SAN ANTONIO – Wednesday night’s highly-anticipated Bad Bunny concert at the Alamodome is expected to be an economic boom for the City of San Antonio.
More than 50,000 people were expected to attend the concert to watch the global superstar musician. A large number of concert-goers visited from out of town or traveled internationally.
Richard Oliver, City of San Antonio communications manager for convention and sports facilities, said the international market for Bad Bunny is what separates this event from others at the Alamodome or the city.
“Those folks coming in that are international are not coming in for one night and then taking off. They’re going to stay and enjoy San Antonio for two or three days,” said Oliver. “You figure Bad Bunny coming in with 54,000 to 60,000 fans is seismic. They are all spending money on merchandise, restaurants, the culinary options here and hotels.”
This is the latest win for the Alamodome in terms of booking high-level shows and events.
Last December’s Valero Alamo Bowl generated an economic impact of $45.4 million.
People who attended the recent Motley Crue and Def Leopard concert spent $52 per person for concessions and merchandise but that did not include a hotel stay, restaurant or other spending around the city. This appears to be part of an Alamodome revival.
“We just announced WWE Royal Rumble, that’ll be 60,000 folks. We’ve had boxing events, soccer events, UTSA football, Elton John coming in, Rammstein, XFL. Next year, we’re going to have the Spurs try to set the NBA attendance record,” said Oliver. “It’s almost like we’ve rediscovered that we’ve got this wonderful facility that’s got 72,000 seats and is so diverse.”
The city has invested millions of dollars into keeping the Alamodome a viable location for concerts or sporting events. Oliver believes that has led to the venue getting concerts at the level of an artist like Bad Bunny.
“We have a Final Four coming up in 2025. We’re putting more into the club level and suites are being added to make it even more appealing and accommodating to handle these kind of shows,” said Oliver. “Those investments, when you put tens of millions of dollars into this facility, it helps in the long run.”