Syracuse, N.Y. -- The Syracuse football team will play its annual spring game on Saturday, April 12 at 3 p.m. at the SU Soccer Stadium. The game will be held outside, rather than in the JMA Wireless Dome, because of a concert that is scheduled to be held in the dome on April 11 and the following week. Billy Joel and Sting are scheduled to play on April 11 at 7 p.m. Metallica is scheduled to perform on April 19 at 6 p.m. Both of those weekends were the natural fits for SU’s spring game and the concerts created challenges to hosting the event in the JMA Dome, according to Tyler Cady, SU’s associate athletics director for communications. The set up and break down of a major concert stage would have been a substantial logistical challenge. Syracuse’s spring game will not be televised this season. Cady said that is unrelated to the choice of venue. He said the ACC Network gave schools three different options for football content this year and Syracuse opted for a one-hour all-access show that will showcase the people, personalities and behind-the-scenes moments in the program. Syracuse was featured in the ACC Network’s All-Access show last offseason, highlighting Fran Brown’s first year leading the team. In its announcement of the date, Syracuse said the festivities surrounding the spring game will include a tailgate in the Colvin Lot starting at 10:30 a.m. and a version of the team’s “Orange Walk” through the parking lot at 1:30 p.m. The tailgate will include food trucks, games and live music from a DJ. Additional details will be released before the event is held. Contact Chris Carlson anytime: Email | Twitter | 315-382-7932 >> Subscriber perk: Sign up for our exclusive Syracuse Sports newsletter from Brent Axe. Not a subscriber? Try the newsletter for free