An inside look at Allegiant Stadium

What a cool opportunity to learn about the ins and outs of Allegiant Stadium this is.

My close friend, Frank Schwab of Yahoo, attended the first fan event at Allegiant Stadium - an ILLENIUM Trilogy concert featuring DJ 3Lau on Saturday night. Frankie was gracious enough to answer some questions about the beautiful, new Las Vegas Raiders’ stadium for this community to get you ready to finally attend a game there.

Hope you enjoy it.

What was your initial thoughts walking in?
“I don’t know that I can tell you what most NFL stadiums look like on the outside. I’ve been to them all except SoFi in Los Angeles, and the exterior is usually not too memorable. Allegiant is memorable. It’s a striking building. Even driving into Vegas this time, my eyes were over to the stadium side of the freeway rather than the Strip.

“It’s similar to Atlanta that way: You’re impressed before you even step in. Just a tremendous building in a city full of gaudy buildings. Then once you get in the stadium it’s just as stunning. Everything is very nice, comfortable, modern. The Raiders waited a long time for a world-class stadium and they sure got their money’s worth.”

You’ve been to most stadiums in the league, where does it rank?
“It’s top 10, maybe top 5. Lambeau is in its own tier because of the history; nobody is matching that. But among the rest of the stadiums, Allegiant competes with any of them. All of the ones that have opened the past few years like Atlanta, Minnesota and SoFi (what I’ve seen of it on TV) are design marvels, and so is Allegiant. Many NFL stadiums are mostly the same, but the creativity in design is what sets the newest ones apart, and that was true in this one. I’d probably prefer Atlanta as my top one in the most recent wave of new stadiums, but Allegiant isn’t far behind.”

What was your favorite aspect of Allegiant Stadium?
“I liked the little touches in the concourse like murals of Las Vegas history, a wall that outlines the construction history of the stadium, stuff like that. Cool stuff they put a lot of thought into. And if you’re lucky enough to have access to one of the VIP clubs — I was in the Twitch Lounge ... wow. Comfortable, swank, and like most things in Vegas, you get a high roller vibe in there.”

Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

How cool is the Al Davis Torch?
“That’s funny, they didn’t even have the torch lit up for the concert and I still noticed it. I assume for a game it’s like the video board above the field in Jerry World where that’s the thing your eyes are drawn to more often than not. It’s a great touch and a meaningful one for the franchise.”

Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Do you see it being a great home-field advantage?
“I did notice at times that when the crowd roared, it really reverberated and it seemed loud in there (I was probably the only one at that concert thinking ‘Oh, this can really get loud for a third down by the Raiders opponent.’) Obviously seeing a concert and seeing a game are different so I’m guessing on a lot of it, but I do wonder if because the stadium is so comfortable that takes away some of the real rowdiness that can make for a home-field advantage (which happens in most new stadiums and arenas).

“Acoustics can only help that so much. It’ll be easy to sink into those comfy seats for most of the game. Then again, Raiders fans are different. We’ll see. Also, having experienced the stadium, yeah, a lot of opposing fans are coming. The stadium itself will be one of the highlights of taking in a game in Las Vegas. That won’t help the Raiders, but I think everyone is anticipating that to an extent.”

Any logistics tips?
“It’s not the most convenient location, so plan on some extra time before the game, and if you walk back, it isn’t a short walk. Walking back gets you to the south end of the strip and if you’re a visitor you might not realize that while resorts look like they’re right next to each other, they’re not. But I will say that once we got to the (long) line outside the gate it was a fast process to get in — that’s impressive for a first big event at a new venue.

“Also, a bit off topic, everyone working at the stadium that I interacted with was very friendly. It was a fun experience all around. Vegas has itself a great stadium.”