Opening Day at the Palace

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The $2 billion dollar palace is open in one of the poorest cities in the nation.

Which sounds like a complaint, but it isn’t.

The city is Bills crazy and of course, THIS IS THE YEAR.

It was interesting to me that people flocked to the palace to watch practice, and get a look at the new digs, and of course, run to social media to complain about a shitload of things like the screens being too small, the food running out, an escalator that wasn’t working, and obstructed view seats.

I spent some time there during the construction and thought the place was magnificent.

I can’t see myself ever watching a football game there, but the Stones just released a great new record…

…if Mick and Keith and Ronny come back, I’m there.

And I don’t begrudge Bills fans as the old stadium was worn out and didn’t fit with the NFL’s adage of:

“We want every nickel out of every pocket of everyone in the county.”

People make the decision on how to spend their entertainment dollars.

The tickets for the opener are running about $600 for the cheapest seat if you aren’t a season ticket holder.

I paid $400 to see Springsteen on Broadway and $400 to see the Stones here a little more than 10 years ago.

A lot of people wouldn’t spend money for those things, but both shows were worth every penny to me.

Yankees tickets aren’t cheap.

It’s the way of the world these days. There’s more than enough to worry about than whether people go to the Bills game or not.

There will be great memories made at the new place.

Perhaps they’ll play a Super Bowl there one year.

Maybe the trophy will hang out in the vestibule someday.

Regardless, I know a lot of guys who worked really hard at that place, in the freezing cold, and in the blazing sun.

It’s less than two miles from my house, and when I drive by I think about the fact there’s a big city vibe right here in our backyard.

Enjoy it.

Regular folks need an escape from the mundane tasks and the absolute shit show of the federal government.

We may not have healthcare.

Our electric bills are higher than our car payments.

Grocery prices have skyrocketed.

Billionaires are becoming trillionaires.

(In fact, we financed the project for a billionaire).

We don’t need any of that, right?

Enjoy the palace…

…sit in your seat after paying a hundy to park, and drink a $18 beer, eat a $25 sandwich and root, root, root for the home team.

Welcome to the big time.

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