A chilly morning — indoors and out — marked the opening of the Sprint Center.
Outside the arena and minutes before a 5:30 a.m. media event, the mercury flirted with actual fall weather. Inside, an untouched, glimmering hockey rink meant a 60 degree climate.
Later in the day, hockey will give way to basketball when crews set down the court. Later still, staffers will set to work on the stage for Elton John’s center-opening concert this weekend.
“The arena is ready to go,” said Sprint Center spokeswoman Shani Tate Ross.
The massive video screens in the arena bowl are already live, playing a loop swirling yellow stripe patterns. Matched with the towering walls of empty dark charcoal gray seats, the color scheme would have been perfect for the NHL’s Penguins — had they relocated.
The arena ceiling and hallways are accented with exposed I-beams and duct work, lending it an almost loft-like industrial feel. There are almost as many ATMs as ticket windows.
Concessions line the arena’s tiers, broken down by food type. Unlike, say, Arrowhead Stadium, fans looking for barbecue will go to a specific barbecue stand instead of mixing with the hot dog crowd.
Arena staff and PR people have been on site since 4 a.m. Many were here until midnight last night. The upshot: they got to meet Garth Brooks.
“He’s phenomenal,” Ross says.
Staffers will have a somewhat easier time today transitioning the arena from hockey to basketball to concert, Ross said.
John has allowed arena management to set up his stage over the ice, she said, adding that not every music act allows that. Some want the ice melted so their stages can be set up on concrete. Crews will put rubber over the rink before working on his stage.
The arena opens to the public at 10:10 a.m.
Attendees should come to the Grand entrance, pick up a ticket at the ticket window and then head on in. “Fans will have an opportunity to see not only the arena bowl, but some of our amenities,” center spokeswoman Ross said.
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