# Fargodome

Fargodome is an indoor athletic stadium and convention center in the north central United States, located on the campus of North Dakota State University (NDSU) in Fargo, North Dakota. It opened in 1992 and is owned and operated by the city despite being built on the university's campus. The facility is not an actual dome, its seating capacity is 18,700 for football and over 25,000 for full arena concerts. Its approximate elevation at street level is 900 feet (275 m) above sea level.
Fargodome is the home field of the Bison football team, which competes in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) at the Division I level in the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS). NDSU is a member of the Missouri Valley Football Conference, and prior to the 1993 season, the football venue was Dacotah Field, adjacent to the south. The stadium also hosts the university's commencement ceremonies as well as many large concerts, other sporting events, and trade shows.

## History

The building was originally planned to be modeled on the Tacoma Dome but have an inflatable roof. However, as the design evolved, it was decided to have a fixed hard roof, although the dome name stuck.
* November 1987: Fargo Parks Superintendent Bob Johnson and City Council President Ranen Nicholson proposed a plan for convention and athletic facilities in Fargo.
* January 1988: Proposed plan was modified to include a single stadium to be built on North Dakota State University land, that would be financed in part by a half-cent sales tax.
* December 1988: Voters approved half-cent sales tax
* April 1989: Architects hired and construction process begins
* December 1992: Fargodome opens
* January 1994: Hosts Snow Bowl NCAA Division II football all-star game between 1994 and 2000
* December 2002: Fargodome celebrates its 10th anniversary
* December 2006: Initial talks underway to attach a 6,000–9,000-seat stadium to the Fargodome, for use as a basketball arena for the North Dakota State University basketball teams, as well as smaller performances.
* March 2009: The Fargodome is used for the filling and storage of sandbags during the flood.
* August 31, 2012: The newly installed AstroTurf, funded by a $1 million donation from Gate City Bank and Fargodome reserve funds for total cost of $2.9 million, premiered in the North Dakota State Bison football team's first game of the season against Robert Morris. Gate City Bank’s donation led to renaming of the field after the company.
* October 10, 2012: The Fargodome hosted a preseason NBA game between the Indiana Pacers and Minnesota Timberwolves. The Timberwolves won the game 84–70.
* August 2016: Replaced 4 older corner video boards with new HD boards, and added 2 new large (100'x30') Video Screens at a cost of $7.7 million.
* July 2022: Replaced the older version AstroTurf with a new version, funded by the Fargodome's reserve funds for a total price of $1.1 million, which also includes upgrades to the Magic Carpet system that rolls out the turf onto the stadium floor.
* August 2023: Proposed renovation plans were unveiled for the Fargodome. The plans would add on a convention center space to the south side of the dome that would eliminate the south parking lot. The plans also called for a new upper level concourse in the southeast corner of the stadium, a remodel of the press box on the east side, removal of the never-used north side press box, and a new club level lounge at the top of the west side. Lastly, the project calls for a removal of Albrecht Boulevard on the west side of the dome, to make way for an addition to the building and move the tailgating lot closer to the stadium. The proposed cost is $140 million and is planned to be paid for with $30 million from the Fargodome's reserve fund, as well as a quarter-cent city sales tax increase and a three percent lodging tax increase. Fargo residents voted on the proposed renovation plan during a special election in December, in which the measure failed. 52% of the votes cast were in favor of the renovation, but the measure needed 60% to pass.

## Events and acts

The Fargodome has held events such as the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus, USHRA's Monster Jam, Happy Harry's Ribfest, World Wrestling Entertainment, World Championship Wrestling, and other local, regional, and national events. The facility briefly played host to the Fargo Freeze Indoor Football League team in 2000, though the team played just one season.

### Amateur Wrestling

The USA Wrestling 16U/Junior National Wrestling Championships (Women’s and Men’s Freestyle, Men’s Greco-Roman) takes place every year in the Fargodome in the month of July.

### Entertainment

Many famous acts have played the Fargodome including Elton John, Katy Perry, Cher, Guns N' Roses, Fleetwood Mac, Journey, The Rolling Stones, Pearl Jam, Garth Brooks, Bon Jovi, Van Halen, Shania Twain, Taylor Swift, AC/DC, Paul McCartney, Kenny Chesney, Carrie Underwood, Aerosmith, Poison, Nsync, Neil Diamond, Billy Joel, Kiss, Beach Boys, Faith Hill, Bryan Adams, Ozzy Osbourne, Luke Bryan, Pink, Reba McEntire, Dixie Chicks, Lady Antebellum, Bruce Springsteen, Tim McGraw, Def Leppard, Metallica, Prince, Justin Timberlake, Mötley Crüe and many others. The Fargodome is also capable of hosting events on ice such as Disney on Ice and traveling broadway.
| Date | Artist(s) | Opening act(s) | Event Name | Attendance | Revenue | Notes |
| March 21, 1993 | Guns N' Roses | Brian May Band | Use Your Illusion Tour | — | — | |
| December 8, 1997 | Prince | — | Jam of the Year World Tour | — | — | |
| September 18, 1998 | Garth Brooks | — | The Garth Brooks World Tour | — | — | |
| September 19, 1998 | Garth Brooks | — | The Garth Brooks World Tour | — | — | |
| September 20, 1998 | Garth Brooks | — | The Garth Brooks World Tour | — | — | |
| December 5, 1998 | Shania Twain | Leahy | Come On Over Tour | — | — | |
| February 17, 1999 | The Rolling Stones | Jonny Lang | No Security Tour | 21,970 / 21,970 | $1,501,183 | |
| November 6, 1999 | Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band | — | Reunion Tour | 17,245 / 20,000 | — | |
| December 3, 1999 | NSYNC | — | NSYNC in Concert | — | — | |
| September 29, 2002 | Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band | — | The Rising Tour | — | — | |
| August 17, 2004 | Metallica | — | Madly in Anger with the World Tour | — | — | |
| September 6, 2013 | Taylor Swift | Ed Sheeran Casey James | The Red Tour | 21,073 / 21,073 | $1,661,578 | |
| January 11, 2014 | Pink | The Kin | The Truth About Love Tour | 21,879 / 21,879 | $1,613,670 | This show was originally scheduled to take place on October 27, 2013, but was postponed due to vocal rest. This concert used to hold the record for highest attendance and ticket sells record in the venue's history, until she broke her own record in 2019. |
| February 7, 2014 | Justin Timberlake | DJ Freestyle | The 20/20 Experience World Tour | 15,639 / 15,639 | $1,329,810 | This was his first concert in the state of North Dakota. |
| February 14, 2014 | Toby Mac | — | Hits Deep Tour | – | – | |
| July 12, 2014 | Paul McCartney | — | Out There | 18,220 / 18,220 | $2,247,472 | This was his first concert in the state of North Dakota. |
| August 23, 2014 | Katy Perry | Kacey Musgraves Ferras | Prismatic World Tour | 21,843 / 21,843 | $1,660,459 | |
| November 16, 2014 | Mötley Crüe | — | The Final Tour | - | - | |
| October 12, 2015 | Taylor Swift | Vance Joy | The 1989 World Tour | 21,067 / 21,067 | $2,219,188 | This concert was originally planned to take place on September 9, but was postponed to October 12 to avoid any potential scheduling conflict with the Houston Astros potentially making the 2015 Major League Baseball postseason. |
| February 11, 2016 | AC/DC | Tyler Bryant & The Shakedown | Rock or Bust World Tour | 19,308 / 19,308 | $2,049,080 | |
| May 5, 2016 | Garth Brooks | — | The Garth Brooks World Tour with Trisha Yearwood | 73,480 | $5,100,000 | |
| May 6, 2016 | Garth Brooks | — | The Garth Brooks World Tour with Trisha Yearwood | 73,480 | $5,100,000 | |
| May 7, 2016 | Garth Brooks | — | The Garth Brooks World Tour with Trisha Yearwood | 73,480 | $5,100,000 | |
| May 8, 2016 | Garth Brooks | — | The Garth Brooks World Tour with Trisha Yearwood | 73,480 | $5,100,000 | |
| June 4, 2016 | James Taylor | – | Before this World Tour | – | – | |
| June 18, 2016 | Justin Bieber | Post Malone Moxie Raia | Purpose World Tour | 12,451 / 12,451 | $1,177,819 | |
| August 4, 2017 | Bruno Mars | Camila Cabello | 24K Magic World Tour | – | – | |
| August 24, 2017 | Tim McGraw and Faith Hill | Natalie Hemby | Soul2Soul: The World Tour | – | – | |
| October 17, 2018 | Ed Sheeran | Snow Patrol Lauv | Divide Tour | 17,762 / 17,762 | $1,766,790 | |
| May 4, 2019 | Pink | Julia Michaels | Beautiful Trauma World Tour | 22,164 / 22,164 | $2,927,135 | |
| September 14, 2019 | Bob Seger | - | Roll Me Away: The Final Tour | - | - | |
| October 30, 2019 | Celine Dion | — | Courage World Tour | 10,473 / 12,239 | $1,174,539 | |
| August 11, 2021 | Guns N' Roses | Mammoth WVH | Guns N' Roses 2020 Tour | 9,100 / 10,087 | $988,411 | |
| July 27, 2022 | Machine Gun Kelly | Avril Lavigne Willow | Mainstream Sellout Tour | 11,908 / 11,908 | $714,355 | |
| April 6, 2023 | Red Hot Chili Peppers | The Strokes King Princess | Global Stadium Tour | 19,331 / 19,311 | $2,067,826 | |
| August 11, 2023 | Def Leppard Mötley Crüe | Alice Cooper | The World Tour | - | - | |
| August 19, 2023 | Pink | Brandi Carlile Grouplove KidCutUp | Summer Carnival | - | - | |
| November 5, 2023 | Shania Twain | Lily Rose | Queen of Me Tour | - | - | |

### Gate City Bank Theater

The Fargodome's Gate City Bank Theater is home to theatrical productions, produced locally and touring.

## Expansion and renovations

The Fargodome is currently studying an expansion of its permanent seating. The current capacity is 18,700 with an additional 100 seats to be added during the winter 2015. The addition of 5,000 to 7,500 seats has been discussed since 2011, but is now being seriously considered after several straight years of sold out NDSU Bison football games. That would bring the total capacity for football games to around 25,000. The additional seating would require major structural changes to the dome, including moving the press boxes from the east side to the west side. The west side has been reinforced and could handle extra levels, whereas the east side has a lobby that was not designed to bear any extra load.
In summer 2016, the stadium video boards were replaced with 12 new interior displays featuring SMD LED technology including two large 30'x100' High Definition video/scoreboards on each endzone, 12'x24' screens behind those large screens for those seated behind the board, and four large 20'x22' High Definition video boards (one in each corner), the $7.7 million project also provided for four ribbon displays on the seating fascia 3' high and 33' long along with a portable 15' x 25' screen which can be moved around on gameday, the project also renovated the electronics room and provided for new computer and graphics technology. These screens replaced the 6 old boards installed in 2002. In total, the new boards provide for 8,500 square feet (790 m$^2$) of LED boards in the dome. The contract also provided for an increase from 3 to 5 High Definition cameras for additional angles, one of the cameras has a 55x extra zoom for close up play.
In the summer of 2022, the stadium replaced its aging AstroTurf with a newer version. It cost the Fargodome $1.1 million, which it paid for using the stadium reserve funds, that also included upgrades to the Magic Carpet system that rolls out the turf onto the stadium floor.

## Crowd noise

In 2011, the Fargodome was ranked as the 49th best stadium in college football by BleacherReport.com. The article states
   There aren't many indoor venues in college football, but the few that do exist at the non-FBS level are very unfriendly to any visiting team. That effect is only amplified in a playoff atmosphere.
The Fargodome is routinely ranked as one of the loudest college football stadiums in the country. On December 14, 2012, The Forum of Fargo-Moorhead measured the Fargodome crowd noise from the press box during an FCS playoff semifinal game between North Dakota State and Georgia Southern. According to The Forum, the maximum crowd noise exceeded 111 decibels, and the decibel meter consistently read 102–106 during the game. During a 2013 playoff game between North Dakota State and Furman, the crowd noise was measured at 115 decibels.