History
In 1996, Hamilton County voters passed a one-half percent sales tax increase to fund the building of two new home venues for both the Bengals and the Major League Baseball Cincinnati Reds. Previously, the Bengals and the Reds shared tenancy of Riverfront Stadium/Cinergy Field, but both teams complained that the aging multipurpose facility lacked modern amenities and other things necessary for small market teams to survive. Paul Brown Stadium was built first. After the Bengals moved into Paul Brown Stadium, Cinergy Field was partially demolished to allow construction of what became Great American Ball Park and the field was sodded with natural grass. On December 29, 2002, Cinergy Field was demolished.
For the first four years, the field was natural Kentucky Bluegrass, but problems arose in maintaining it. At one point, the field was rated as the third-worst field in the league. Hamilton County explored other options and chose the FieldTurf system. FieldTurf looks and feels like real grass, and since the field markings are actually sewn into the fabric, repainting between games is unnecessary. The reduced maintenance saves the county approximately $100,000 annually. Additionally, it opens Paul Brown Stadium to other uses without worry of damage to the turf. The FieldTurf was installed for the 2004 season. The field is one of only two stadiums in the NFL to have "five miles of piping running under the field to keep the rubber inlays heated.
Two light emitting diode (LED) video displays at either endzone, installed in 2000, ensure that every spectator has a good view of the on-field action. Over 200 feet of ribbon display was also installed along the fascia of the stadium.
The University of Cincinnati Bearcats and the eventual national champion Ohio State University Buckeyes played the first college football game at Paul Brown Stadium on September 21, 2002 before a sold-out crowd of 66,319 fans. On September 5, 2009, the Kentucky Wildcats and the Miami Redhawks played their opening games there. The University of Cincinnati also played Oklahoma in 2010 at Paul Brown Stadium. The Sooners won the game 31-29 with 58,253 fans in attendance. In 2011, the Bearcats played Big East Conference opponents Louisville Cardinals and West Virginia Mountaineers.
Additionally, the Macy's Music Festival (formerly the Cincinnati Jazz Festival) is held there every year.
Unusual for a venue the size of Paul Brown Stadium, in the spring, it hosts the annual Queen City Classic Chess Tournament.
On Monday, November 14, 2011, Cincinnati country radio station B-105 (WUBE) hosts Chris Carr & Co. announced that Kenny Chesney and Tim McGraw would host their "Brothers of the Sun" summer 2012 tour at Paul Brown Stadium on Sunday, July 1, 2012. This marked the first time a major concert had taken place at PBS. Chesney and McGraw were also joined by Grace Potter and the Nocturnals and superstar Jake Owen.
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