The Nationals Saturday night will hold their first postgame, in-stadium concert with rock band Lifehouse, part of an aggressive series of promotions and discounts slated for the Labor Day weekend. Other efforts will include $5 ticket availability both Friday and Monday, and Sunday programming that includes a set of youth initiatives and an exhibition softball game involving local celebrities and the Wounded Warrior Amputee Softball Team. The weekend set of games will also include an extensive set of food and beverage coupons distributed through club sponsor the Washington Post. "This is part of an overall effort to generate new programs around our team and bring in new fans," said Nationals COO Andy Feffer. "It's sort of an interesting case study of how you stay relevant when you're not in a pennant race and when you have injuries to key players this year like we did with [P Stephen] Strasburg and [3B Ryan] Zimmerman." Feffer said at least 125,000 in total attendance for the set of four weekend games is likely. Before slating the Lifehouse concert, the Nationals consulted with several other clubs that have pursued similar initiatives, including the Rays and Pirates, as well as MLB. Meanwhile, a large crowd is also expected Tuesday for the return of Strasburg to the majors after more than a year's absence due to Tommy John surgery. Specific ticket sales figures thus far were not available. But Feffer said, "It will be a high-demand, at least near-capacity, game. And to have that the Tuesday after Labor Day is a big indicator of the excitement Strasburg generates."
