So what is everyone's take on the new home of the Rockets. Since this was actually the first real game in the new building, how was it? I hope to catch a game there soon.
I went to the games sat in section 125 17 rows up; angled seats with elevation. My observations of arena 1) lifeless crowd of about 60% capacity downstairs; 40% capacity upstairs. 2) the announcer has a WEAK voice; he mispronounced Magloire's name bad. He couldn't even get the crowd into it. He keeps referring to "6th man" the crowd. He needs to be replaced. There is also this drum and percussion area that beats to the chant of D Fense. I thought this area was hideous!!! 3) Cheerleaders don't have any good routines. They remind me of pom pom girls. Promotions were tshirt throwing only to 10 rows up. 4) Atmosphere was totally down. 5) Arena reminds me of AAC in Dallas. It is much nicer though. Toyota had a bunch of cars in it for advertising. 6) Food reasonable; I saw pizza; grill; chinese food; etc... Club levels have their own bars and food I believe
Eventhough Rocks lost, I enjoyed being in the new arena. VERY NICE! If all the true fans come out and watch, it will be a very loud place. I know it is only preseason, but it was the first game in Toyota center. I was kinda disappointed by the turnout.
Are you serious? Thats pretty bad for a brand new arena. Hopefully theyll have a bigger crown for the real home opener but I wouldnt count on it.
Yeah....got down to section 108 3 rows up and had a great view but theres no life down there. All the fat cats and big ballers occupied these expensive seats. I just got there because a friend gave us some tickets. Other than that I wouldnt shell out all that money for those seats. We need more basketball lovers down there. I was surrounded by old rich people who werent paying attention to the game and instead asking where they got their clothes from or just eatin their expensive food. It seemed to me that I was the only one cheering them on in my section. Other than that, I had a good time even though we lost. Do we have a new announcer? No more Mario Nani? Half time show was ok with the jump ropers but i expected more hype and celebration since this was the first preseason game in the new arena. There should of been more giveaways and promotional stuff. JVG looks like a lil ball boy out there. Yao looked thicker than he was last year. Boki moved well without the ball. The ROX will prove how good they are when everybody is there and when the offense clicks. Bad shot selection but things will get better when everybody figures out their role. The best thing was at the end. Got to shake Mo T's hands and even Jose LIMA time himself! Where is Turbo? itzIce
I went... I sat in the upper level in section 405 seats 1-4... the new P.A. is T-Grey of 97.9 the boxx fame... HE WAS LAME THROUGHOUT THE GAME!!! I hate these so-called fans that pay top dollar for the good seats but don't even cheer or anything...If the real fans went to the games, we would be the best fans in the WORLD!!! I would watch people just talk and not watch the game... they were probaly talking baout how much they paid for there seats... WHY is everyone giving the Rox a hard time??? PRESEASON... Things will change... JUST WATCH
I think many of you are forgetting that real fans can't afford to go to the games. As long as the rich fans and corporate accounts buy up the tickets in the lower level, that is all that matters.
Droxford, Don't buy a Steak Taco. 6 bucks for one Taco is steep. Beer was roughly the same and there are more places to buy beer.
I went on Sunday and loved the arena and like others, hope more fans show up. We sit in the first row of sec. 108. The sight lines are not as good as the same seats in the Compaq Center - a little blocked by the 4 floor rows of folks in front of us, but no real complaints. The PA announcer is too much of a cheerleader for my taste as others also observed. The food is good and in my view, the service was terrific and everyone at the building was very friendly and welcoming.
I was sitting in club-level seats, so these comments are from that viewpoint. 1. Service was a little disorganized, but everyone was extremely polite and attentive. 2. Bar service was slow (they need professional bartenders to speed it up). Mixed drinks: $6.50 3. Seats are wider and more comfortable. 4. Viewing angle is great. 5. PA announcer was a joke - terrible. 6. The scoreboard had the Rocket's team mixed up for most of the night (for example, they had a Yao and a Ming playing at the same time). 7. Intro was lame (incidentally, did anyone notice that they are introducing Francis as "the franchise"??? 8. Garage is efficient and convenient. In general, club-level is a much nicer experience than the Compaq Center, and somewhat justifies the higher expense (I know, it's all relative). --R2G
#1 I noticed this too but I think it was just a case of new employees learning their jobs. #6 Yeah, I saw that with the Ming too. I remember that they had Braggs up there and he hadn't even entered the game yet. When they finally caught the Yao/Ming gaff they just had him listed by his first name (Ming).
I went to the game and sat in section 106, 13 rows up in the club level. The club level was great. Very nice envinronment. Crowd was a little listless...althought the play on the floor wasn't much to cheer about. The garage was fantastic...quick in and out. Much easier to access the arena than I thought...no trouble at all. Seats are cushy, but the foot space is about the same as Compaq center. PA announcer sucked. Is that the full time guy now, or was he just filling in? He was lost, he mumbled, he couldn't pronounce names. He tried to cheer lead. He was HORRIBLE. I love the arena. It was great.
I thought the arena was nice, and the seats are really comfortable, but the leg room is lacking. I'm not a tall guy and I had to make a concious effort not the hit the person sitting in front of me with my knees. And the stairs are very steep.
great arena, dead crowd. the inside feels like an airport terminal, it is very classy. it bothers me that Toyota dealers are sitting next to the cars parked inside, i didnt come to the game to buy a car, i came to watch basketball. i told the guy i would come see him at halftime to put down a deposit as a joke. he thought i was serious. he was readt to sign on the line. the food was good, in my opinion. $11.50 for a beef brisket sandwich from HOU BBQ and a Miller Lite. i am not complaing, that is decent for a sports event. besides, i live in NY, where movies are $11 and people here complain about paying $8 to see a flick. got to check out the private club section, a nice restaurant with a huge wine cellar and nice dining areas to watch the game. blows Compaq out of the water, now all we need is a winning team. peace out, check my sig, i gotta fly out this evening.
