File photo / Bob Jadloski Blake Shelton is shown during his 2019 YLIVE concert, the last one held at Stambaugh Stadium. The event returns to Youngstown State University’s football stadium with back–to-back concerts on July 10 and 11, 2026.

YLIVE will return to where it started in 2026 with a move back to Youngstown State University’s Stambaugh Stadium, and it will continue to be a two-day event.

YLIVE will take place July 10 and 11, 2026, at the stadium, according to event creator JAC Live, and the lineup announcement currently is scheduled for January.

“We had three great years there,” JAC COO Ken Bigley said. “Post-COVID it was a necessity (to move). We had some conversations, and we always like to collaborate with YSU. As we were looking toward 2026, we realized that could be an option, and we went with it.”

The inaugural YLIVE concert with the Zac Brown Band was held at Stambaugh Stadium in 2017, followed by Florida-Georgia Line in 2018 and Blake Shelton in 2019.

Luke Bryan was supposed to perform at Stambaugh Stadium for YLIVE in 2020, but that concert was postponed in both 2020 and 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. When it was rescheduled for 2022, the event was moved to Wean Park due to staffing cutbacks at YSU caused by the pandemic, JAC LIVE founder and CEO Eric Ryan said at the time.

Kid Rock headlined the 2023 event. Tim McGraw’s 2024 appearance was postponed due to disruptions caused by the Realty Tower explosion and the downtown road repairs, and 2025 was the first year that YLIVE became a two-day event with John Mayer on Sept. 26 and McGraw on Sept. 27.

The staffing questions post-COVID have been resolved, Bigley said. While many of the setup expenses will be the same, JAC Live had to install temporary fencing and create entryways to guide crowds into Wean Park. Those expenses aren’t necessary at the stadium, which is designed for ticketed events.

In the press release announcing the move, YSU President Bill Johnson says, “Bringing YLIVE back to Stambaugh Stadium is a homecoming we’re proud to be part of. This partnership with JAC Live reflects our shared commitment to the Mahoning Valley and the role Youngstown State plays as a gathering place for our community. YLIVE celebrates the best of live music and the arts while showcasing our campus to the region and beyond. We’re excited to welcome the YLIVE home.”

It will be a busy weekend on campus. In addition to the two concerts on July 10 and 11 in the evening, YSU’s Summer Festival of the Arts will take place during the day on July 11 and 12.

Bigley described having both events the same weekend as a pleasant surprise.

“Those were the dates that worked (for the concerts),” he said. “Then, as we looked at the YSU calendar, to put two things of this magnitude on the same weekend, it’s just great synergy.”

The annual Wine & Jazz concert, which usually takes place at the Youngstown Foundation Amphitheatre the same weekend as Summer Festival of the Arts, likely will move to a different weekend, Bigley said.

Those early July dates also mean the concerts won’t interfere with preparation for the YSU Penguins football season. And JAC Live is looking at bringing back the tailgate lots that were available to concertgoers when YLIVE was at the stadium, Bigley said.

“We’re going to make sure it’s a great party, but we’re still working through the exact specifics and everything, he said.