owenn	The Eras Tour			First female act in history to sell out three shows on a single tour.
June 4, 2023	Taylor Swift	Muna Gracie Abrams	The Eras Tour			First female act in history to sell out three shows on a single tour.
July 22, 2023	Beyoncé		Renaissance World Tour	97,686 / 97,686	$30,115,863
July 23, 2023	Beyoncé		Renaissance World Tour	97,686 / 97,686	$30,115,863
July 29, 2023	Ed Sheeran	Khalid Cat Burns	+-=÷× Tour	73,015 / 73,015	$8,054,888
September 15, 2023	Karol G	Agudelo Young Miko	Mañana Será Bonito Tour	52,505 / 52,505	$10,028,807
June 15, 2024	Kenny Chesney Zac Brown Band	Megan Moroney Uncle Kracker	Sun Goes Down 2024 Tour
June 21, 2024	Billy Joel Stevie Nicks		Billy Joel in Concert
June 27, 2024	The Rolling Stones	Bettye LaVette	Hackney Diamonds Tour
June 30, 2024	The Rolling Stones	Lainey Wilson	Hackney Diamonds Tour
July 20, 2024	George Strait	Little Big Town Chris Stapleton
August 9, 2024	Metallica	Pantera Mammoth WVH	M72 World Tour	134,400 / 134,400	$16,328,255
August 11, 2024	Metallica	Five Finger Death Punch Ice Nine Kills	M72 World Tour	134,400 / 134,400	$16,328,255
August 24, 2024	Pink	Sheryl Crow KidCutUp The Script	P!NK: Summer Carnival
May 15, 2025	Beyoncé		Cowboy Carter Tour
May 17, 2025	Beyoncé		Cowboy Carter Tour
May 18, 2025	Beyoncé		Cowboy Carter Tour
May 24, 2025	AC/DC	The Pretty Reckless	Power Up Tour
May 30, 2025	The Weeknd	Playboi Carti Mike Dean	After Hours til Dawn Tour
May 31, 2025	The Weeknd	Playboi Carti Mike Dean	After Hours til Dawn Tour
June 6, 2025	Kendrick Lamar SZA	Mustard	Grand National Tour
July 18, 2025	Blackpink		Deadline World Tour			The first K-Pop girl group to hold a concert at this venue.
August 28, 2025	Oasis	Cage the Elephant	Oasis Live '25 Tour
August 29, 2025	My Chemical Romance	Devo	Long Live The Black Parade
August 30, 2025	The Lumineers	St. Vincent Lake Street Dive	Automatic World Tour
August 31, 2025	System of a Down	Avenged Sevenfold Polyphia Wisp
September 1, 2025	System of a Down	Avenged Sevenfold Polyphia Wisp
May 16, 2026	Bruno Mars	DJ Pee.Wee Leon Thomas	The Romantic Tour
May 17, 2026	Bruno Mars	DJ Pee.Wee Leon Thomas	The Romantic Tour
June 19, 2026	Morgan Wallen	Brooks & Dunn Gavin Adcock Zach John King	Still The Problem Tour
June 20, 2026	Morgan Wallen	Ella Langley Gavin Adcock Zach John King	Still The Problem Tour
June 27, 2026	Ed Sheeran	Myles Smith Ellie Banke	Loop Tour
August 8, 2026	Foo Fighters	Queens Of The Stone Age Mannequin Pussy	Take Cover Tour
August 27, 2026	BTS		Arirang World Tour
August 28, 2026	BTS		Arirang World Tour

Other events

June 21–23, 1926: the 28th International Eucharistic Congress held three days of outdoor day and evening events.
September 22, 1927: The Long Count Fight, the second heavyweight championship bout between Jack Dempsey and Gene Tunney, was held at Soldier Field.
June 24, 1932: a war show celebrating the bicentennial of George Washington's birth featured Amelia Earhart.
May 27, 1933: Soldier Field held the opening ceremonies of the Century of Progress World's Fair. Postmaster General and DNC-Chairman James Farley facilitated the opening ceremony.
August 23, 1938: a free-to-the-public jitterbug event was scheduled. When attendance far outstripped expectations, people flooded the field where the bands were expected to play, and enough people were outside the stadium that those insides could not exit. After a couple hour delay, the bands were able to start playing, only to have the electrical supply for their sound system disrupted by the mass of dancers.
October 28, 1944: U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt made an appearance at Soldier Field, which was the only Midwestern speaking appearance he made in his last re-election campaign. This appearance was attended by over 150,000.
April 25, 1951: Douglas MacArthur, US General during World War II, addressed a crowd of 50,000 at Soldier Field in his first visit to the United States in 14 years.
June 21, 1964: the Chicago Freedom Movement, led by Martin Luther King Jr., held a rally here. As many as 75,000 came to hear Reverend King, Reverend Theodore Hesburgh played here before folding in 1975.
October 13, 1983: David D. Meilahn made the first-ever commercial cell phone call on a Motorola DynaTAC from his Mercedes-Benz 380SL at Soldier Field. This is considered a major turning point in communications. The call was to Bob Barnett, the former president of Ameritech Mobile Communications, who then placed a call on a DynaTAC from a Chrysler convertible to the grandson of Alexander Graham Bell, who was in Germany.
The stadium was listed on the National Register of Historic Places beginning in 1984. Its National Historic Landmark status was removed in 2006.
In the summer of 2006, the stadium hosted the opening ceremony of the Gay Games.
In 2012, United States President Barack Obama held the 2012 Chicago summit, a summit of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), at McCormick Place and Soldier Field.
When the field and nearby Shedd Aquarium had to close to visitors due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Soldier Field became the exercise grounds for the aquarium's penguins.

In popular culture

In the Marvel Comics event Siege, Soldier Field is inadvertently destroyed mid-game by Thor's friend Volstagg when he is tricked into fighting the U-Foes through Loki and Norman Osborn's manipulations of events. The stadium is later seen being rebuilt by the heroes after Steve Rogers is appointed head of U.S. Security, following the aforementioned event.
The 1977 documentary film Powers of Ten focuses on two people having a picnic on the east side of Soldier Field.
The stadium appears in the 2006 Clint Eastwood–directed film Flags of Our Fathers, when the survivors of the Iwo Jima flag-raising reenact it for a patriotic rally.
The opening match of the 1994 FIFA World Cup at Soldier Field is one of the five events covered in the 2010 ESPN 30 for 30 documentary June 17th, 1994.
A future version of Soldier Field from August 4017 is featured in David Weber's short story "From the Highlands". The stadium appears to have gone through multiple renovations, rebuilds and even having been built over, until nothing but the open space of the original remains.
In the 2016 Chicago Fire episode "The Sky Is Falling", Soldier Field is featured on one of their calls for a terrorist hoax. The stadium appears again in the 2017 episode "Sixty Days", as one of their calls for a high angle rescue. The stadium is featured again in the eighth season as members of firehouse 51 respond to help victims of a deadly infection. It is also featured and referenced in the 2021 episode "A White-Knuckle Panic" as the location for a medal ceremony for firefighter Randy McHolland.
In both the book and TV series Daisy Jones & the Six, the eponymous band plays their final concert at Soldier Field on July 11, 1977.