BALTIMORE — With event cancellations happening across the region because of smoky conditions and poor air quality, some fans worried Morgan Wallen's concert at M&T Bank Stadium could be next.
But for thousands of country music fans, neither the haze nor the traffic was enough to keep them away.
"We are here to see Morgan Wallen," one group of fans said. "Very excited to see Morgan Wallen."
Smoke, traffic couldn't stop Morgan Wallen fans from packing M&T Bank Stadium
Fans traveled from near and far, including Connecticut, Pennsylvania, and many parts of the Mid-Atlantic, determined not to miss the show.
For Caitlyn, who has asthma, the decision was easy.
"Well, I have asthma, so I have my inhaler," she said with a laugh. "But like Morgan Wallen... asthma... You know."
Her friend Brianna wasn't concerned.
"I don't have lung problems, so I was just like, you know what? This air does not mean anything. I'm still coming."
Gina and Ariana made the trip from New England with their families.
"We were worried about the air quality, and then we were also worried about the drive down and traffic," they said.
Still, they weren't about to cancel plans for what they considered a can't-miss event.
"When he announced he was coming again, we were disappointed that he wasn't coming to Massachusetts or New York, so we said, we're going to Baltimore."
The pair made the most of the experience, tailgating before the concert with their children.
Others made it a family affair as well.
Riley, who traveled from Mount Airy with her parents and sister, said she was looking forward to spending the day with friends.
"I'm so excited. All my friends are going to be here, and we're going to tailgate, and it's going to be awesome."
For Jacque, concerts have become a family tradition.
"This is probably our third concert together as a family," she said.
Kevin admitted tickets weren't cheap, but said the memories were worth the investment.
"We actually bought the tickets maybe 10 months ago," Kevin said. "So we've been looking forward to this for a while."
Fans from Pennsylvania said conditions in Baltimore were actually better than what they had experienced at home.
"The air quality at home was worse, like a day or two ago, so it didn't bother us at all," Jessica said.
She and Justin said they were nervous the concert might be canceled after hearing rumors online.
"We were worried they were going to shut the concert down," Justin said. "But we had a non-refundable room, so we were coming regardless."
Jessica said a text message chain fueled worries the night before in her circle.
"Last night, there was a whole text message chain that it's going to get canceled, we're not going to be able to go. So we were very stressed all night."
But as concertgoers filled the lots and prepared for the show, the concerns quickly faded.
One fan even found humor in the smoky conditions.
"His song is '20 Cigarettes.' There's smoke in the air," the fan joked.
In the end, country music fans agreed the conditions were just fine if it meant seeing Morgan Wallen take the stage.
