Long lines, crowds, wait times...this is life at a sold-out venue, folks! It takes a half hour or more to get into the Big House before a game, and the streets around Camp Randall are a mess for hours after the game. We have all been spoiled by a half-empty dome these past 30 years I guess.
I always laugh when I see someone put it upon themselves to climb to the top of the soap box and address the mindless mass of sheep with a dose of their ultra-smart reality. They always seem to say "folks" or "people".
Anyway... everyone has been hitting on the same points here and there are some valid problems. Most people temper their comments by saying things that indicate they'd take a malfunctioning TCF Bank Stadium before a smoothly run Metrodome any day. I agree with them.
I have attended my share of sold out events at the larger Metrodome and I have never encountered the difficulty I had Saturday both getting into the stadium or trying to purchase a concession stand item. Sure, I have run into the occasional bewildered extra slooooow individual behind the concession counter before but this was different. This was a multi-faceted break down... Out of Pizza at a large concession stand that only carries pizza BEFORE halftime? Workers trying to scratch orders down on paper because they don't have registers? THOUSANDS of fans giving up and returning to their seats empty handed? I'd say this is all evidence of a breakdown and NOT "life in a sold out venue." This isn't a news flash because plenty of people are reporting the same thing but I took my kids to get some food with two minutes to go before half and we had to return to our seats empty handed to BARELY catch the second half kick off. It was a mess. I had some hungry kids on my hands at a game that was held right over the dinner hour. We had to order pizza when we got home. It is clear they lost revenue and will lose more if these issues don't get solved soon.
I'm not sure how to fix the inaudible band issue. It is an issue. Perhaps it has something to do with the ill-conceived 'pit' they have to sit in. Not only was it designed to be too small to actually hold the entire band, but it was difficult to hear them. However, that being said, the spell out at the end of the rouser was awesome. The days of the echo that resulted in half the crowd being on the "E" while others were on the "O" are over. The spell out sounds awesome... wonderful compared to the echo filled dome.
Unfortunately the fly over timing was screwed up and instead of flying overhead during the national anthem, it took place just as the team was taking the field - right when everyone's attention was on the field. Dang! Luckily my wife saw it at the last second so I got to see it.
I was thinking Maresh was going to be LEADING the team with the Minnesota STATE flag. That was another lost opportunity for opening night, and one that the Gopher staff had more control over.
Like someone else said, I hope the problems entering and exiting the stadium won't drive people to leave early to beat the rush.
You simply can't point out these issues without saying they are all worth it given the beauty of the new stadium and the overall wonderful experience of watching a game there.
