Pinnacle Bank Arena will go to the cowboys and bulls Saturday and Sunday.
The Lincoln arena will host the Professional Bull Riders Wrangler Invitational at 6:45 p.m. Saturday and 12:45 p.m. Sunday.
The two-day event will take place in front of spectators. Pinnacle Bank Arena will use a pod seating concept to space out ticket holders and minimize crossover. Local health standards will allow for 50% capacity, and Tom Lorenz, the arena's general manager, said capacity will be capped at 6,000 to 7,000. About 3,000 to 5,000 are expected over the two-day period.
Masks will be mandatory.
Pod seating will separate groups of two, three, four, five and six people from other groups.
"The idea is to make small pods of fans throughout the arena so that they are isolated somewhat," Lorenz said. "It's the same type of seating we did at graduations in July and August.
People are also reading…
"It makes (the spectators) feel more comfortable and it follows the directives of the health measure."
It will be the second ticketed event since the pandemic began. Pinnacle Bank Arena hosted a Dynasty Combat Sports fight card in late August.
Lorenz said his staff has been working with other arenas, convention centers and theaters in the ASM Global network to develop protocols to safely host events during the pandemic. That includes seating arrangements, using barriers to dictate traffic flow on the concourses, and applying floor markings at concession stands and restrooms to keep people distanced.
The PBR Invitational will feature the top 35 bull riders in the world, and some of the best bulls. World champions Jess Lockwood (2018 and 2019), J.B. Mauney (2013 and 2015) and Silvano Alves (2011, 2012 and 2014) are expected to compete.
All 35 bull riders will compete in Round 1 on Saturday and Round 2 on Sunday. The scores will be totaled and the top 15 will advance to the championship round, which is Sunday.
The PBR Unleash the Beast tour was not originally scheduled to stop in Lincoln. However, the COVID-19 pandemic and various state restrictions across the country led the PBR to realign the slate. The Lincoln date replaces the previously planned event in Tampa, Florida.
This will mark the first-ever PBR Unleash the Beast event in Lincoln. Historically, Nebraska has hosted four premier series events, and all took place in Omaha (2006-09).
The stop in Lincoln comes nearly a month before the PBR World Finals.
Advance tickets range from $18 to $108 and can be purchased at , the Pinnacle Bank Arena box office, or by calling 800-732-1727. Day-of tickets range from $23 to $113.