Madness sells, along with music

Tampa is normally a pretty active town on weekends, but things were exceptionally busy March 17-20 at two local venues.

The St. Pete Times Forum in downtown Tampa was the site of second- and third-round games for the NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament, with near-sellout crowds turning out for six games Thursday and Saturday. Tickets were available in two-game sets, which didn't require a big financial commitment to an entire ticket book.

The National Collegiate Athletic Association, which controls practically every aspect of annual March Madness, posted attendance figures of 14,835 for Thursday afternoon's games, 15,504 Thursday evening and 17,771 Saturday afternoon. The high numbers were likely fueled by fans of the University of Florida, which advanced to the next round in New Orleans after winning both its local games.

Across town at Raymond James Stadium, a reported crowd of 50,548 country music fans turned out to see Kenny Chesney headline a Saturday afternoon/night concert that also featured three other popular acts. Tailgating began early with cars and trucks parked for miles around.