FleetwoodMac Concert

This an article from the Chron:
http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/sports/2141443

Crowds wowed by Toyota Center
But some floored by parking fees
By MARY VUONG
Copyright 2003 Houston Chronicle

Special section: Maps, photos, virtual tour.

Oh, what a feeling. Toyota Center threw open its doors Monday evening for its inaugural event, a Fleetwood Mac concert. Fans complimented the facility but balked at the parking prices.

"Come get your tall beer right here!" bellowed a man in a red cap and shirt. "Ice cold beer! Right here!"

Before Fleetwood Mac was to perform, competing beer vendors, stationed steps from the entrance, provided an opening act. Their voices bellowed as the first drove of fans rushed in past police officers and officials in suits. They began arriving an hour early at 6:30 p.m. -- some excited about the performance, others unsure of the parking situation.

Ushers in gray vests and black pants scanned tickets with an electronic gizmo as patrons entered. Gleaming Toyotas, polished floors and mounted TVs tuned to CNN greeted fans, almost 12,000 of them on this opening night. When set up for concerts, the arena holds 19,200.

It's "a lot more advanced than I thought it would be," said Doug McMullen, a 42-year-old operations engineer at NASA, who was pleased with the food, drinks and seating.

Still, he said, "I think, in all honesty, they could have renovated Compaq Center and gotten the same thing." And without the astronomical parking fees, he added, calling them "ridiculous."

He and co-worker Cheryl Jones, a 36-year-old systems engineer, forked over $20 to park across the street. The Toyota Center's garage costs $15.

There were some first-day kinks to be worked out. Ticket holders wandered directionless, and one concession stand ran out of tortillas and taco shells.

Not wanting to take the food to their $125 seats, stay-at-home moms Rebecca McDowell, 36, and her sister, Patti Wendlandt, 38, searched for seats near the vendors. Not finding any, they plopped down on the floor.

McDowell said the arena is beautiful but she didn't like the self-promotion. "I think it's kind of gross that they have cars around. It's one thing to have the name on there, but to have the cars," she said.

Still, they and others gushed over the amenities.

Especially Twila Ross, 57, and Patricia Greer, 52, who shared a thick wedge of seven-layer carrot cake at a dessert bar inside the club area.

"It's a step up from the Compaq Center, and you can (still) get a hot dog," said Ross.

And you can wash it down with a cafe latte.

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I'd like to hear feedback from anyone else who went to the concert. Thoughts on the band, sound system, parking, Toyota Center itself if they improved some things since the openhouse, etc.

Pretty soon they will start comparing Toyota Center to SBC Center in SA and America Airlines Center in Dallas. Just wondering how each will stack up to each other.

 

I gotta agree that having cars at the place is very cheesy. I don't think they sell office supplies at the Staples Center. Nor airline tickets at United Center, AAC, any other airline named arena. Do they sell phone services at SBC Center? I think not.

VERY tacky. Next thing ya know, they will open up a service shop inside Toyota Center and have oil changes, tune-ups, etc. there.

 

I like Toyotas myself. The main thing is they are not american cars, because we all know american cars SUCK.

The fact that they have cars at this place for self-promotion is what's getting at me.

Other arenas have nice themes or cool features like Conseco Fieldhouse with their throwback barn theme, or AAC in Dallas with the basketball mosaic tiles on the floor, etc. that give the places soul and character.

We have freakin cars at our place. Maybe it's the sleazy car salesman image that tries to tack on as much add-ons that bothers me. Car salesman image along with the Corporate Sports big money image that the NBA already brings equals a noxious stomach. I repeat, a car dealership theme is not a good idea for a major sports arena.

I know they can't change the name of the arena now, but at least tone down the car dealership theme. I'm afraid that the statue they will build won't be Hakeem but that Toyota CEO Toshiaki "Tag" Taguchi.