Aggie Memorial Stadium Aggie Memorial Stadium is an outdoor football stadium on the campus of New Mexico State University in Las Cruces , New Mexico . The venue opened in September 1978 and the current seating capacity is 30 , 343 . It is the home field of the New Mexico State Aggies of the Western Athletic Conference , currently competing as an independent in football . The natural grass playing field sits at an elevation of 3980 feet ( 1213 m ) above sea level . NM State Aggies women ' s soccer also play at Aggie Memorial Stadium . Prior to 1978 , the Aggies had played on the same site since 1933 . Located just to the northeast of Hadley Hall ( the university ' s Administration building ) , and originally known as Quesenberry Field , the original Memorial Stadium was built over it in 1950 . It was dedicated as a memorial to New Mexico A & M students who had died in World War II , World War I , and the Spanish - American War , among whom was Henry C . Gilbert Jr . , whose parents were instrumental in the 10 - year long fundraising drive . Memorial Stadium , which served for twenty - eight seasons , was replaced both due to its small size ( at maximum , the seating capacity was only 12 , 155 ) and the want of an expanded athletics plant with more infrastructure and parking . ( Currently Memorial Tower , which was originally part of the press box of the stadium , is the only remaining reminder of the stadium . It is now structurally incorporated into the university ' s Health and Social Services building and houses a memorial lounge and computer lab . ) The " new " Aggie Memorial Stadium , dedicated to alumni who had served in the Korean War and Vietnam War , was built for $ 4 million over a period of eighteen months . It was funded by the state legislature as part of a capital project on the campus . The first home game saw the Aggies defeat rival UTEP 35 – 32 on September 16 , 1978 . Twenty years ( and ten days ) later , the Aggies and Miners played to the largest crowd in stadium history , with 32 , 993 in attendance to see the Aggies win again , 33 – 24 . The stadium , designed by alumnus Craig Protz of Bohering - Protz Associates , was built just to the south of the Pan American Center , the home of Aggie basketball . The stadium boasts a unique design in which earth that was excavated to construct the lower bowl and field level was moved to the sides of the stadium to support the upper level , with a street level concourse dividing the lower and upper bowls . The first level of seating wraps around the field , except for two wide gaps behind each end zone . The southern end is a grass berm , with the Fulton Athletics Center , a $ 6 million structure constructed in 2004 housing athletics offices , an athletic training and education center , and club facilities , behind it . The northern end leads to the locker room facilities and main entrance to the stadium . Because of these gaps it was previously impossible to access the east side of the stadium from the west , and vice versa , without exiting the stadium and re - entering on the other side . A bridge over the north ramp constructed prior to the 2006 season now allows fans to cross from one side of the stadium to the other . The seating extends to a rounded second level on either side of the field , which extends the length of the playing field . The curved , undulating design of the upper level is reminiscent of similarly designed structures such as Memphis ' Liberty Bowl Stadium and the now - demolished Tampa Stadium , albeit on a somewhat smaller scale . The stadium also is known for being well lit for night games , with the original four pole sodium vapor lighting system now being augmented by four additional smaller poles added prior to the 2005 season to increase the stadium ' s lighting capacity for televised night games . For the 2007 season , a new $ 1 . 5 million scoreboard including a 38 ' x23 ' video screen has been added to the facility , as well as a new team meeting and video room complex adjacent to the field house on the stadium ' s north end . In addition to football , the stadium occasionally hosts major concerts and other large outdoor gatherings on campus . Artists that have performed at the stadium include Metallica , Guns N ' Roses , Faith No More , The Eagles , Vans Warped Tour & Paul McCartney , among others . Metallica and Guns N ' Roses brought the Guns N ' Roses / Metallica Stadium Tour to the stadium on August 27 , 1992 , with Faith No More as their opening act . During the 2005 – 06 renovation of the nearby Pan American Center , the stadium hosted the university ' s commencement ceremonies , although they returned to the Pan Am following completion of the renovations . Also , Mayfield High School and Las Cruces High School play against each other in the stadium every year in November . ( Varsity only ) . In the fall of 2014 , as part of her joint Monster Tour with Enimem , Rihanna will make her first - ever El Paso , Texas - area and New Mexico concert appearance at Aggie Memorial Stadium .