JACKSONVILLE – Hometown boy Tim McGraw will take center stage at the Alltel Stadium tonight, but not everyone is happy to see him there.
Sheri Stone is one of the thousand of Tim McGraw fans who will pack into Alltel Stadium to enjoy the show.
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"I've been waiting. I love Tim McGraw," Stone said.
But there wasn't a lot of love from the Jaguars when the concert was first announced. The concert is taking place a week before the first preseason game, and the Jaguars are worried about how that would affect the condition of the field.
SMG General Manger Bob Downey said that a lot of the concern has been lifted since they are taking extra precautions to make sure the field is protected. Plywood is down around the stage area that will be re-sodded once the concert is over.
"The show is covering the cost. We figured we would go ahead and re-sod it, but it's not going to be out in the area where players play and other activity goes on," Downey (pictured, right) said.
For the rest of the field where concert fans will be sitting, a hard plastic barrier called Terra Plastic has been put down.
The team's concern is that once the Terra Plastic is removed, the field would have dirt spots in it. Stadium officials say that the affected areas will clear up in a matter of days once all of the plastic is removed.
This isn't the first time concerts and football have clashed. In 1997, U2 played days before a football game, and even though it rained most of that week, the field was in good condition in time for the Jaguars to pull off a win.
The Jaguars and SMG officials will meet once the stage is removed Saturday afternoon.
Coach Tom Coughlin really didn't have anything to say regarding the concert and field problems.