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1,369 | Date of experience: November 2015 | 29-Jun-16 | ACC | Virginia Tech | 5 | Charter member | One of my favorite places on earth!! many happy ( and some sad) memories here... Being there with my SECOND generation Hokie was the best ! |
1,370 | Date of experience: January 2016 | 12-Jun-16 | ACC | Virginia Tech | 5 | Hokie, Hokie, Hokie HI! | It's the home of the Hokies and Beemer Ball! What can I say, very large, very loud, very special! Lots of food stands and options inside and they handle the lines well. |
1,371 | Date of experience: November 2015 | 20-May-16 | ACC | Virginia Tech | 3 | Nothing like game day | Fan or not vt spirit is rolling on fall game days. You can't escape burgundy and orange everywhere. Love third down Hokies bird call and touch down cannon. |
1,373 | Date of experience: September 2015 | 17-May-16 | ACC | Virginia Tech | 5 | The best game in Town. | Lane Home of The Hokie Nation #ThisIsHome. Great family entertainment. Not just Football but family fun. Hokie Village, Tailgating, 2 Marching Bands and Great Tradition?? |
1,374 | Date of experience: November 2015 | 15-May-16 | ACC | Virginia Tech | 4 | Clean and nice, but home crowd stands | Came as a visitor, relatives attend VT but we all attended the opposing team's school.The stadium is clean, nice bathrooms and concessions, and jumbotron. The problem is that the home Hokie fans around us stand for most of the entire game, so we paid so much money for our tickets and we could not see unless we stood. I get that they shake their keys and sing VT stuff, that is fun to see what the other fans do, but standing is a bit of an issue.Next time I will watch the game on TV, where I can sit down! |
1,375 | Date of experience: October 2015 | 6-May-16 | ACC | Virginia Tech | 5 | Football!! | There is nothing like attending a football game at Virginia Tech. Everyone is so friendly and the crowd knows how to cheer on their Hokies. You can't help getting into the spirit of the game. |
1,378 | Date of experience: November 2015 | 27-Apr-16 | ACC | Virginia Tech | 5 | Virginia Tech Football | Let's Go Hokies! Lane Stadium is home to the Virginia Tech Hokies Football Team, Enter Sandman, and Frank Beamer for 29 years. Lane is known for being loud - students and fans help keep it that way. There are almost no bad seats in the house with great views even from the upper levels - speaking of which, there are great views of campus and Blacksburg from the top. |
1,381 | Date of experience: September 2015 | 30-Mar-16 | ACC | Virginia Tech | 5 | Quality football environment | Attending a game at Lane Stadium is a quality experience from is opening to end. Night games are special wit outstanding fireworks. |
1,383 | Date of experience: November 2015 | 21-Feb-16 | ACC | Virginia Tech | 5 | Va Tech Football Stadium | The stadium is very nice with small feel in a larger stadium. Views of the field are nice from any seat. Concessions and restrooms were above expectations. Restrooms in South end zone were nicest. Easy access. Attendants were very helpful and friendly. All of the stone work enhances the beauty of the stadium not to mention the surrounding Fall scenes. |
1,384 | Date of experience: November 2015 | 8-Feb-16 | ACC | Virginia Tech | 5 | Football game | Words can't describe the excitement that happens in Lane Stadium! Only the experience of being there!! |
1,385 | Date of experience: September 2015 | 2-Feb-16 | ACC | Virginia Tech | 5 | good atmosphere, good eats, great crowd | You cannot go to Blacksburg and not visit Lane Stadium! If you are a student or fan you must attend a couple games! VT is known for having a great fan base and the always turn up at the games! They have plenty of snack vendors, from the stadium concessions to other vendors, dairy club milkshakes and Buffalo Wild Wings. My husband and I usually get season tickets. We love watching our Hokies play! |
1,386 | Date of experience: October 2015 | 15-Dec-15 | ACC | Virginia Tech | 4 | "Home" for the Virginia Tech Hokie football team | This is an excellent facility! Frank Beamer's workplace for 29 years! The fans are always enthusiastic, perhaps especially so for night games. But really, always! They could use more bathroom facilities. |
1,387 | Date of experience: November 2015 | 4-Dec-15 | ACC | Virginia Tech | 5 | Awesome Experience | Have been going to lane for years and this stadium has evolved into one of the finest in the country. It has been expanded and still has that cozy feel. The parking at Tech is some of the worst in the country but making the long walk to lane has become a tradition. I hope the traditions continue with the new coach. |
1,388 | Date of experience: August 2015 | 23-Nov-15 | ACC | Virginia Tech | 5 | Come for a game OR a function | Lane is a very energetic place. I have been lucky enough to be in the tunnel and run out with the players, be on the field during epic games, been in the nicest box's like the Merryman's, and Wedding's in the end zone. COOL PLACE! |
1,389 | Date of experience: November 2015 | 23-Nov-15 | ACC | Virginia Tech | 5 | The Best | I've spent almost fifty years of Saturdays here cheering on my beloved Hokies. You can go to bigger stadiums. You can go to newer and fancier staddiums. But... there's no better stadium to experience a football game. |
1,390 | Date of experience: October 2015 | 11-Nov-15 | ACC | Virginia Tech | 5 | Friendliest fans,,wildest team entry .. greatest fans | From the tailgaters to the atmosphere inside the stadium to the game itself, there is no better place to watch a college football game.The team's entry with Enter Sandman by Metalica playing, the students jumping and fireworks popping from behind the South and North stands is cause for goose bumps.The typical fly over and the fans cheering "Let's Go"...."Hokies"If you can get a ticket, don't miss it. |
1,391 | Date of experience: November 2014 | 29-Oct-15 | ACC | Virginia Tech | 1 | too big | Too big, too self important. They should plow it under and eliminate football from VaTech. Think of all the money they could save and use for actual education... |
1,392 | Date of experience: October 2015 | 15-Oct-15 | ACC | Virginia Tech | 5 | We beat NC State | The game was delayed by lightning and they did not allow anyone in. They opened the gates and said the game would start in 15 minutes. I can not believe how efficiently they had 65000 fans seated... most by the kick off. Great Job. Let's JUMP!!! |
1,393 | Date of experience: October 2015 | 15-Oct-15 | ACC | Virginia Tech | 5 | Lane Stadium | Loud, huge, exciting, heart breaking, cold, hot, wet, worse parking in town. Best place in town to have a good time. |
1,394 | Date of experience: October 2015 | 10-Oct-15 | ACC | Virginia Tech | 4 | Super football facility | The stadium itself is very nice. Quite large but not a typical oval. North & South end zones are different and make for an attractive stadium. Concourses are very large & wide. A lot of restrooms and they are large & well maintained/cleaned during the game. There are a lot of concession stands with a large mixture of food/drink items. The only down side to the stadium is parking if you do not have access to one of the season ticket holder parking lots. Even these lots can be well over a 1/2 mile walk to the stadium. The closest open to the public lots are actually very close to the stadium but you have to drive thru residential neighborhoods to get to them. They do not belong to the University. A serious problem is getting out of these lots after the game. We literally sat in our car for 45 min without starting it because nobody was moving. Once we finally started it took another 50-60 minutes to get out of Blacksburg - without traffic a 10 min drive. |
1,395 | Date of experience: October 2015 | 5-Oct-15 | ACC | Virginia Tech | 4 | Amazing footbal statium for a college | First time visit and it could have been better since it Virginia Tech lost and this in poring rain so the Marching Virginian's not was not able to do their half time show.However an amazing stadium and I hope to be back sometime when it is a nice game plus great weather. |
1,396 | Date of experience: October 2015 | 4-Oct-15 | ACC | Virginia Tech | 4 | VT- Pitt football game | Did not like the outcome of the game but the stadium was great. Did not have to want forever to go to the bathroom at halftime like you do in most stadiums. The concession lines were really long but offered a good variety of food. |
1,397 | Date of experience: September 2015 | 18-Sep-15 | ACC | Virginia Tech | 5 | One of the greatest spots in college sports | The most enthusiastic crowds in college football make the atmosphere electric in this 60,000+ person stadium. Enter Sandman plays as the fans jump up and down, shaking the very structure of the stadium. Military tradition is displayed as over 1,000 cadets march in with their comrades. And the transition between the third and fourth quarters features the sousaphones of both school bands, and many times the opposing bands, as they play the Hokey Pokey, showing that the team that once featured a turkey as its mascot (now the Hokie Bird which still has turkey-like features) can still relish in making fun of itself while playing against some of the nation's finest teams. |
1,398 | Date of experience: September 2015 | 17-Sep-15 | ACC | Virginia Tech | 5 | Still my favorite stadium | I'm probably biased. I'm a Virginia Tech graduate and I have been going to Lane for over 25 years now. It is a great place to watch a game, especially against a big time opponent like Ohio State on Labor Day.When "Enter Sandman" kicks in right as the Hokies take the field, the stadium literally moves. To me, it is a bit a shame that the students have now mostly been relegated to the endzones. (When I was in college there weren't permanent seats in the endzones!) Enclosing the stadium has really amped up the volume in Lane Stadium. |
1,399 | Date of experience: September 2015 | 15-Sep-15 | ACC | Virginia Tech | 5 | VA Tech fans are great hosts! | What a fun time we had cheering on the Ohio State Buckeyes as they played Virginia Tech last weekend! The VA Tech fans were amazing! They were so friendly and welcoming! The "Enter Sandman" entrance onto the field by the VA Tech team was an amazing spectacle complete the military cadets, cheerleaders, fireworks and ALL of the VA Tech fans on their feet, cheering their team on. It was so much fun! Can anyone explain the large evergreen trees growing IN the stadium? |
1,400 | Date of experience: September 2015 | 13-Sep-15 | ACC | Virginia Tech | 5 | Visiting team | Great venue! Tech fans are polite... If they lose you come across a few sore losers but overall it was a good experience. |
1,401 | Date of experience: September 2015 | 13-Sep-15 | ACC | Virginia Tech | 5 | Hokie Respect makes visiting team experience memorable | Had a great time. Just visited for opening day 2015. The stadium itself was relatively new and well maintained. With capacity of 66k there didn't seem to be a bad seat in the house. Was given a free program which was a nice touch. The food looked interesting with some fair food flare (corndogs, anyone?), but did not try. The video boards were experiencing a lot of technical difficulties, with the major screen often did not have a clear picture. Maybe related to early season technical bugs that need worked out.During game-time, the Enter Sandman entrance is pretty spectacular to witness. Students seemed engaged the entire game, which was great to see. And the stadium got LOUD. Very impressive, Hokies, for that much sound with 66k. Fans were all friendly, did not have one bad experience despite countless interactions. The backdrop of mountains, and the beautiful campus made this a majestic experience, but the people of V. Tech made this forever memorable.If you are a college football fan, add this to your bucket list. Just try to look past the audible played every 3rd down... |
1,402 | Date of experience: September 2015 | 9-Sep-15 | ACC | Virginia Tech | 5 | Beautiful Campus | Attended Lane Stadium for the Ohio State vs. VaTech game. The campus is beautiful - and the stadium easily accessible. Traffic was a nightmare, but that was expected. |
1,403 | Date of experience: September 2015 | 9-Sep-15 | ACC | Virginia Tech | 4 | A "Must-visit" for the true college football fan | Ok, I admit it. I'm a college football junkie. I've enjoyed watching my Buckeyes in 18 stadiums in 15 states. Literally in all four corners of the country and in between. All I can say is that Hokie fans just "get it". They are "all-in" from pre-game tail-gating through the final snap - with some pretty awesome traditions in between like their stadium-rocking team entry to Metallica's "Enter Sandman". Hokie fans we encountered throughout our visit from our hotel to the venue and everywhere in between were welcoming and cordial. With their own clear love of their team and the game, they respect visitors who would travel hundreds of miles to support their own teams and they go out of the way to make a visitor's experience pleasant. One notable thing I loved (at least from our perspective) is that Hokie fans come to the game to be "engaged" in the game. They don't go there to just text, socialize, eat nachos and make endless and countless trips to the concession stands. They actually watch the game, know what's going on and become the incredibly loud 12th man. How very novel and as it should be!! And I absolutely loved it. They also didn't bail out and totally empty the stadium when their team clearly had lost the contest. In a word, TRUE FANS! The only not-so-pleasant issues were the difficulty in finding parking and post-game traffic. Admittedly, we arrived "only" 4-1/2 hours prior to a huge Labor Day night game. But armed with a parking map and some local advice we still criss-crossed and circled the sprawling campus for well over an hour before resorting to a little elementary school parking lot over a meandering mile away. (It DID save us $$, paying only $8 vs. the $20 in their "public" lots which were already all full and closed off). Blacksburg isn't "flat lands" so there was a lot of up and downhill walking involved to get to /from the stadium where (unlike many places we've been) there's not a bad seat in the house. While we were told that post-game traffic is exponentially improved over that of a decade ago by much-needed highway improvements, it took us forever to get out of there and highway speeds never got over bumper-to-bumper 15mph until we were half way to Roanoke. All in all, counting the 30-minute walk to our parking, the 35 minute trip to our hotel took 2-1/2 hours. Notwithstanding, it was truly a great experience and one that a true college football fan should put on their bucket list. |
1,404 | Date of experience: November 2014 | 8-Sep-15 | ACC | Virginia Tech | 4 | University Stadium like most others | It is a fun stadium, but I don't find it any different than any other university stadium I have been to. Of course, the atmosphere is created by thousands of adoring fans. |
1,405 | Date of experience: September 2015 | 8-Sep-15 | ACC | Virginia Tech | 2 | Worst transportation issues ever!! Unsafe at night...dangerous shuttle service to satellite parking! | Though Lane Stadium and Hokie Nation were great hosts for our night game, the transportation situation is deplorable. The VA Tech official website was no help for game parking. Signage on game day was terrible. We conferred w hotel patrons and found satellite parking. But after the game it was ridiculous and dangerous. We waited over an hour on unlit sidewalks for te shuttle to our car. No police directing traffic and only a single person w radio to assist hundreds of people trying to get shuttle. Masses of people crowded onto an unlit walk....one woman nearly hit by a bus squeezing through traffic. Nearly 2 hours to get to our car. No porta potties or open restrooms in area either. Then traffic jam all the way east to get to I81. We will avoid Lane at all costs..... |
1,406 | Date of experience: November 2014 | 2-Sep-15 | ACC | Virginia Tech | 5 | VT vs. UVa | Great time watching VT beat UVA!!! Every seat has a full view of the stadium and makes watching the game even better |
1,407 | Date of experience: September 2015 | 2-Sep-15 | ACC | Virginia Tech | 5 | HOKIES | Home Stadium to the HOKIES. Great game experience. Tail gating is big and traffic is usual for game day. A great place to experience a college football game. |
1,408 | Date of experience: November 2014 | 13-Jul-15 | ACC | Virginia Tech | 5 | Excellent Football Stadium! | This is the place for football games! Exciting; excellent food; you'll fall in love with the Hokie Spirit! |
1,411 | Date of experience: November 2014 | 24-Jun-15 | ACC | Virginia Tech | 5 | Awesome Stadium | Great stadium with a lot of great seats. It was so cold when we were there but we stayed for the entire game. Friendly workers and love the layout of the stadium |
1,412 | Date of experience: August 2014 | 17-Jun-15 | ACC | Virginia Tech | 5 | Its Great! | Great place to watch football! If only the Hokies were a little better! The crowd is really loud and the fans are great! Definitely a college stadium everyone should go to. |
1,413 | Date of experience: December 2014 | 3-Jun-15 | ACC | Virginia Tech | 5 | Home games a must | You can't beat the entrance of the Hokies! The fans know their football and it is an incredible atmosphere, especially Thursday night games. The east side gets full sun throughout the game and the west side thru the first quarter on those early games. |
1,417 | Date of experience: November 2014 | 19-May-15 | ACC | Virginia Tech | 5 | Ultimate Hokie House of Worship | Watching Hokie football in Lane Stadium is a spiritual experience, from jumping to Enter Sandman, jingling keys on critical 3rd downs, cheering H-O-K-I-E-S Hokies!, dancing to the Hokie Pokey, and watching exciting BeamerBall. A night game is at a whole other level - fireworks and an electric atmosphere. Notes: no alcohol, umbrellas,backpacks, noisemakers allowed. Be prepared to have your bag checked at the gate. Get there early to see the pre-game rituals and Enter Sandman. |
1,418 | Date of experience: September 2014 | 6-May-15 | ACC | Virginia Tech | 5 | Hokie Football at Lane Stadium Can't Be Beat! | There is no better stadium in which to watch the Hokies dominate their opponents! The feeling of being home pervades the place. It's a fantastic stadium with great views of the natural grass gridiron from any seating area.What will you see? Fantastic football, over 60,000 fans, The Highty Tighties, Skipper the world??s largest game cannon and the world famous Hokie Bird. Don't miss your chance to dance! Between the 3rd and 4th quarters, the tuba section of The Marching Virginians lines up to play and dance the Hokie Pokie. Band members will invite tuba players from the Highty Tighties and the visiting band to join them.NCAA ACC Football at its very best!Although I do miss seeing the old "Home of the Fighting Gobblers" sign that used to decorate the outside of the stadium. That sign now hangs above the HokieShop in the West Stands concourse. |
1,419 | Date of experience: November 2014 | 17-Apr-15 | ACC | Virginia Tech | 5 | Great place to watch college football | We've had season tickets since 1980 and have watched unbelievable growth in size and excitement. Today, I don't think there's anywhere better to watch college football. When the first chords of "Enter Sandman" hit, you can feel the electricity in the air. If you love college football, this should be on your "can't miss" list. |
1,420 | Date of experience: October 2014 | 10-Apr-15 | ACC | Virginia Tech | 4 | Electric! Enter Sandman! | Great place to watch college football - even better when the Hurricanes beat the Hokies at home! Truly one of the best college venues for college football and "Enter Sandman" is a perennial favorite. I would give it 5 out of 5 stars if the food selections were better - but then again, it's a college stadium. |
1,421 | Date of experience: November 2014 | 7-Mar-15 | ACC | Virginia Tech | 5 | Great college football atmphere | I've had season tickets at Lane Stadium for over 20 years. There have been many improvements in seating, lighting, game day experience, etc. (the rest rooms on the West side could use some upgrades but the constant has been the crowd. There are few places that can rock the way Lane Stadium can at a night game - rain or shine, heat or cold. When Sandman plays...The concession food is actually quite good and varied. From turkey legs, to barbeque to cheese steaks to pizza to burgers and fries I've never had anything that wasn't hot and wasn't good. The crowd is generally welcoming of opposing fans. There is no alcohol served in the stadium but tailgating several hours before the game is a long standing tradition. The students are seated on the east side which might be good to remember if you are bringing children. |
1,423 | Date of experience: January 2015 | 20-Jan-15 | ACC | Virginia Tech | 5 | This place is huge | This place is huge it really brings that feeling of glory to you and the great history of the bookies trying to get tickets is a challenge but if you can do and enjoy the atmosphere and tailgate before the game .The atmosphere is great even better with a victory |
1,424 | Date of experience: August 2014 | 30-Dec-14 | ACC | Virginia Tech | 5 | Amazing Atmosphere for College Football!!!!!!!! | While visiting our son who is a Freshman at VT, we attended the opening football game in August: VT vs. W&M. What a fantastic time we had tailgating before the game: we saw the parade, marching band, Hokie Bird, the VT Football Team and thousands of Fans!! Everyone at the game inside Lane Stadium was friendly and professional! We were fortunate to experience the game inside the owner's suites! I am sure, a different experience: buffet of food, desserts and open bar! Amazing experience! Like the other reviews shared, "Enter Sandman" by Metallica was explosive!! |
1,425 | Date of experience: October 2014 | 9-Dec-14 | ACC | Virginia Tech | 5 | Go Hokies! | It's a great stadium with an awesome tailgating crowd. The stadium isn't huge, but when "Enter Sandman" starts playing, you might think it's gigantic as the crowd goes wild. Great fans and most of the seats are good, especially with the addition of the new scoreboard (added in 2013/14). The fireworks and canon shots are also a nice touch! |
1,426 | Date of experience: November 2014 | 2-Dec-14 | ACC | Virginia Tech | 5 | Fun Venue for a Game! | We attended the VT UVA game this past weekend. Although it was a cold 23 degrees, everyone was having a great time. They really know how to get the fans involved and have fun. It's not as large as an SEC facility, but still quite impressive a stadium. Good music, fireworks, traditions. Go VT! |
1,427 | Date of experience: November 2013 | 9-Oct-14 | ACC | Virginia Tech | 5 | One of the top college football experiences | Great atmosphere. The team taking the field to Enter Sandman by Metallica is one of those bucket list things to see for hardcore college football fans. |
1,431 | Date of experience: January 2023 | 12-Jan-23 | ACC | California | 4 | The Football Stadium. Go Bears! | It's a landmark as the big stadium for the Bears. Go Bears! I am an alumnus and I have some interest in this sports venue. Gets very busy on a football day, traffic an people. |
1,432 | Date of experience: October 2022 | 6-Nov-22 | ACC | California | 4 | Get rid of the cannon! | Other than the cannon that goes off when they score, the stadium was really nice. The shuttle bus was impossible to find! Beware of the cannons if you get triggered like I did. |
1,434 | Date of experience: November 2019 | 10-Nov-19 | ACC | California | 5 | Always Fun Times Watching Cal Football at Memorial Stadium | We enjoyed watching the Cal Bears beat Washington State Cougars 33-20 On Nov. 9, 2019. We are Cal Bear season ticket holders and enjoy going to the games. Its fun to watch college football at Memorial Stadium. The cheerleaders are fun to watch. The Mascot Oski is always a delight. We have good seats with good views. We also enjoy listening to the Cal Band. The one thing Cal messed up this year was taking care of people who need special assistance to the game. First, they got rid of the golf carts. Secondly they got rid of easy access gates into the game In short, the one thing that Cal did wrong in 2019 was making it much harder for people with disabilities to attend the games. This must be addressed for 2020. I have talked to a few people on this as we waited for the very tardy Cal Stadium Shuttle busses to take us to the game Its a MESS this year. |
1,435 | Date of experience: October 2018 | 19-Aug-19 | ACC | California | 3 | Typical stadium | Memorial Stadium is not the most advanced stadium, but I think that kind of part of it's charm. The stadium has food vendors surrounding the outer ring as well as port-ta-potties. If you have the money or are an alumni, you can opt to watch the game in the more expensive seats on the shaded side of the stadium. I've never sat on that side, but you do envy the shade if you are attending a game on warm day. If you happen to live near by, it's always better to walk to the game as parking can be expensive and a hassle. |
1,437 | Date of experience: October 2018 | 6-Nov-18 | ACC | California | 3 | Cool, But Not Awesome | Visited the Stadium for the ill-fated appearance of the UW Huskies vs. Cal Bears. This venue has much to offer, including picturesque sunsets, the beautiful hills that rise above the stadium (and the tightwads who gather there), and the friendly ambiance of fans who enjoy the game, win or lose. That said, the stadium itself is in need of a remodel - it just cannot compete with the excitement generated among their competitors in the Pac-12 let alone national venues. The 2 "jumbo" screens look like 1950 televisions compared to the massive screens at Autzen or Husky Stadium. Check out the Fan Zone at Husky Stadium, where all fans are invited to enjoy food, beer, games steps away from the field. At Cal, this sort of perk is only available to the elite. ( Wow, thought Cal Berkeley was kind of the cradle of Democracy. Not so.) Most of the seating offered to Cal fans is bench back. Very few luxury seats = a lack of both comfort and excitement. And, when the game is over, a long walk to find a place to grab Uber back to the hotel rather than a central area offered at so many other sports and concert venues. Cal fans are great. They deserve better. |
1,438 | Date of experience: October 2018 | 2-Nov-18 | ACC | California | 4 | First Ever College Football Game?? | Visited for the Bears vs. Huskies game (Oct. 2018); took the BART from SF (40mins) to Downtown Berkeley and then a free shuttle bus, that drives through the stunning Berkeley Campus and drops you off a few 100 yds. from the very impressive (63,000 seat) Memorial Stadium. The entire experience from tailgate party, entrance, security, food outlets, pre-match, no segregation (take note UK) was excellently managed. One minor issue; the seating (benches) is very tight (luckily there were a few empty places around us; with a capacity crowd ?? it would have been a tight squeeze).During the game; the atmosphere (approx. ??+ full stadium) was largely manufactured and tame, even with a decent following travelling from Washington/Seattle????. I suspect a game against Stanford would be a different affair. The game, wasn??t the best, a tight 12-10 victory for the Bears, so, at least the majority of the crowd went home happy enough.After, the game; the free shuttle didn??t leave for 30 minutes ?? so, we walked back to the BART (about 30mins.); where the station was full.The BART platforms & trains, after the game, were packed out (trains not very frequent; considering it was a game day) and they didn??t run directly back to SF, negating a tricky change (for out of town??ers) two stops down the line. Pros: Stunning Setting & very well managed.Cons: Seating.Visit again: Thinking; maybe, I??ll likely stick with the NFL. |
1,439 | Date of experience: September 2018 | 29-Sep-18 | ACC | California | 5 | Attractive Sports Venue! | Not a fan of the Golden Bears, but their stadium is pretty cool! In the Heart of UC-Berkeley, this Stadium (home of "The Play") felt like a time machine. Its simplicity, but yet an engineering jewel (plus the NorCal weather), makes this a perfect place to enjoy a great afternoon's sporting event. |
1,440 | Date of experience: September 2017 | 5-Aug-18 | ACC | California | 4 | Really cool stadium! | The coolest thing about this stadium, aside from the Berkeley area surrounding it, is the fact that it's basically dug into the side of a hill. Big fan of sunk-in stadiums, I think it enhances the intimidation factor when at the top of the actual stadium seating there are hundreds more fans standing on the outside fences cheerin on the Bears |
1,443 | Date of experience: October 2017 | 22-Mar-18 | ACC | California | 4 | Nicely Rebuilt | The original on this same site was earthquake damaged, and it is good to have it rebuilt and reinforced. |
1,445 | Date of experience: September 2017 | 30-Dec-17 | ACC | California | 4 | Most Beautiful Stadium View in the World? | What a shame so many of Cal's football games are at night when the stadium on a fall afternoon is almost certain to be sunny and clear. It gives the fan an opportunity to climb up to the top rows to look out over San Francisco Bay at the gorgeous Golden Gate Bridge, the mountains in Marin County as well as the San Francisco skyline. If you are visiting the Berkeley campus area not during a football game, you might still find an open gate. It would give you the opportunity to climb up high for the view. |
1,446 | Date of experience: September 2017 | 19-Oct-17 | ACC | California | 3 | Cal football Stadium from 1923 remodeled in 2010-2012 | Cal Memorial Stadium opened in 1923 and is on the National Registry of Historic Places. But its location built directly on the active Hayward Fault and resulting seismic damage and instability necessitated a reconstruction and retrofit. From 2012-2012 the entire west side of the stadium was demolished and reconstructed and the level of the playing field was dropped by four feet to allow better viewing from the lowest rows. We discovered on our recent visit for the USC vs. Cal game, that the bench seating on the west side there was good sight lines but poor leg room and seat space. A rented chair back with a seat cushion was a lifesaver. Concessions were typical game fare with few gluten free options. The view from the west side of the stadium looking back over the bay toward San Francisco was excellent, but the hike up the hill to reach the stadium was exhausting!On the hill overlooking the north east corner of the stadium there were large crowds watching the game from afar - learned later that the area was nicknamed " tightwad hill." |
1,447 | Date of experience: September 2017 | 24-Sep-17 | ACC | California | 1 | Horrible Stadium. | Old stadium and very difficult to get around. "Jumbotron" is anything but jumbo. If your seats are any where close to the bottom, be prepared to have people walking in front of you constantly. The only other way to get to the bathrooms are to climb up fifty rows. The security staff was very unprofessional and at one point, I saw them laughing instead of trying to break up a scuffle. I will never go back. |
1,448 | Date of experience: August 2017 | 13-Sep-17 | ACC | California | 4 | It is the CAL Football Stadium .. can not say much more than that. | On the South East side of campus is the football stadium. It is what it is. It is new having undergone millions in restoration and dates back to 1923, so it is a bit quarky much like Berkeley. |
1,449 | Date of experience: September 2017 | 10-Sep-17 | ACC | California | 5 | Cal Wins Home Opener Game 2017 Over Weber State (33 to 20) | We went to the home opener football game for 2017 at Memorial Stadium.The Cal Bears were playing Weber State (Ogden, Utah). Cal won 33 to 20.We are season ticket holders so have good seats. We also have reserved parking.During the game, they were also honoring other sports championship athletics such as for swimming, rugby, diving, basketball and so forth. It was fun to see.Oski the Bear is the mascot of Cal. We also watched the cheerleaders, dance teams, and band.They also have a cute "Bear Roar" where three young kids compete to see which roar the audience likes. The one that has the best "roar" sound gets a big stuffed bears. The other two competitors get smaller bears.They also experimented during this game to have a 15 minute half time instead of 20 minutes.Memorial Stadium is a good stadium to see a football game at. |
1,450 | Date of experience: August 2017 | 15-Aug-17 | ACC | California | 3 | Preseason | Was in la for catcon and we decided to go see cowboys against rams. Stadium was very dirty and not taken care of. Staff is very friendly and feels safe to walk around . No cup holders for beer but seats were great for the price Go cowboys !!! |
1,451 | Date of experience: December 2016 | 4-Jan-17 | ACC | California | 5 | Amazing views | I have been to many, many football stadiums - The Big House, Notre Dame, Mich State, The Swamp, The Orange Bowl, UNC Kenan Stadium and so on. This stadium was very cool and had by far the best views of any I've been to. Sitting in the hills and looking over the entire Bay was very cool. |
1,452 | Date of experience: October 2016 | 27-Oct-16 | ACC | California | 3 | Oregon vs California | Friday night college football! In middle of campus. No parking. Not very big stadium. Difficult to get around in. Makes u go out of your way to get somewhere inside stadium. |
1,453 | Date of experience: October 2016 | 5-Oct-16 | ACC | California | 5 | Beautiful Stadium | Watched game during Parents Weekend at Cal. Venue was new and beautiful. Nice view of San Francisco on a clear day. |
1,454 | Date of experience: September 2016 | 20-Sep-16 | ACC | California | 3 | Not good for crowds | Lovely setting for a stadium on the hillside but they were not ready for the crowd this weekend. Getting into the seats was a mess, no staff to direct and the set up was a disaster. You had to climb over people to get to sections OR climb 50 steps up and over. Very poor design. Really put a bad taste for the experience. |
1,455 | Date of experience: September 2016 | 18-Sep-16 | ACC | California | 5 | Opening Home Game 2016 - Cal Wins Over Texas Longhorns 50 to 43 (Memorial Stadium) | We returned as season ticket holders to Opening Home Game for the Cal Bears. The stadium was full of high energy Texas and Cal Fans. Cal Bears won 50 to 43.The Cal Band entertained both at pre-game and at half time. At half time also Cal Berkeley honored many of the athletes who were in the recent Summer Olympics in Brazil. Some played for the US; others for other international countries.There were the enthusiastic and talented cheerleaders to entertain.Cal Oski, the Cal Mascot, also was there as well as the mascot for the Texas Longhorns.The stadium is also called Kaboom Field so the scoreboard will say "Kaboom" when Cal Bears score a touchdown.The game was televised also on Pac-12 as well as ESPN TV so the game went from 7:30 till about midnight.They also do various presentations and fan participation activities. A very young toddler won a huge stuffed black bear when she "roared" the best out of 3 children participants to see who could roar the loudest. |
1,456 | Date of experience: September 2016 | 2-Sep-16 | ACC | California | 5 | GO BEARS | JUST THE BEST,stadium around. Days are always perfect and the games are exciting.No drinking inside but that's ok ! the place is awesome.! |
1,457 | Date of experience: October 2015 | 27-Jun-16 | ACC | California | 4 | Great college football experience | Great place to watch a college football game. Cal fans are enthusiastic, although I sat in the visitor section. The stadium is old, but doesn't matter when you have great football to watch and an enthusiastic crowd! |
1,459 | Date of experience: November 2015 | 20-Apr-16 | ACC | California | 3 | Cal Stadium ...just a big circle | Being a Sun Devil fan, it sucked because we lost. That aside, all the Cal fans were very hospitable and classy. The stadium seemed small, because I'm so used to Sun Devil stadium. The game was easy to see because the whole place sits fairly low to the field. Gorgeous location among the trees and a nice frat row. Super easy for a handicapped person to see a game. Very ADA compliant. |
1,460 | Date of experience: October 2015 | 8-Feb-16 | ACC | California | 5 | Great Cal Stadium! | This stadium replaced a smaller one and is a much more exciting experience. It holds sizable crowds and is well designed for football games and other events. The Cal Games are fun! Sit on the west side if possible; otherwise the sun is in your face for too much of the day. |
1,462 | Date of experience: December 2015 | 6-Jan-16 | ACC | California | 5 | FootBall Game at Cal | The stadium has been beautifully rebuilt and is a great sports venue with a magnificent view of San Francisco and the Bay. |
1,463 | Date of experience: October 2015 | 17-Dec-15 | ACC | California | 5 | Beautiful! | I am glad for the recent renovation! Now, I can enjoy the games in a beautiful venue AND know that the stadium safe to be in! |
1,464 | Date of experience: November 2015 | 27-Nov-15 | ACC | California | 5 | Best place to watch a game | Even before its renovation, Memorial Stadium was the best place in the country to watch college football. It's an old-style stadium that retained its atmosphere after its renovation and modernization. The views of the bay area are spectacular! |
1,465 | Date of experience: October 2015 | 31-Oct-15 | ACC | California | 5 | Fun to See the Cal Bears Play, the Band Play, and Oski the Bear at Memorial Stadium | We are Cal alum and season ticket holders so have been to Memorial Stadium many many times. Its a fun place to go and cheer on the football team. Its fun to see college football players and we have seen some go on to be major stars in the NFL (Aaron Rogers, Marshawn Lynch for example).The mascot for Cal is the Oski Bear.Since the football stadium is on the hill, one can also get good views of the UC Berkeley campus as well as of the San Francisco Bay Area. The Cal Band also plays during the football game.Memorial Stadium has been remodeled so the seating now is much more comfortable than it was a few years ago. The reason for the remodeling is that Memorial Stadium is on an earthquake fault and they needed to make safety changes. They also made a much more elaborate sports box area.Parking is difficult for the game so its encouraged to take public transportation such as BART. One can find pricy places to park in the Greek (fraternity/sorority section) close to the stadium if they do not have season parking permits and if they are not taking BART or public transportation.Its always fun to go to a game and see the Pac 12 teams. Cal has gone to some after season bowl games in the past. However being a Cal fan means putting up and enjoying that this is a college sport where one can see sometimes great play and other times - its not so good. Its all fun though.There is a pregame show (about 20 minutes before football kickoff) and also an intermission where one will see the bands play. There is also an after football game show.As such, one is usually at the game 3 to 4 hours.There are also various congratulation events (i.e. best athletes, professors) and fan events one can see throughout the game when football is not going on. |
1,466 | Date of experience: September 2015 | 19-Oct-15 | ACC | California | 5 | College Football is a lot of fun! | I highly recommend you attend a Cal Berkeley Football home game if you are in the area at the time of a game. The audience is almost as much fun to watch as the game. There is a large student section and the students are engaged during the entire game. If you are not in Berkeley, then I highly recommend you take BART from wherever you are (Fremont for South Bay) to downtown Berkeley and then walk through campus to the stadium. All times I've taken BART to a game, most of the BART riders will also attend the game. This is particularly "fun" during the Stanford/Cal game, where a lot of the fans from both Universities live in the Bay Area. If you decide to take this choice, once you cross the street to head to campus, walk straight towards the tower and then continue on beyond that to get to the stadium. You'll probably be walking with an entire crowd from BART to get to the stadium.Check the Berkeley website for home games. You can purchase tickets from the Berkeley website (and often get pretty good prices - especially for students or seniors) - or you can purchase from places like StubHub. The Berkeley ticket website is pretty good and you can see and select the exact seat you are getting.In my opinion, this is a fun thing to do, even if you do not have ties to Berkeley. |
1,473 | Date of experience: October 2019 | 20-Oct-19 | ACC | SMU | 5 | Super COOL stadium with great fans AND great experience! | It is probably best to ??caveat?? this review with a comment that you should attend the SMU Mustang football team is on an unbeaten streak and beats the visiting team! The stadium is built into the ground slightly so that the south end is mainly a grassy hill that you can sit on and ??picnic.?? The outside is brick which gives it an ??old world?? look which is quite beautiful. THe field is turf and very soft. The facilities including the bathrooms were very nice. The servings during the game ranged from hot dogs to beer and pretzels. The wine option was Chardonnay (for those who were wondering). I was surprised since I attended on an NCAA-sanctioned event which typically prohibits this. |
1,476 | Date of experience: September 2017 | 7-Sep-17 | ACC | SMU | 5 | Opening Weekend at SMU Campus in Dallas, Texas | Easy to walk to and find your seat. The concessions were good, and even in the corner of the end zone we saw the game at every angle. This stadium is what every college football stadium should be: on campus, cozy, clean, convenient, classic, and collegiate. The next game is Sat. Sept. 9, 2017 against rival NTSU. The game starts at 6PM so bring your sunglasses, and enjoy college football. |
1,477 | Date of experience: November 2016 | 1-Dec-16 | ACC | SMU | 4 | Good Little College Football Stadium | This is a newish 32,000 capacity stadium on the campus of SMU University.Horseshoe in design with 2 tiers of seating, except for the usual executive box / press facility glass structure on the home side of the field.The open end of the horseshoe is taken up by by a grass bank with a large screen score board and children's play area. One of the cleanest stadiums I have ever been in but it could do with upgrading the seating to seats as benches are not fit for purpose in the 21st century.Was there on a glorious sunny day so saw the stadium in all it's glory but there is no cover anywhere so wrap up warm or the rain if the weathet is bad |
1,478 | Date of experience: October 2016 | 3-Nov-16 | ACC | SMU | 4 | Great stadium | We went for the University of Houston vs SMU game. Very comfortable seats with a nice selection of food items. |
1,479 | Date of experience: November 2015 | 28-Jul-16 | ACC | SMU | 5 | I'll take any seat, perfect views. | I've visited for high school and college games, always a great crowd but the parking can be a pain in the rear. I really enjoyed the food too, excellent experience and great location. |
1,480 | Date of experience: November 2015 | 7-Jun-16 | ACC | SMU | 5 | Great college atmosphere | Big time sold out college football atmosphere if the SMU Mustangs are playing a former SWC opponent such as A&M, TCU, or Baylor. Mustang Band will always put on a great show, and the football team is improving under Chad Morris. Great pre game party (not sure I'd call it tailgating) on the Boulevard to the northwest of the stadium. Parking pretty scarce near the stadium. Park in the Mockingbird Station lots east of Central Expwy, and take the free shuttle or walk (1/2 - 3/4 mile) to the stadium. If the Mustangs are playing an AAC opponent, seats can be plentiful, and you can almost sit where you want. Great venue for high school playoff games as I've watched my Longview Lobos there 3 times. Ladies need to trade out their purses for clear plastic purses as you will we wanded for weapons and clear bags inspected. Binoculars worn around neck or in clear plastic bag. |
1,481 | Date of experience: September 2015 | 5-Oct-15 | ACC | SMU | 5 | No bad seats | We attended the NTSU/SMU game and had a ball. The pre-game atmosphere was a lot of fun. Got to mingle with the cheerleaders from both teams, as well as watch the SMU Alumni band play. Lots of tailgating going on. Once inside the stadium I game it a "walk around" to see what the seating would be like from top to bottom. It was all good. Inside there were plenty of restrooms to accommodate the large crowd, and enough variety of food to satisfy the normal fan. I also was surprised to see several food trucks along the end zone, behind the scoreboard/video board. It was HOT, so I decided to get a snow cone, or shaved ice whichever you prefer. I got a large one, and it was only five bucks. Not a bad deal at all. It was also fun to see George W. Bush do the pre-game coin toss. The only negative here may be a lack of parking nearby. There were some lots that were on campus and many parking spaces seemed to be available for $20. We avoided that by parking at the nearby DART Mockingbird Station, and using the free shuttle to the campus. There was almost no waiting and after the game, it was easy to leave as well. So, my suggestions would be to arrive early enough to walk the campus for some atmosphere, and to park off campus and find a free shuttle. OH, ticket prices were very reasonable, enough you could take the kids for a fun afternoon. |
1,483 | Date of experience: September 2015 | 5-Sep-15 | ACC | SMU | 4 | Great Stadium | After living in Dallas for 8 years, we finally made it to the stadium. Great venue! Easy to get in and out. All seats are really good. Beer is sold which is great. Parking is not great, so if possible, take public transportation (Mockingbird Station across the street) or a taxi. |
1,484 | Date of experience: November 2014 | 1-Dec-14 | ACC | SMU | 2 | Poor Concessions | Try to park in the Moody Center Garage. It is a straight walk to the stadium. The seats have a back which I really loved. I rated the stadium poor because even thought it was a small crowd (Black Friday 2014), the concessions had basically nothing to sell as they ran out. Based on a conversation with one of the workers, it appears this may be a common occurrence. So definitely have a filling meal before you visit this stadium |
1,485 | Date of experience: October 2014 | 4-Nov-14 | ACC | SMU | 2 | Nothing Notable About This Stadium EXCEPT | You will notice the stadium was remodeled sometime back and that parking is a real problem. What you will notice this season is the thousands of empty seats as SMU struggles to place a football team on the field. Oh they have a bunch of players but no team to speak of. The loosing season has already been cast for the year. You can more than likely sit anywhere you desire along with the other hundred or so fans that come on a Saturday. They started selling beer, thinking that would help fill the stands. Nothing worse than a few college students drinking too much and annoying other fans and patrons. Perhaps in the years ahead things will change but don't count on it for this season. |
1,486 | Date of experience: November 2013 | 16-Oct-14 | ACC | SMU | 3 | Average smaller stadium | I have season tickets to SMU football since its the only football in Dallas. Stadium is accessible from DART Mockingbird station. You can either walk or take a shuttle across the freeway to the stadium. Lots of food options outside. Inside has the usual stadium options and a food truck in the endzone. |
1,487 | Date of experience: September 2014 | 26-Sep-14 | ACC | SMU | 2 | Some like it hot! | This is not the place to be on a 95 degree afternoon, especially not on the sunny side. It is brutal. The metal benches get so hot you can't even sit down without branding your legs. Not a good design feature for a location like Dallas. The concession lines were excruciatingly long, and the vendors ran out of cold water. $6 for a cup of soda with no refills. Not a good experience. |
1,489 | Date of experience: September 2012 | 12-Sep-12 | ACC | SMU | 5 | Great little stadium, but the experience is more than the sum of it's parts! | Background: I earned a graduate degree from SMU in the early 1980's when games were played in Texas Stadium with no atmosphere. I avoided the team for over 20 years.Fast forward past the Death Penalty to the incredible decision to totally renovate the 1920's Ownby Stadium and return to the SMU campus and create a more intimate college experience And, wow, what a job they've done in just a few years.Getting to the game is easy with DART and SMU provides a courtesy shuttle from nearby Mockingbird Station, with free parking. Much easier and cheaper than parking on campus.For starters, the Ponies don't tailgate, they "Boulevard" along the shaded tree-lined Bishop Ave. There's lots of food (often free) and fellowship for fans and visitors. The new Corral with lots of HDTV just opened, but I haven't visited yet.The SMU Alumni Band performs a pregame concert. And, about 45 minutes prior to kickoff, Peruna, cheer squads, and the Best Dressed Band in the Land march them to the stadium to the stadium. Consistently nominated as a top-20 tailgating experience.The stadium seats about 32,000 and is cozy with an open grassy and slanted end zone with some kid activities. Good for younger kids, catch, frisbee, and a picnic. Basic tickets run $20-$35, except for when the big boys come to town.Food options aren't vast but decent and most of us have already gorged on food and beer on the Boulevard anyway. Bottled water is $4, but you can't bring in your own unless it's well hidden.The Mustang Band is the Hub of the SMU Spirit before, during, and after the game, with a short post-game concert. Even opposing fans tend to cheer Peruna as the little horse races across the field. SMU football games are a remnder of what college football should be, rather than what it has often become. We meet lots of people with no ties to either school school just for that reason. |
1,492 | Date of experience: November 2019 | 2-Nov-19 | Big 12 | Arizona | 4 | Homecoming 2019 | It's been about five years since I've been to this stadium. Not much has changed in the section I normally sit in. Other areas have had major renovations though. Bathrooms are clean. Staff is friendly. Good video screen for replays. Sound system works well. Not sure why they need to play five seconds of recorded songs in between each play though. Or play music when the band is playing. Pretty rude. But overall I think it's a decent football venue. The cheap seats are very affordable and the fans up there are often quite nice and fun to hang out with. Love watching the Pride of Arizona. Go Cats! |
1,493 | Date of experience: December 2016 | 30-Dec-16 | Big 12 | Arizona | 5 | Arizona bowl! | Great humans great atmosphere.. Love the fact that they sell beer.. Bleachers are the usually however they do sell chairs for the game that you can use.. Delicious food, wonderful vibes and the coolest camera that goes back and forth.. |
1,494 | Date of experience: December 2015 | 11-Jan-16 | Big 12 | Arizona | 3 | Only one lot for tailgating for a bowl game? | The stadium itself was decent enough (even though AZ basketballpictures were on the stadium cups) but our group of 50+ was asked to move twice due to parking/tailgating/alcohol regulations? Only one lot available to tailgate in (next to fraternity houses) where we could enjoy adult beverages- pretty lame! |
1,495 | Date of experience: November 2015 | 15-Nov-15 | Big 12 | Arizona | 4 | Any venue is more fun with a win! | Although the season went downhill, both games we attended were winners and it makes all the difference in the world sometimes. A solid home crowd adds all the energy to make the experience more enjoyable. This is an older stadium that has a some cosmetic work done. The jumbo screen on the south side is great. You may also want to consider where the sun will be during the day games early in the season. The south or west side will have shade later in the game. The southwest corner is a bit more economical. You can see the big screen and get in the shade. The best seats imo is Section 105. It's partially covered overhead with TV's for replays and the CatClub. The north end zone is a newer section that's pretty comfortable to. (They both have the folding seats compared to bleachers. Padded chairs can be rented for $10. Cherry street parking garage is nice if you can get in, or we have utilized the private sector nearby for five bucks. People would probably prefer new venue, but I appreciate the nostalgia that goes with an older stadium. |
1,496 | Date of experience: September 2015 | 27-Sep-15 | Big 12 | Arizona | 1 | Bad game was just the tip of the iceberg | Arizona Alumnus, attending first football game in person in the Rich Rodriguez era. First game in person with wife, much less kids. I don't think the game experience could've gone worse, and the postgame experience been more frustrating and difficult, had I been at an ASU game. I wasn't happy, my kids weren't happy, and my wife, I think, had resolved by halftime never to return to Arizona Stadium again.Got into Tucson by 11 a.m. Saturday, spent over $100 on red caps, shirts, and a little cheerleading outfit for my girl at the Tucson Mall A Store. Lunch at Eegee's--everyone loved the pizza fries--then drove to campus and parked at Main Gate garage. This was to prove more than a little confusing to find coming back that night. More on that later.Was told at McKale Center that my print-at-home tickets weren't redeemable--they were just scanned at the gate. Cool. Asked about water fountains or restrooms anywhere nearby, because my kids were dehydrated. McKale Ticket Office rep said that we could go up the ramp to use the bathrooms on the main concourse.Son stopped on the way there to ask if we could enter sweepstakes for an autographed football. While there, got into a chat with the rep, who thought daughter was cute. Mentioned I used to work in McKale and wanted to make sure it was OK if we went up the ramp to use the restrooms. He said no. I told him that's what the McKale Ticket Office rep said we could do. He said McKale was closed for business and that we needed to find somewhere else.So now you have my email address and phone number and, in return, have told my family to go find water somewhere else. Really nice. Never mind that McKale has always had a concourse door unlocked for the public on game day with nary an issue for the last 40 years.But that's a McKale issue. We get over to Gate 2, but nope--if you have a SEZ ticket, you can't go under the east stands anymore through to the Sixth Street sidewalk, you have to walk around. Starting to wilt a bit, but OK.So we go all the way to the back of the line halfway down the street at Gate 9, and we're at security check. Apparently now that includes a purse search, because my wife got hers searched to the point where the security guard asked to search her wallet.It was bad enough she had to throw out the water bottles we had just picked up at the tailgate and dump the rest of the water out of her bottle (but can still take it in the stadium?!?!?), but now a person's WALLET is a security risk?There's no love lost between me and Tucson game security. Since I started going to football games there in '84, 50/50 shot you deal with someone competent or friendly, and the odds were never in our favor last night."It's for your own protection," the guard said, pawing through our credit cards and cash. Just when I'm about to opine we only need protection from lousy security guards like her, she lets us in and we're able to find our seats.Have to take my daughter to the South End Zone bathroom before kickoff. Man, has that not changed, and I just pray my daughter doesn't ask me someday, "Dad, why did you take me to that room to see all those guys peeing out of their wee-wees?" Love those low urinals!But we find our seats, stadium slowly fills up, then all of a sudden everyone wants to cram in five minutes before kickoff. It was all handled as if nobody expected a sellout, with fat guy, old wife and clueless-looking son going "plop" and taking all but about 10 inches of my seat."Season ticket holders" at the end of the row tell me to show them their tickets, even though we got there nearly an hour before them. I told them that we were in seats 28-30 and that I didn't need to show them any more than that.So they call security to complain that we weren't in the right seats. I miss most of our first touchdown drive because I can't sit down--and, to top it all off, I'm screaming at this idiot at the end of my row "28! 29! 30! Clear enough for you now?"Willie the security guard asks for everyone in the row to show their tickets. I do. "So, sit down," he says. I point at the 10 inches let of my seat and then look at him, incredulous, and laugh, "You're funny.""Well, seats are going to be tight tonight," he responds, as if that somehow justifies his handling of what is escalating into a more and more ludicrous situation. Then he begs the rest of the row (none of whose tickets he checks) to move down and make room.So me, my wife, my son and restless, wriggling 3-year-old daughter are crammed into Arizona Stadium SEZ bleacher space equivalent to three seats. In fact, Willie said each ticket holder got 16 inches of space per seat. Are you kidding me?With fat guy's giant right thigh snuggling up on one side and my wife struggling to keep wormy daughter between her legs on the other, we settle in to watch another Arizona blowout loss to UCLA on national TV.At halftime, my wife takes daughter to bathroom again. Same security guard who smiled at them on the way down asks, on the way back, "Do you have a ticket to be in the stadium?"Wife resists the urge to call this one an idiot, shows her papers and makes it back. Fat guy and brood leave by end of third quarter. "We're out of here, brother. Spread your wings." Yeah, why don't you buy two seats so I don't have to? My wife already has more medical issues than anybody should have to live with, she's suffocating in a stadium which no longer has a cool breeze for relief, and not one apology from anyone. I can live with a certain level of discomfort most of a game, but if it's too much for my family, it's too much, period, as far as I'm concerned.Finally, we leave to go back to our parking garage. We walk past two carloads of students wearing Wildcat red screaming f-bombs at each other about the meaningless Cincinnati Bengals game the next day.I had to check their colors to make sure these weren't Sun Devil fans. What has happened to "We're Arizona. We're better than this?"Apparently we're not anymore. Wife just doesn't like what she experienced of Arizona Stadium, and I can't say I blame her. She won't go back. It's more than just about a game, it's about a family experience, and the one we had once the game started Saturday night was awful. God forbid that experience is typical for families of recruits, because if it is, you won't see upgrades in U of A football recruiting anytime soon. |
1,501 | Date of experience: November 2022 | 13-Nov-22 | Big 12 | Arizona state | 5 | ASU Family Weekend | Easy to get in and out, Great crowd! The opening of the game was exciting and halftime show was well done. |
1,502 | Date of experience: November 2021 | 13-Nov-21 | Big 12 | Arizona state | 5 | Sun Devils Football Fun Experience! | Fabulous football game against USC. Sun Devils won! There was a spectacular intro film of a giant Sparky walking through Tempe on the jumbotron at the beginning of the game. Very impressive film work. This stadium is huge and impressive. It was Veterans night at the stadium. There is a giftshop, and some simple dining options such as burgers and hot dogs. A fox ran across the field during the game as well. We parked in the Novus parking deck which is a short walk away. This was a fun experience for the beginning of our trip to Phoenix! |
1,504 | Date of experience: January 2020 | 19-Jan-20 | Big 12 | Arizona state | 2 | Awaken2020 | While the conference was amazing, the stadium is not somewhere I would ever attend again. Once inside, we couldn't leave. The only food was junk food. The event was from 10am to 10pm and they ran out of hamburgers at 2pm, the only item in the entire place that I could eat. Needless to say, by 6pm I was starved and left the event earlier than planned missing an import aspect of the conference. |
1,505 | Date of experience: September 2019 | 23-Dec-19 | Big 12 | Arizona state | 4 | Updated Stadium, but Lots of Stairs | Great place to watch a football game. Plenty of food and drink vendors. Uber is not available close in. |
1,506 | Date of experience: December 2019 | 16-Dec-19 | Big 12 | Arizona state | 5 | Update of the Stadium was a Complete Success! | Sun Devil Stadium had been old and tired for more than a decade but those days are gone! The construction is complete and the new state-of-the-art stadium is one ASU should be very proud of!!! |
1,507 | Date of experience: November 2019 | 25-Nov-19 | Big 12 | Arizona state | 5 | Saw Upset of Oregon!! | In town for Ironman and staying at a hotel steps away from the stadium. Knowing Arizona St was playing #6 Oregon and hoping for a big upset made for an intriguing evening activity. Had my brother not needed to rest, he would have loved to go. We decided to proceed with our normal pre-Ironman activities like mass, dinner, and low-key night and early bed time. We did go watch the fans enter the stadium before the game and then headed to dinner. When it was 7-7 my boyfriend and I made the decision to see if we could get tix for second half while brother went back to rest. We were so excited to get tix for $45 each. We just wanted to be a part of it! We got there late and didn??t even sit in our seats. We stood in a great spot and what was cool was they let people do this. The view was great! The crowd was fun! And we saw a huge upset!! Loved seeing the fans storm the field. Loved the music played to pump up the crowd. Just a very electric atmosphere! Would I be giving this place 5 stars if the game had been lame? Who knows! Who cares! Stadium is nice with ample bathrooms close by. Concession stands looked to have crazy long lines so not sure if that is typically an issue or not. Kind of neat to to visit a new stadium so glad we had the chance. Go Sun Devils! |