We knew it wouldn't be good, but the fact that it's a country group at the pinnacle of the genre certainly makes it that much worse for Syracuse fans.
Over the weekend, the promoting group Live Nation confirmed that on September 2nd at the Lakeview Amphitheater in Syracuse country stars Cole Swindell, The Cadillac Three, and Florida Georgia Line will be performing. While this normally would be news that would make any music fan jump for joy, it stinks considering the concert is the same night as the debut of Dino Babers and the 2016 Syracuse Orange in the Dome against Colgate.
In a city that loves live events and partying, Florida Georgia Line will absolutely hurt the attendance and atmosphere in the Dome that night. Many of the fans that go to Syracuse Orange football games are the same crowd that attend concerts, which means some tailgating enthusiasts may find themselves having a good time at the New York State Fair rather than on the SU hill.
I don't know what goes in to deciding dates for scheduling football games, but depending on whether or not Syracuse had a say on if the game could've been on a Saturday (or even a Thursday), they made either a terrible decision or have terrible luck. While Florida Georgia Line was only confirmed over the weekend, it was planned long ago that there was going to be a country act coming to the amphitheater that day. I'd imagine University officials had that on their radar, so I'm more inclined to think the date was pushed on them rather than embraced by administrators.
Either way, this is rough for the Orange. Typically, a season-opening Colgate game on a Friday night draws really well. Throw in the beginning of the Dino Babers era, and I believe the school was set to have outstanding week one numbers. With the announcement of this concert however, I find it hard to remain as optimistic the turnout will be as great as it was going to be.