For Morgan Wallen, performing at Neyland Stadium is the ultimate dream. Why he's 'coming home' to Knoxville and giving back

Last year, Morgan Wallen's foundation surprised a teacher at Adrian Burnett Elementary School with $20,000.

The East Tennessee native and country music superstar is all set to perform for two nights at Neyland Stadium Sept. 20 and 22. Tickets for Wallen's first concert went on sale through Ticketmaste r on July 17, for the second at 11 a.m. July 18.

Wallen, who is from Sneedville, Tennessee, graduated in 2011 from Gibbs High School in Knoxville. His ties to the community are strong. When he announced the concert, he wrote on social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, that he's "coming home."

His foundation - the Morgan Wallen Foundation - routinely gives back to East Tennessee, especially to support access to sports and music.

"It (the foundation) centers on things closest to Morgan’s heart," Kathleen Flaherty, executive director of the foundation told Knox News. "Sports and music have really shaped who he is."

In the last two years, the foundation has donated nearly $400,000 in both areas, sports and music. In Knoxville, the foundation has donated to the Gibbs High School choral program, the Powell High School band and the Emerald Youth Music program.

For his mother, Lesli Wallen, a retired teacher, giving back to schools is extra special.

"As a teacher, seeing how great needs are in schools, it makes me feel really good to give back," she said.

What it means for Morgan Wallen to perform at Neyland Stadium

Wallen's upcoming performance at Neyland Stadium is special in many ways.

By having his concert there, he joins an extremely elite band of performers because only a handful have had the privilege of performing at the stadium in its over-a-century-long legacy .

The first concert at the stadium was held decades after it opened and was by none other than the iconic King of Pop Michael Jackson in August 1984. The last concert there was pre-pandemic in 2019 when Garth Brooks broke records, selling over 75,000 tickets on the first day, and 84,000 tickets by the day of the concert.

Performing at Neyland Stadium is "the ultimate dream" Lesli Wallen told Knox News.

Areena Arora , data and investigative reporter for Knox News, can be reached by email at areena.arora@knoxnews.com . Follow her on X @ AreenaArora and on Instagram @areena_news .

This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: For Morgan Wallen, performing at Neyland Stadium is the ultimate dream. Why he's 'coming home' to Knoxville and giving back