via Charlotte Observer

While it may too soon for Panthers fans to be thinking about Super Bowl tickets, with today’s onsale of the first-ever “The Night Before” concert, there’s a lot more to do around Super Bowl weekend, whether or not your planning to attend the game.  The show, which is co-produced by On Location Experiences and CBS Radio, will give 20,000 fans an opportunity to soak in the Super Bowl atmosphere at Xcel center, which is home to the Wild and every major concert that goes through the Twin Cities.

While parties have always been a staple of Super Bowl weekend, they’ve always been ultra exclusive, invite-only events.  For fans that didn’t have a connection to get a ticket one of the big parties, whether it’s Playboy, Maxim, ESPN, you were basically on your own to come up with a plan for the weekend, which required navigating through a ton of options. For average fans looking to get into one of the big parties, the secondary market was often the only option, with prices usually ranging from $1,000 to $5,000.

With tickets as low as $67, the Dave Matthews show has created another option for fans to be a soak in the atmosphere without having to spend thousands more dollars on top of what they paid for their ticket. An article earlier this week in the Minnesota Star Tribune noted that the show’s tickets didn’t have a ‘very Super Bowl’ price.

For fans that are not into Dave Matthews, or just looking for a clubbier vibe, across town Florida – Georgia Line will play the 9,000-person Club Nomadic, now in it’s second year, and also run by OnLocation. The Tribune article goes on to speculate that it ‘could be the biggest Saturday night for concerts the Twin Cities has ever seen’ and tickets for that show are currently available for $200. While that’s expensive compared to the Dave Matthews price tag, it’s very affordable when compared to the prices you’d have to pay for a party like Playboy or Maxim.

Last year in Houston, Club nomadic was built from scratch and broken down at the end of the weekend.  This year’s version of the pop-up Club Nomadic will inhabit the Armory for three days, with two more acts still to be announced for Thursday and Friday night. Last year’s Super Bowl weekend entertainment featured Taylor Swift, Bruno Mars, The Chainsmokers and Red Hot Chili Peppers.  If this years acts come anywhere close to that, it will make for an even more memorable weekend for fans that make their way to Minneapolis in February.  In addition to the acts, the Armory itself also has an interesting history, for both sports and music fans. While it has been a parking garage for over ten years, prior to that it was former home of the Minneapolis Lakers, and it also served a the backdrop for a Prince video shoot.   Unlike last year, when the parties are over this year, the Armory will remain as a brand-new 9,000-person venue that will be a major addition to the Minneapolis music and culture scene for years to come.

For fans that are feeling confident about the Panthers chances to return to the Super Bowl for the 2^nd time in 3 seasons, On Location is also currently selling an all-inclusive ticket for $7,599.  In addition to a three-night hotel stay, that ticket also includes music on Friday or Saturday night as well as access to other weekend events, like tailgates and chef tastings, including the pre-game party at the Armory and feature ‘a curated tailgate-style menu with a Minnesota flair’.

Considering that tickets alone to last years game were going for $5,000 dollars and over $3,500 for the Panthers visit in 2016, that seems a really good deal, and also simpler way to enjoy the entire weekend than in year’s past.  It also means that the most complicated part of the equation is now whether or not the Panthers get there.

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