Silverdome now the 2nd largest stadium in MI
So, the Pontiac Silverdome is now the second largest open-air stadium in the state of Michigan.
With a capacity of 80,311, the state-of-the-art Silverdome surpasses Spartan Stadium which has a capacity of 75,005.
Here is the video that prompted this discovery of the Silverdome being the 2nd largest open-air stadium.
On a serious note, how sad. As a lions fan, this kind of breaks my heart that they let it come to this. The field is practically a water bed.
January 9th, 2015 at 11:45 AM ^
video
January 9th, 2015 at 12:30 PM ^
That was completely depressing.
January 9th, 2015 at 6:11 PM ^
January 9th, 2015 at 11:46 AM ^
January 9th, 2015 at 11:48 AM ^
all I could think was how lame the experience was compared to a M game in every possible way.
January 9th, 2015 at 11:57 AM ^
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January 9th, 2015 at 12:17 PM ^
The Silverdome had excellent atmosphere compared to most pro stadiums though. For the '91 Playoff game it was like four Joe Louis Arenas packed together.
January 9th, 2015 at 1:21 PM ^
I was also at that game, near the 50 yard line, second row of the upper deck. Great seats.
I have attended a ton of sporting events in this area over the years, both college and pro, and that game was by far the loudest I've ever been at. The upper deck was literally rocking.
January 9th, 2015 at 1:42 PM ^
My uncle got us tix, the day before the game, at the box office. Anyway, I was there to see Sanders famous run where the Dallas defender was walking away from the play thinking he was down.... pretty awesome.
January 9th, 2015 at 2:36 PM ^
I remember thinking how long I had to wait to use the bathroom there compared to previous years. Oh, and the Barry run in the 4th QTR was amazing. We were in the opposite end zone so you could see him behind a wall of people, then suddenly that hole opened up and he popped through. Even my dad gave up on the play. He couldn't figure out why I started standing and cheering.
January 9th, 2015 at 12:41 PM ^
January 9th, 2015 at 12:55 PM ^
And people also conveniently forget how loud Michigan Stadium could get when there was something worth getting loud about. For instance, the way the stadium erupted after the Manningham catch in 2005. No amplified band, no suites, no RAWK. The damn place shook.
January 9th, 2015 at 1:25 PM ^
It still doesn't match a domed stadium, where alcohol is served throughout the game, and the home team finally gives you something to cheer loudly about.
January 9th, 2015 at 2:54 PM ^
But we're talking the LIONS!
January 9th, 2015 at 1:33 PM ^
in 1979 by AC against Indiana. THAT was loud.
January 9th, 2015 at 4:07 PM ^
Woody Hayes ripping up the sideline marker or OSU ripping down M banner in the 1970's were pretty loud from booing standpoint.
January 9th, 2015 at 4:19 PM ^
January 9th, 2015 at 4:40 PM ^
Harbaugh to Kolesar '85. Loudest I ever heard it.
January 9th, 2015 at 1:38 PM ^
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January 9th, 2015 at 1:46 PM ^
but I was 12 for the AC catch. I don't remember the noise in '79 as I pretty much had an out of body experience for that one. I do remember the noise for the Woodson return - loud. I strongly suspect that the noise for the two events were about the same... 105,000 people screaming as loudly as they could, many older folk included, in an open air stadium with very shallow sides. Loud now is much louder than loud then with the box and expanded pressbox enclosures.
January 9th, 2015 at 2:14 PM ^
As a kid, I was fascinated by the gigantic curtain strung across the field. How in the hell was something like that even manufactured?
We used to sit in 3rd bowl, I think tickets were $1 (maybe $5). The temporary seating on two sides of the court and the curtain made a very strange atmosphere for an NBA game.
January 9th, 2015 at 2:58 PM ^
My company had mid-court seats on the temporary, pull-out side. They were awesome seats and my buddies and I managed to go for upwards of 30 games one year. We sat with Tommy Hearns one time and Stevie Wonder another. I told Stevie that he was wasting a seat because sitting in the third deck would offer him the same sight lines. Luckily for me, he laughed so his body guard decided not to deck me.
January 9th, 2015 at 11:48 AM ^
LOL the History Channel billboard is STILL intact after how many years?
January 9th, 2015 at 11:52 AM ^
Why is it sad? I'm glad that piece of shit is closed down. And stop building stadiums 40 minutes away from downtown.
January 9th, 2015 at 11:56 AM ^
Personally, I think it's sad that so much money is "wasted" on building stadiums. I think there's way too much turnover in stadiums. Just look at the Atlanta Braves, who will have had three different stadiums in the span of about 20 years.
I also have fond memories of watching the Lions (mostly Barry Sanders) play at the Silverdome, so it's a little sad in that way. It was kind of a sucky stadium in a bad location, but it was OUR sucky stadium in OUR bad location...
January 9th, 2015 at 12:01 PM ^
Yeah, I'm on board with that. There was a Vice(?) article about cities buying teams instead of stadiums which made a lot of sense.
January 9th, 2015 at 12:14 PM ^
January 9th, 2015 at 1:16 PM ^
Socialize the costs (get taxpayers to kick in) while the franchise owners privatize the profits.
January 9th, 2015 at 1:39 PM ^
In the NFL, teams are forced to move because their stadiums aren't "nice enough" for the NFL. Even in 15 or 20 years, stadiums become outdated because of insanely escalating expectations of what a football stadium should look like. Most cities today can't afford billion dollar-plus stadiums. It's ridiculous that San Diego would lose an NFL team simply because they can't build a new stadium to satisfy the League. It seems to me the NFL should help pay for these new stadiums if it's that big of a deal to them.
January 9th, 2015 at 2:25 PM ^
The unfortunate part about this as well is the fact that your average NFL team only gets 8 regular season games. Everyone likes to speculate on the "impact" these places will have only local economies, but I just don't see how it can have enough, especially considering how few homes games there actually are per season in football.
Plus, even if these places host concerts and other events - as the Silverdome did and Ford Field does - a lot of it is limited by size too. Not many artists and bands can fill NFL stadiums, but a ton can fill arenas like the Palace or Joe Louis. They certainly will have events, but they're definitely fewer and farther in between than most like to admit.
January 9th, 2015 at 4:34 PM ^
Does the NFL force teams to move, or is it more the teams themselves that get greedy and want more revenue? I thought it was the latter. Does the NFL get a cut of the local stadium revenue?
January 9th, 2015 at 11:53 AM ^
to shoot a post-apocalyptic movie... like the Next Mad Max remake.
It reminds me of a scene in Oblivion, that Tom Cruise movie from a few years back, where he lands in an abandoned football field and recalls the last Super Bowl played there.
January 9th, 2015 at 11:54 AM ^
I work in Auburn Hills and see it regularly. It is very sad to see. I still vividly remember my first Lion game in the early 80s, and the overpowering blast of wind when opening the door to enter the stadium.
January 9th, 2015 at 11:55 AM ^
January 9th, 2015 at 12:04 PM ^
WRESTLEMANIA III
Hulk Hogan vs. Andre the Giant.
Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat vs. Randy Savage.
The British Bulldogs vs. the Hart Foundation.
Ahhh... what I wouldn't give to be in 8th grade again.
January 9th, 2015 at 12:21 PM ^
III was big time, but it was clearly surpassed by IV, the tournament for the vacated title. And the birth of the Mega Powers.
January 9th, 2015 at 12:06 PM ^
football game was there. Birmingham Brother Rice vs Hilliard Davidson 2004. Looks about how I remember it
January 9th, 2015 at 12:09 PM ^
In 1987. Finished my final exams freshman year and headed out with a bunch of friends to the concert. What a way to end my first year at U-M.
January 9th, 2015 at 12:42 PM ^
A lot of bands had a hard time figuring out how to get good sound in there. Rush and Pink Floyd were the only ones I saw there that sounded ok.
January 9th, 2015 at 1:19 PM ^
That was all that mattered to us at the time. As I recall, it wasn't great ... But - holy shit! - U2!
January 9th, 2015 at 2:40 PM ^
January 9th, 2015 at 2:33 PM ^
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January 10th, 2015 at 8:05 AM ^
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January 9th, 2015 at 12:11 PM ^
Lots of memories there. I actually preferred the Silverdome over Ford Field.
January 9th, 2015 at 12:14 PM ^
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January 9th, 2015 at 12:23 PM ^
Talk about incredible. He wasn't the fastest guy out there, but was just fast enough. I'm not sure we'll ever see someone again with the ability to change direction and accelerate to top speed in almost no time at all. Plus he left when he was at the peak of his game, and he'll be able to walk when he is 60 because of it. Humble and great...what a combination.
January 9th, 2015 at 2:55 PM ^
Had no breakaway speed.
/s
Seriously, he'll also have no brain damage issues to deal with. You never saw him take a real big hit. And he only had one serious injury in his career. Truly blessed career despite one playoff win.
January 9th, 2015 at 12:29 PM ^
Was anyone else there when Jordan dropped 59 on the Pistons? Upper deck!
January 9th, 2015 at 12:36 PM ^
I wasn't specifically there for that game, but I do remember watching the Pistons play in the Silverdome in the yeas just prior to the move to the Palace. Most notably, I remember how the Pistons would set attendance records for some of those games while that giant blue curtain kept people from having to look at a stadium that was about 3/5th empty apart from those watching basketball. You could never deny that it was a multi-purpose venue certainly.