San Jose’s PayPal Park could become new concert venue

SAN JOSE, Calif. (KGO) — PayPal Park in San Jose could be home to a new type of outdoor entertainment.

On Monday, the San Jose Earthquakes submitted plans to the city to modify this soccer venue into a concert space as well.

PayPal Park is located just west of the San Jose Mineta International Airport. The open stadium can seat 18,000 people.

Mayor Matt Mahan says it’s a beautiful space.

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“It’s a pretty unique experience, and they do a really nice job with the fan experience there so I think it just makes sense with our great weather to expand the offerings,” Mahan said.

The amendment would allow for 15 concerts each year on any day of the week.

“It’s already a part of town where you already have some noise with the airport and I think that as long as you position the speakers properly, I don’t think the neighbors are going to be any worse off so It really think this could be a win-win for everybody,” Mahan said.

The team touts the economic impact – more spending at the stadium with visitors’ dollars spreading to other parts of San Jose.

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Alex Stettinski is the CEO of San Jose Downtown Association.

“People will park here, because it’s more convenient and they’ll take a shuttle up to PayPal,” Stettinski said.

He said already they can feel a presence with soccer fans, boosting fast-evolving businesses.

“We have 32 new places that opened just within this past year, so there’s new restaurants, new bars, new entertainment venues coming online literally almost every month,” Stettinski said.

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Next year will be a big one for the South Bay, with Super Bowl, World Cup matches, and the NCAA Tournament.

The Earthquakes said adding world-class concerts can enhance San Jose’s profile.

“We’re getting ready for 2026, we want to take San Jose to the next level,” Mahan said.

Mahan said he’s supportive and he’s looking forward to seeing this come before the city council.