Updated:2024-10-27 04:11 Views:117
Image: ladygaga/Instagram
INGLEWOOD – The Intuit Dome, the new $2 billion home to the Los Angeles Clippers, officially opened its doors Thursday night with Bruno Mars’ concert that featured another music superstar – Lady Gaga – as a surprise guest.
Lady Gaga shocked the crowd when she hit the stage close to 11:30 p.m. for a performance of their new duet “Die With a Smile.”
Ladies and gentlemen, @BrunoMars & @ladygaga ❤️ pic.twitter.com/830SyP9uwf
— Intuit Dome (@IntuitDome) August 16, 2024
Mars’ concert marked the official opening of the brand-new indoor arena in Inglewood, a venue that will be home to the NBA’s Los Angeles Clippers.
The opening-night concert got off to a delayed start because the app required for entry at the ticketless venue was completely down.
The singer was set to take the stage at 8 p.m., but thousands of people were kept waiting outside due to a problem with the facial recognition system at the arena.
ADVERTISEMENTPeople attending events at the arena have to download thwatche Intuit Dome app and create an account to enter the venue. Once the account is created, ticketholders can set up a “Game Face ID” that allows them to walk directly into the arena without displaying a ticket, or use an “Identity Pass” that requires people to scan a smartphone ticket to enter.Mars finally began the concert shortly before 10 p.m., and he stopped the show to call for security to deal with a situation in the first few rows.
Multiple security guards carried out a man who appeared to be in distress.
Once the concert was in full swing, fans were treated to a surprise appearance by Lady Gaga, as the two singers performed their new song, “Die With a Smile.”
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The Intuit Dome shows are Mars’ first Los Angeles performances in six years.
During the ribbon-cutting ceremony before the concert, Clippers and arena owner Steve Ballmer said, “It’s our home, but we also knew that our house had to be about more than just basketball. “I think of this as the best basketball facility ever built.”
Comedian Sebastian Maniscalco is set to perform at the arena Saturday, followed by Mexican music icon Marco Antonio Solis on Sunday and Olivia Rodrigo Aug. 20 and 21.
Other notable acts already on the arena’s calendar include Twenty One Pilots on Aug. 27-28; Slipknot on Sept. 13-14; Usher on Sept. 21, 22, 24 and 25; Weezer on Oct. 11; and Billy Joel on Oct. 12.
The Clippers’ 2024-25 season schedule was released Thursday. The team’s first game at Intuit Dome will be an Oct. 14 preseason matchup against the Dallas Mavericks, followed by an Oct. 17 preseason game with the Sacramento Kings. The first regular-season NBA game at the arena will be Oct. 23, when the Clippers take on the Phoenix Suns in a game that will be televised on ESPN.
The Clippers shared the downtown Crypto.com Arena with the Lakers since it opened in 1999.
Looking ahead, the dome has already been chosen as the site of the 2026 NBA All-Star Game, and will serve as the basketball venue for the 2028 Summer Olympics.
Construction on the Intuit Dome officially began in September 2021 near the corner of Century Boulevard and Prairie Avenue, south of SoFi Stadium and the Kia Forum.
Ballmer said the new arena would be a technological marvel, most notably for the two-sided “Halo Board” scoreboard that encircles the arena with nearly an acre of lighting, covering 38,375 square feet.
The arena also includes five basketball courts — the game court, two practice courts, one promotional court and one court on the outdoor plaza. In addition, it features 86,000 square feet of training, medical and player spaces, including an indoor pool, and an 80,000-square-foot outdoor plaza that features two bars, a restaurant and 5,000-square-foot team store.
The seating area features what is known as “The Wall,” a 51-row section with strict rules designed to ensure only Clippers fans are admitted — through restrictions on ticket resale and the wearing of opposing team gear. (With CNS report)
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