The Vikings yesterday hosted the Chargers in their first game at U.S. Bank Stadium, and sold a "reported 66,143 tickets, a record for a Vikings home game, although many of the building’s 66,200 purple seats appeared to be open," according to a front-page piece by Rochelle Olson of the Minneapolis STAR TRIBUNE. The noon CT game was the "first daytime event at the new stadium and the biggest so far, and previous problems seemed to be starting to ease." The team’s app "crashed when the gates opened" at 9:30am but "was fixed within 15 minutes." Some lengthy security waits also "were reported, but by game time, the lines had been cleared and fans were inside." Fans "warmed instantly to new pregame options on the western plaza and the nearby park." It was "much easier to walk on the outside spaces, although there were congested areas." Also, long lines "snaked toward many of the men’s restrooms." Olson notes sunlight "filled the building," and the air was "fresh and cool, an undeniable upgrade from the dungeonlike perma-gray inside the Metrodome." Vikings QB Teddy Bridgewater: “It just felt like outside. It’s a good feeling" (Minneapolis STAR TRIBUNE, 8/29). ESPN.com's Ben Goessling noted though it "appeared most fans had gotten to their seats by kickoff, there were some complaints about crowd flow during the game, particularly in the concourses of the upper levels" (ESPN.com, 8/28).
NO PLACE LIKE HOME: Goessling noted several Vikings players compared the noise levels "favorably to the Metrodome," and the new stadium "could become the same kind of eardrum-rattling venue their old one was." Vikings G Alex Boone: "It was way louder here" (ESPN.com, 8/28). In St. Paul, Tom Powers writes the stadium is "flamboyant and ostentatious, marked with hard edges and steel beams -- the perfect NFL playhouse." But there were a "few minor glitches, such as long lines at concessions and restrooms." The acoustics "were rather murky," and there was an "absence of pertinent information that should have been displayed somewhere, such as down and distance." Even the score "sometimes was difficult to find" (ST. PAUL PIONEER PRESS, 8/29). USA TODAY's Tom Pelissero wrote the building "is a futuristic marvel." It is a "big stadium -- nearly double the footprint of the dome that used to sit on this site -- but feels intimate." Early evidence "suggests U.S. Bank Stadium can pump up the volume, too" (USATODAY.com, 8/28). In Minneapolis, Mark Craig noted fans do not know "where to turn first" when they enter $1B "bull rush of visual stimulation that surrounds the playing field." The 8,100-square-foot video board is "roughly 7,500 square feet bigger than both of the Metrodome’s videoboards put together" (Minneapolis STAR TRIBUNE, 8/27). In St. Paul, Chris Tomasson noted the "chatter among players was about the ... video board that enables fans to see plenty." Vikings WR Charles Johnson: "You can see people’s zits and stuff. We’ve got to make sure we’re looking right when we come out here because the camera’s going to be on” (ST. PAUL PIONEER PRESS, 8/27).
DOOR TO THE FUTURE: Vikings coach Mike Zimmer said it is "really bright" on the field. Zimmer: "With the doors open, you can actually feel the wind a little bit down here." Asked if the five giant glass doors on the stadium's west side being open would impact the game, Zimmer said, "We'll have to check to see the noise factor, keeping them open or closed." He added of possibly distracting shadows, "I don't think it will be too bad. There will be some shadows during the day games, the late-afternoon games" (Minneapolis STAR TRIBUNE, 8/27). ESPN.com's Kevin Seifert noted the stadium has an "intimate setting relative to its size, boasting seats as close as 41 feet from the sidelines." Its upper deck is "cantilevered to bring it closer to the field than it otherwise would be, and its irregular roof is projected to reflect more sound toward the opponents' sideline than it will toward the Vikings' side." The partial transparency of the roof will "create shadows on the field during the afternoon," and the five doors "measuring between 75 and 95 feet tall could add wind and cold air to the mix" (ESPN.com, 8/27).
WORK TO DO: The AP's Steve Karnowski examined the "biggest bugs operators have faced so far, and what's been done to fix them." There have been "long lines and thick crowds," as well as a "tangled transit." Other potential issues include no free parking and "muddy acoustics" (AP, 8/26). A STAR TRIBUNE editorial noted the stadium, like the team, has "had its own exhibition season, and as with most training camp teams, the early performances have been a little ragged." Fans expect the stadium to "perform as a world-class venue." Now it is up to the Minnesota Sports Facilities Authority and the Metro Transit "to improve the stadium experience so the investment can perform up to its potential" (Minneapolis STAR TRIBUNE, 8/28).
