Meadowlands Stadium's soft opening flagged in false start as fans get first chance to

[Jetfan13]

It was a critical moment. Nerves were fluttering.

The boys lacrosse teams from The Lawrenceville School in New Jersey and Highland Park in Texas were lined up for the national anthem, hands on hearts, chests puffed out. The first sporting event at the Giants' and Jets' $1.6 billion new Meadowlands Stadium was moments away. All that was left was the national anthem.

The public address announcer asked the sparse crowd to rise. It was a brilliant morning. The sky was blue, sun was out ... and then nothing. There was no Whitney Houston, no Jennifer Hudson, not even an off-key Carl Lewis to belt out "The Star-Spangled Banner." Just silence and awkward glances.

"We didn't really know what was going on so we just kind of looked at each other," said Rose Clay, whose son, Christian, plays for Lawrenceville. "Then one of the women from the Highland Park side started singing and we all joined in."

"It was pretty sad," Rose's husband, Tim, chimed in.

The opening day of the New Meadowlands Stadium, which played host Saturday to the Big City Classic lacrosse tripleheader, was much like the dress rehearsal of an off-Broadway show with plenty of wrinkles to smooth out.

Jets owner Woody Johnson was in attendance and personally experienced the growing pains of the stadium's soft opening, five months before the NFL season but only six weeks before a Bon Jovi concert at the venue.

Johnson and friends could be seen waiting for an elevator that never came. When an official at the stadium realized there was a problem, he huddled with another official to see if Johnson could be transported in a golf cart to his suite. Moments later, Johnson marched down a corridor into a service elevator.

"This building is still a couple of years away from really being completed," Johnson told the Daily News of the facility that will see its first NFL game this fall. "This place is still evolving. But I love the way it looks. This is 10 years' worth of work. But we're still getting ready."

The concourse surrounding the stadium is still under construction; workers were scurrying here and there, trying to find their stations. Parking directions were hard to come by.

"I pulled into the parking lot and told the attendant 'I'm parked in Lot L,'" Tim Clay said. "He said, 'I have no idea where Lot L is.'"

Concession stands were mainly open on the concourse level, where you could choose from vendors selling hot dogs ($4.50), BBQ chicken sandwiches ($7), cups of soda ($5) and cheesesteaks ($8.50). "We're just winging it today," a stadium official said when describing Saturday's efforts to roll out the concessions. He couldn't answer as to whether concessions were sold beyond the concourse level on some of the upper levels. "I don't think so," he said. "Maybe. It's the first day. No one really knows what's going on."

In the Coach's Club on field level, you can sit on narrow white tables and watch games on flat-screen TVs on the walls, or watch the action through glass doors that lead onto the field. Smack in the middle of all this is a large, glass-enclosed interview room where a stadium official said he believed the Giants and Jets will come off the field following games to be interviewed. "I guess so," he said. "Not really too sure, though."

Joe Sbarra, of Manhasset, L.I., sat glumly with his daughter Nicole looking out into the field from a table in the Coach's Club. A Giants season-ticket holder for the past 25 years, Sbarra purchased tickets to the lacrosse tripleheader for the sole purpose of checking out the Giants' new digs. He was none too happy about the new stadium, also home to the Jets.

"It has less of a Giants feel to it," he said. "It's way too neutral for me. Before it was Giants Stadium, it was about the Giants. This is now called the Meadowlands. It's not the same. It's hard to adjust. I don't think they were thinking of the person who was a Giants fan the last 20 years when they made this place."

( BOO F'ING HOO!!!!)

Then there was fellow Giants fan Michael Watts, who was impressed with the venue - and already thinking of Super Bowls.

"With this new stadium, I'm looking at three more championships," said Watts, of Woodside. "Having a beautiful stadium like this is going to help us. This is a very fan-oriented place. It's got a good presence. It's a very professional setting and I think the players are going to play better in a place like this."

Assuming the glitches get worked out, of course. Saturday's national anthem mix-up, apparently, was a communication breakdown between the public address announcer and the audio engineer.

"Nobody told us there was going to be a national anthem for that game," said Jeff McGinnis, an audio engineer at the stadium "I'm not really sure what happened

[Jbro22]

I was there, it definitely has more of a green feel to it then a blue feel. The place was awesome.

[The Gun Of Bavaria]

Any lucky ladies out there interested in getting some of GOB's 'Soft Opening", just let me know.

[Maxman]

Any lucky ladies out there interested in getting some of GOB's 'Soft Opening", just let me know.

Attn JetNation Shoppers:

GOB's soft opening has been closed prematurely. Again. Once this situation has been rectified we will let you know.

[The Gun Of Bavaria]

Attn JetNation Shoppers:

GOB's soft opening has been closed prematurely. Again. Once this situation has been rectified we will let you know.

Is there a Doctor in the house?

[slowmoe57]

Any lucky ladies out there interested in getting some of GOB's 'Soft Opening", just let me know.

They have little blue pills that can help you with that.

[The Gun Of Bavaria]

They have little blue pills that can help you with that.

I can do more with less.