Before Raiders Fill Stadium With 65,000 Fans At NFL Games In Vegas, There Are Concerts, WWE, Soccer At Allegiant Stadium
By Alan Snel of LVSportsBiz.com
The Raiders’ Allegiant Stadium opened in late July of last year with no fanfare. And when the Las Vegas Raiders began playing their home games in September, there were no fans either.
All that is changing as the NFL stadium built with $750 million in public dollars is now hosting events that are hosting fans.
For now, the Raiders won’t play their first regular season game with fans until September.
But before that there are concerts, a soccer game, a big WWE pro wrestling event and college football.
Only four days ago, electronic music performer Illenium, who is Nicholas Miller from Denver, drew 35,000 fans, many in the 18-25 age group. On Saturday, the stadium is expected to be filled with 65,000 people at a Garth Brooks concert.
“Illenium’s “Trilogy” concert at Allegiant Stadium was a night to remember. His impressive production, light show, and pyrotechnics truly revealed the capabilities of what this venue can do for some of the largest entertainment acts in the business,” Chris Wright, the stadium’s general manager, said in a prepared statement in a news release.
With COVID-19 test positivity rates increasing in Southern Nevada and so many unvaccinated people not wearing masks indoors, the prospect of filling a domed stadium with 65,000 people must make immunologists shutter. Less than 50 percent of Southern Nevada residents have been fully vaccinated. And the virus’ Delta variant is here, too.
Here’s the Southern Nevada Health District comment on the subject:
We know that unvaccinated people are driving the increase in cases in our community and we are providing vaccine at clinics throughout Southern Nevada. The Health District reminds people who are unvaccinated that they should continue to wear masks in public places, practice social distancing and get tested. Testing is recommended for people who have symptoms of COVID-19 or who are not fully vaccinated or unvaccinated and are a close contact of someone who has COVID-19. In addition, unvaccinated people who have participated in activities that put them at a higher risk of infection, including events with limited masking and social distancing.
The Raiders stadium, officially called Allegiant Stadium under a 30-year naming rights deal with the Summerlin-based airline, has many photos showing the NFL team’s glory years of the 1970s and 1980s. The team has not competed for an NFL championship for a while, but many in the Boomer generation recall when former owner Al Davis’ Raiders were a dominant team that won three Super Bowls a generation ago.
Photos like this one of former Raiders QB-kicker George Blanda adorn luxury seating areas and concourses.
Southern Nevada’s $750 million subsidy to build the 65,000-seat venue has generated hundreds of millions of dollars for current Raiders owner Mark Davis, who also bought the WNBA Las Vegas Aces from MGM Resorts International this year.
Season ticket holders generated an astounding and record $550 million in Personal Seat Licenses; new stadium founding partners who bought $30 million sponsorship deals generated another $350 million plus; and ticket sales will generate tens of millions of dollars more when fans start filling seats at Raiders home games starting in two months.
Mark Davis did not claim membership among the NFL owners who were billionaires. In fact, by NFL team owner standards, he’s a pretty down-to-earth owner. But new Raiders stadium has escalated the value of the Raiders’ franchise immensely and fattened Davis’ bank account by hundreds of millions of dollars.
With so many concert goers, you wonder how many will appreciate the many artifacts in the NFL stadium filled with photos, local Las Vegas-theme paintings and even car license plates displaying Raiders references in a tailgating display.
There’s even a hallway with stadium constructions scenes.
Stadium visitors will also be treated to artwork, too.
