Does anyone else miss the pre-renovation Big House?
i was having a conversation today about how the Big House feels kind of boxed in with the suite boxes as opposed to the open-air style of the stadium pre-renovation. the more i think about it, the more I miss it.
sure it may not have been as loud, but it felt like the stadium was much bigger then. Anyone else miss the pre-renovation Big House?
in the pre renovation big house. I sure do miss that. . .
As for myself, I do agree with the people that are saying the old configuration had a nice, clean look about it - especially in aerial shots - but I also believe the renovations were much needed and that the atmosphere enhancements that came with that are positive, particularly the noise level now, which works much more in our favor, I think.
Every football Saturday. I think some of the perceived shrinkage comes from the ADA compliance - handrails and platforms and wider aisles. From my TV 2000 miles from the stadium, it looks segregated. Segmented. It's no longer the incomprehensibly giant swirling sea of humanity with occasional glimpses of aisles. It's discrete sections.
The boxes visually shrink it too,especially with field-level camera shots perpendicular to the sideline.
No, absolutely not. The renovations help to keep the noise trapped in and make for a louder experience. Save for night games, we sound way too much like the wine and cheese crowd as it is.
I hope they enclose the entire stadium one day. Might look a little weird, but to have all that noise not be able to escape and come down right on you would just be awesome.
the old school scoreboard, other than that, everything is awesome! It looks so much better and has better functinality for crowds (bathrooms and upper bowl).
No, I miss the halo.
..../s, just in case that was necessary.
Seriously, though, I like the new stadium and don't miss the old one at all.
Please tell us you do NOT mean the "Halo" that spelled out "HAIL TO THE VICTORS" in oh-so-tacky fashion.
different now that you don't have bowl meets sky, and there is something less communal with the varied hierarchy in seating (not that a hierarchy between endzone and midfield didn't exist before). Seeing the towers as you walk up, and having them as a back stop when you first walk in does change the perception.
However - the towers and the score boards (even if misused) are very nicely done, being there at night is a whole different experience, and the stadium looks so much better from the outside. And despite loving the letters on top of the old box, the old box was hideous.
I think it had to be done, and it was done very, very well.
I don't. It's fun to be nostalgic but the stadium was really looking dated before the renovation. They timed it perfectly in my opinion, and kept up with the CFB arms race. I also think they did an incredible job. The stadium looks fatastic both from the street and the inside.
It was a neccessary modernization which I think was done tastefully and in line with the traditional aesthetic. The modern scoreboard with video was an absolutely must-have. It also looks amazing with the giant block M on the back which can be viewed perfectly just above the horizon all the way from Main st/downtown. Love it.
I generally like the renovations, they look good and the stadium is loud as ever.
On the other hand, Yost envisioned that it could hold 150,000 at some point. I would have liked to have seen them wait until they could put it up over 130,000 before they closed the bowl. They should have added another 10 rows or so and then put the suites in, IMO. That's my biggest disappointment with this- that Yost's dream will not be realized. Could you imagine 150,000 in Maize and Blue cheering on a Harbaugh coached team 15 years from now? gives me chills thinking about what could have been.
it will just cost a lot more now that the boxes are in the way. They'll probably do it after JH wins his 4th NC and tickets are impossible to get at 3x face value.
We want a capacity that can allow us to sell out consistently while still charging high ticket prices. Even with a defending national champion we'd probably never sell out a 150K stadium on a regular basis - no program likely could.
However, I once did some quick math about the Nebraska Stadium v's Michigan Stadium. Using the last Census figures, Michigan Stadium would have to seat over 430k people if the same percentage of Michigan's population showed up for games as the percentage of Nebraska's population does.
Then again, wtf else is there to do in Nebraska.
Can't wait to win some more games in it!
Those were the best.
I miss it. I miss the character. I miss the unassuming look of the place that opened up into a sea of people once you walked inside. It was unique and awesome.
The new stadium feels similar to other large sporting venues. It is loud. It is big. It is a large building.
Of course, as an old man, the amenities, extra exit points and other features make the new place nice. But, I would have put up with that.
I do not miss the lack of handrails on the stairs heading down to seats. I do not miss the fire safety issues in the stadium. I do not miss hearing the wind blow louder than the section across the way. I do not miss the lack of a replay board.
But, I would take it all back, just like I would take back Bo (despite any drawbacks with the modern game).
Well I certaintly miss the troughs and being able to smoke away my frustrations at halftime.
I don't like the idea of the luxury boxes at all. I know that they probably generate a ton of revenue, but there's something to be said for the communal aspect of watching a Michigan game.
People worth $50 million sitting next to guys making $13 per hour. Both there because of their love of Michigan and probably having a conversation neither of them would ever have outside of Michigan Stadium.
/not a communist, I swear
I liked the way it looked.
I didn't like how our opponents would always talk about how quiet it was, though.
I loved how it looked, especially in aerial photos. I have so many of those photos in my Michigan man cave. But the stadium is WAY better now with all the improvements.
Not really...
I think the improvements add both an aesthetic quality (surely debatable though) but more importantly a higher quality experience. I think sometimes people have a feigned nostalgia for these types of things and remember it as much better than it really was.
Not just for stadiums, but "improvements" in general. I already see people talking gloriously about the 1980s-2010ish days of Downtown Detroit, prior to the changes seen over the past few years. Sure, there are some negative qualities about the redevelopment happening downtown and the impact on some of the lower income residents, but let's not glorify something that never was just because we're mad about a Starbucks or a Whole Foods (end of off topic rant).
The Crisler renovations didn't kill the Blue Lot--spaces promised to luxury box owners who don't want/need to tailgate did.
I miss the natural grass. I hate field turf.
but remember all the problems we were having with it coming up in huge clumps? That was embarrassing to me as a Michigan fan, plus we hired an MSU grad to help get it in shape. If they could fix those problems, then fine, but the field turf seems great now.
I remember my first Michigan game (pre-renovation), the stadium from the outside did not portray how massive it was on the inside, looked like a regular stadium. After the renovation you can see the stadium from a ways away, huge box seats and suites give you an idea of its size. It shows why they call it The Big House.
fill it up with petroleum distillate, and re-vulcanize my tires, post-haste!
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Is it the view in the troughs that you miss?
The old pressbox, while nostalgic, had really become an eye sore. It long needed to be replaced. The only sight lines no completely visible were on each side of it. The old boxes were very meh. And even more tired looking on the outside of the stadium...
But I loved that they kept the old Michigan Stadium letters and put them on the concourse entrance, once again leaving the S upside down...
The renovations really helps keep some of the sound in. And it still has a majestic look. So I love it. Honestly, would you rather have this...
or Penn State's erector set....
I don't believe that the "S" is upside down. All of the letters with horizontal elements (H, G, A) have that horizontal element lower than you would generally expect. I assume it's to improve readability from below.
It does look strange when you are looking straight at it, though.
There have been more than a few.
For instance, who needs massive video scoreboards?
Maybe if you enjoy HD replays? When I'm at the house I do, and that doesn't change just because I'm at a game in person.
Maybe if you enjoy HD replays? When I'm at the house I do, and that doesn't change just because I'm at a game in person.
Purdue 2007 was a great first experience in AA and at Michigan Stadium, but the scoreboards were old and the sun shining on them kept me from seeing some or nearly all of the digits and the videoboard. That's really no longer a problem with the new videoboards. At night or late evening the Big House is picturesque. Nebraska 2013 while a 3:30 start played most of the 2nd half in the dark and the lighting and the video quality are perfect for a stadium of that size, constructed the way it is. The exterior of the suites look fabulous and not generic at all. All in all, the renos are tremendous (borrowing a Lloyd word).
and I love my club seats. It's so nice to be able to go indoors and warm up or cool down (depending upon the weather) and I don't get rained on. It's very comfortable and I'm totally spoiled because of it.
"It is so choice. If you have the means, I highly recommend picking one up."
I love how it is now but, before the boxes the stadium snuck up on you. If you are outside the stadium the first thought was, "how are they going to get 100,000 people?" Then you see the field.
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