Wow. What a game that was. It was great to be there in the Superdome for the greatest Saints game since “Hakim dropped it! Hakim dropped the ball!” I’ve never seen lines like that at the Dome before. So many people.
For some reason, they didn’t close off the streets around the Dome. Poydras was shut down anyway, just by the masses of people. As my mom and I walked down the street, we watched a cop futilely trying to get people out of the street, saying “THE STREET ISN’T CLOSED PEOPLE. THE STREET ISN’T CLOSED.” The people standing shoulder to shoulder in the middle of the street watching Cowboy Mouth play on a stage on the corner said differently. There was no where else to go. Poydras was closed.
The fans were for the most part well-behaved in the lines to get in the Dome. One guy who was pushing through got some beer “accidentally” spilled on him by a nice lady. We were ready for a fight to break out between the pusher and the spiller’s boyfriend. Once in the Dome, all was ok. Random “Who Dat?” cheers where everywhere.
There weren’t too many Falcons fans around. A few, but not as many as at a typical Saints-Falcons game. There were more New Orleans fans at the last game at the Georiga Dome than there were Atlanta fans at this game. Our fans could have been a little better behaved, there was a lot of “Fuck the Falcons” cheers, which was pretty obnoxious and stupid. The Falcons were already getting whupped on the field, we just looked like jerks when those cheers started.
We didn’t have the highest seats in the nosebleeds, but we were the last row in our section, in the corner of the endzone. Directly above the ESPN broadcast stage with Boomer and Steve Young, etc. Michael Irvin’s suit looks like it costs $10,000 even from way up at the top of the Dome. The seats were great, but it was hard to make out the players’ numbers at times. The two touchdowns were scored at the endzone away from us.
For every Falcons defensive play, we beat on the walls behind us. They had a kind of metal grate on them that rattled and boomed. My hand is still killing me. We didn’t get as many false start penalaties as we wanted. It was loud when the Saints took field, but it got really loud when Steve Gleason blocked the punt. The crowd just went crazy. Afterwards, we all agreed that it was at that point that we all lost our voices. At 13:30 in the 1st quarter.
U2 and Green Day were ok. The crowd wasn’t super-hyped about them. They liked the “The Saints are Coming” song. As soon as Bono stopped singing, the Who Dat chants drowned out the auplause. Apparently, the Rebirth was on stage but we couldn’t hear or see them. Allen Toussant and Irma Thomas did a great job on the national anthem, and drew bigger applause than U2. I love New Orleans for that.
Something I noticed about the city, that had changed a lot since I was last down just a month ago: A lot of folks really have a chip on their shoulder. It’s understandable, I guess, but it’s not typical of my hometown. We’ve always had pride in our city, and the people there now are certainly facing a lot of adversity, so I can’t fault them. But I was a little saddened by the vibe from the people around the city. Everyone seemed on edge, ready to fly off the handle at any moment. Bartenders were pissed they were busy at Cooters. On a Sunday. When they have 100 TVs on with NFL Sunday Ticket. I didn’t understand it.
At the Bon Temps after the game, there was a real sense of menace in a lot of people, just under the surface. About half the bar had been to the game, and you would think there would have been a sense of celebration in the air, but there really wasn’t. Jolly drunks were outnumbered by surly drunks three to one. Everyone seemed to have a chip on their shoulder. I din’t really like it. I’m not going to try and figure out why, there are a thousand reasons. Who am I to judge, though? I don’t live there.
It is my hometown, though. It’s where I grew up, it’s where my family lives. To think that I’m not emotionally invested in the city and its people is just wrong. I don’t live there now, it’s true, but I care about New Orleans, I care about the people there, and they are definitely not ok right now.
The Saints game was the best thng to happen to this city in a long time. I am so grateful that I was there, but more grateful that I could share it with Kent and with Dave.
It is very true about the “chip” on everyone’s shoulder. I see it so often when I am out. I cannot explain it either…I don’t know if it is a defense against what has happened to all of us. It costs 3X’s as much to get anything repaired and it takes 5X’s as long to get it done. People may feel that they will be taken advantage of at every turn and this sullenness is the result. I want the Southern charm of New Orleans to return and I don’t know if that is possible. I have caught myself too many times buying into the language of the street and I don’t want to be that way. I have recently learned that I am a “SWAG’….Sourthern Women Age Gracefully and that is exactly what I want to be ( without the “age” part).
Thank you again, Kent, for the most wonderful evening. I will cherish every moment for a long, long time.
Don’t thank me, thank Steve Gleason!
I’m a native who just moved back last month, and I notice the difference too. I’d be lying if i said I haven’t become the same way. People are stressed and worried and down, and if you never met one, let me tell ya: anxious and depressed people can be REAL cranky! 🙂 A lot of people, like me, are also tired of hearing what we need to do, should have done, or let the city sink into the sea from people who don’t understand what’s really going on.
Just my 2 cents. but Monday was KICKASS!!