Only Larry the Cable Guy could make an entrance to rival the Nebraska football team and its vaunted Tunnel Walk.

The Blue Collar Comic from Pawnee City parachuted - sort of - into Memorial Stadium Saturday night.

A professional skydiver actually did it (and was hurt in the process), landing near the stage, but Larry pretended it was him floating downward, providing commentary via a microphone from backstage.

"It looks like Google Earth from up here," he said as the skydiver jumped from the plane above the stadium.

Once Larry "landed" and hit the stage, Larry the Cable Guy, aka Dan Whitney, was raring to go for his special Fourth of July event in his home state.

"Git-R-Done," he shouted into the microphone as the more than 50,000 in attendance roared their approval.

Larry performed on a stage in front of the east stadium. Four video screens - two on each side - flanked the stage. The comic wore his trademark red plaid shirt with the sleeves cut off, blue jeans and camouflage hat with a red letter "N" on it.

He followed his "Git-R-Done" with a "go Huskers," saying he hadn't been this excited since "we kicked a 57-yard field goal to kick Colorado's (you know what)."

He then launched into a 90-plus-minute set, which included jokes about Wal-Mart, Viagra, the economy, his family and much, much more.

"If you need to go to Wal-Mart, this would be the perfect time to go," he said, alluding to his fans' penchant for shopping at the department store. "They've been looking forward to this because it gives them a chance to restock the shelves."

The rain, which forced the city to postpone its fireworks display Friday night, threatened to play spoiler again.

It proved to be a mild threat.

The clouds spit upon the crowd clustered on the field and in the north, south and west stadiums, but stopped minutes before opening acts Josh Wolf and Reno Collier took the stage.

Comedy Central taped the entire concert, which is believed to be the largest taped comic event ever.

It was the first time the stadium had been used for something besides football since Farm Aid III in September 1987.

The concert, however, had the feel of a Husker football game, with some notable exceptions:

n Parking lots near the stadium, usually reserved for longtime season-ticket holders, were open to the general public for $5.

Brian and Wendy Henderson tailgated in the lot in front of the NU Coliseum with their children, Shelby and Shane, and friends Joe and Marylynn Windish from Philadelphia.

"It says something when the common man can park this close to the stadium," Brian Henderson said.

n Scalpers were on hand, but there were still good seats available right up to the concert.

n And many concert-goers wore red, but there were just as many in sleeveless plaid shirts and jeans.

Larry made the most of his appearance in his beloved Memorial Stadium, walking from one end of the stage to the other and cracking jokes, including why ice fishing proves that fish aren't very smart.

"If a pot pie suddenly dropped from a hole in your roof, wouldn't that throw up a couple of red flags for you?" he queried.

The concert finished with Larry leaving the stage and returning in even more Husker garb, followed by a fireworks show and winding up with Wolf and Larry playing Whitesnake and Journey covers as air guitarists for a mockumentary.

Other than skydiver, the concert went off without any major incidents before, during or after the concert, according to the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Police Department.

The skydiver, who missed his target spot and landed in the stands, suffered a facial laceration and complained of back pain, said UNL Assistant Police Chief Carl Oestmann. The skydiver initially declined medical treatment but was taken to the hospital later.

UNL Police initiated its text messaging system at the event, asking concert-goers to text them about any unruly behavior.

"We received a few text messages," Oestmann said. "We were happy to see it being embraced by spectators."

Reach Jeff Korbelik at 473-7213 or jkorbelik@journalstar.com.