April 05, 2007
Soft Opening @ The Dick
Opening Ceremony @ The Dick
Was the soft opening a flop?
Not at all, but the Rapids did prove they can't beat themselves at The Dick.
Yep... tie game, 1-1. And I use the word game loosely. Less "got game" and more "practice game" where they stopped every 5 minutes for a pep talk by Clavijo, which was broadcast over the PA in unintelligible Spanglish.
MLSnet.com has a nice little write-up on the evening. (Oh, and thanks for showing how stupid Rapids fans must be.)
In fact, the night was fantastic, absolutely magically delicious. More than one grown man shed a few tears as they came through the gates, and it wasn't *all* because of the body cavity searches.
Class VI will tailgate in Lot AA on the East side of The Dick
We toured the AA parking lot tailgate area, which is abso-smurfly PERFECT for our needs as party-going fans. See the large bathrooms next to the Port-O-Potty? Get there early and be the first to scrawl "Fire Blanco!" in one of the stalls or show your pride on the Fake Salt Lake urinal cakes.
We walked the minute and a half over to the stadium, which slowly grows on you as you enter and then BAM! smacks you upside the noggin with all its soccer glorio-situdeness at once. The massive scoreboard (that doesn't display the score), the grass which looks absolutely artificial (yes, it was that perfect) shimmering in the lights after having been watered a few minutes earlier... Ahhh!
Your Class VI Ambassadors
(Yes, my wife does have a handbag in the Rapids new colors). The wind rolling over the plains was settled a bit inside the stadium (note the sprinklers), but it was still brisk enough to have passersby purchasing Class VI scarves just for warmth.
Psssst. I've also heard that Class VI scarves cure warts. Just passing that along.
And then came the moment where I understood that, from now on, professional soccer enjoyment in the Denver Metro region just got a kick in the pants. From the 360 concourse that goes right round the stadium so you can see the game and stroll along, to the comfortable/wide seats and a roof that really does bring da noyz, it's very, very good.
Quebec street appears essentially finished, although there were problems with traffic lights causing backups into the stadium.
Attendance was surprisingly good, and it was a bit hard to push our way through the new stadium store crowds. It was like being in Disneyland. Never seen so many grown-ups shelling out cash at the same time to wear someone else's logo on their bodies.
And while decorations in the store were limited, that's because the merchandise was ever-flowing and overflowing. Everything was there: stickers, balls, doormats, MLS jerseys from every other teams, our jerseys, rain jackets, pre-game shirts, t-shirts of multiple colors and varieties, a few kiddo shirts and jerseys, long plastic horns to beat your friends with, fuzzy fingers, and people! Boy were they everywhere. Not sure they realized it was for the Rapids, but they were buying in droves anyway.
MIA from the store? Hats & Visors. Huh. My wife was a bit flabbergasted at that. And shirts with playa names and numbers.
I'll go ahead and leave the rest for the imagination, but the experience was wonderful, the seating is fantastic, and the chicken sandwich in the Cantina Cafeteria might soon be the #1 choice of fans who aren't doggin' it at our tailgates... Unlike reports of the rest of the food. For example, the cheese that went along with our stale pretzel smelled strongly of vomit.
Speaking of which, the spread is ON! Tailgating begins early at 10am, and I talked with a lot of Class VI members bringing dishes to share. I don't want to give away all the secrets, but think Buffalo ribs and you'll get a sense of the effort going into Operation Good Times.
Mmmm.... I'm salivating for Saturday. Rain? Snow? DC United? Bring it on.
Posted by BilFish at April 5, 2007 12:18 PM