By Alan Snel of LVSportsBiz.com
It’s the building that Southern Nevada has invested so much in, a domed stadium that lured an NFL team to Las Vegas from Oakland with seating for 65,000 along with luxury suites, fancy clubs and lots of restaurant-level concessions.
The Raiders played eight games in their palatial venue in 2020, but it was Saturday night that the sports and entertainment palace with so many amenities came to life at 100 percent capacity and all 65,000 seats filled.
Super-popular Garth Brooks, the Country Music Hall of Famer with mainstream appeal, was the headliner who packed the Raiders’ $2 billion venue that included a $750 million construction subsidy from Southern Nevada. It’s the most public money ever committed to building an NFL stadium.
With another 20,000 people descending on the UFC fight show at nearby T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas scoffed at a dizzying 117-degree temperature and a COVID-19 pandemic to pack two of its prize entertainment venues because the local market with the entertainment-based economy wants normalcy and tourist dollars in the worst way.
It was kind of Grapes of Wrath meets National Finals Rodeo in front of the stadium’s southwest entrance for Garth Brooks.
The stadium was used a week ago by an electronic music performer named Illenium, a techno DJ and musician from Denver who attracted about 35,000 to Allegiant Stadium July 3.
But the stadium’s traffic and parking issues reached a more intense level today as concert goers who bought parking passes tried to figure out where to park on the stadium site that has only about 2,500 parking spaces on the actual stadium footprint. Here’s the traffic a block west of the stadium.
Neighboring properties west of the stadium tried to cash in on the $100 parking fees being charged by the Raiders.
About two blocks west of the stadium on Valley View , some properties were charging $60 and $50 to park.
On Hacienda Avenue, a business was asking for $100.
Hardly anyone was wearing a mask, even if less than half of Clark County is fully vaccinated and the test positivity rate is now north of eight percent.
At T-Mobile Arena, which was hosting UFC 264, there were 20,000 people crammed into an arena to see Conor McGregor fight Dustin Poirier. Cassandra Cousineau, at UFC 264 for LVSportsBiz, reported Dana White said gate was $16,076,000 and attendance was 20,062.
Even President Donald Trump., a friend of UFC Prez Dana White, attended, too.
Speaking of electric, with 85,000 people filling two venues, Nevada Energy had a message for its customers.
For the record, 65,000 people cheered Garth Brooks in a full stadium.
And McGregor broke his ankle and Poirier was the winner.
“It’s nice to see our city is alive and kicking,” Las Vegas resident Steve McInelly said.
At Allegiant Stadium, fans arrived during a three-hour window but left all at once. Result: a crush of fans and traffic jams leaving the venue. Take a look at the walk back over the Hacienda Avenue span to the east side of the interstate.
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