Lambeau Field is an outdoor football stadium in
Green Bay,
Wisconsin, the home of the NFL's Green Bay Packers. Opened in 1957 as
City Stadium, it replaced the original City Stadium as the Packers' home field. For that reason, it was also informally known as New City Stadium until 1965, when it was renamed in memory of Packers founder, player, and long-time head coach, Curly Lambeau, who had died earlier in the year.
The stadium's street address has been 1265 Lombardi Avenue since 1968, when Highland Avenue was renamed in honor of Vince Lombardi. It sits on a block bounded by Lombardi Avenue (north); Oneida Street (east); Stadium Drive and Valley View Road (south); and Ridge Road (west). The playing field at the stadium sits at an elevation of 640 feet (195 m) above sea level.
Name and nickname:
The original name of Lambeau Field lasted through the 1964 season. Officially "City Stadium", the name "New City Stadium" was used informally to distinguish the stadium from its predecessor, which had become the home of the Green Bay East High School football team.
Lambeau Field:
Following the death of Packers founder Curly Lambeau, New City Stadium was renamed "Lambeau Field" by the Green Bay city council in 1965.Besides founding the team in 1919, Lambeau played for the Packers in their early years and was the team's coach for 31 seasons through 1949.
The Frozen Tundra:
The stadium's nickname was spawned by the Ice Bowl between the Packers and the Dallas Cowboys, played on December 31, 1967. The game was played in temperatures of –15°F (–26°C) with sharp winds. Journalist Tex Maule, associated Lambeau Field with the term tundra in his article summarizing the game in Sports Illustrated.
Titletown, USA:
More famously a nickname for the city than its football field, "Titletown, USA" became popularized in 1961, even before Vince Lombardi would see his team win any of his championships. At the 1961 NFL Championship Game against the New York Giants, which the Packers won 37-0, fans hung up signs around the stadium that read Welcome to Titletown, USA.
Stadium music:
Originally, music at Lambeau Field was provided by the Packers' Lumberjack Band. The live band has been replaced by recorded music.The Packers intro music for when they are introduced before each game is "Get Ready for This" by 2 Unlimited. The stadium announcer accompanys this by saying, "Ladies and gentlemen, here are your 13-time
World Champion Green Bay Packers."
Concerts:
Since the renovation, only one concert has been performed at Lambeau. The last concert to be held at the stadium, prior to the renovation, was Survivor, in 1985 to a crowd of 13,000. Kenny Chesney and Zac Brown Band performed in Green Bay on June 11, 2011, on their Goin' Coastal Tour.
The main reasons for the lack of concerts at Lambeau Field revolve around concerns of the team relating to potential damage of the playing surface and also the more desirable venues in Wisconsin, notably
Miller Park and the Bradley Center in
Milwaukee and
Camp Randall Stadium in
Madison. The market's size also makes playing indoor venues like the nearby
Resch Center and
Brown County Arena more feasible for concert promoters to play locally.
