[Mick]

The Mercury News critic had good things to say about the Stadium:


What was a surprise, however, was that the true star of the show may well have been the venue itself.

Who knew?

Well, basically no one since this was the first-ever major rock concert to be held at the new Stanford Stadium, which opened to Cardinal football fans in September 2006.

Yet, it turned out to be a delightful place to watch a show. The scenic tree-studded facility — with gorgeous live oaks in the surrounding areas and tall redwoods peaking over the rim of the venue — offered a very different experience than what you get at the 49ers’ sleek, high-tech NFL palace of Levi’s Stadium, which is where Coldplay performed the last time it came through town with this tour in May 2022. It has a decidedly college-campus vibe — and it stuck with me through the entire show. . . .

I agree, it's a great place to watch a show. I liked the old stadium for its size (when it was full or near-full), but I really like the new stadium for its combination of comfort and spartan conditions, if that makes sense.

I like to see venues for the first time. When Mrs. Mick and I were first married, we went to the Shoreline Amphitheater when it first opened. Opening act was Julio Iglesias. Not a brobdingnagian fan, but we were interested in seeing the venue, in particular whether the rumors of spontaneous methane fires were accurate. It had been built on landfill, the theory was that methane seeped up through the ground and sod. No spontaneous fires, but Iglesias was interesting. His opening act was really interesting -- long before she had any kind of fame, Roseanne Barr opened for Mr. Iglesias.

[Mick]

The Mercury News critic had good things to say about the Stadium:


What was a surprise, however, was that the true star of the show may well have been the venue itself.

Who knew?

Well, basically no one since this was the first-ever major rock concert to be held at the new Stanford Stadium, which opened to Cardinal football fans in September 2006.

Yet, it turned out to be a delightful place to watch a show. The scenic tree-studded facility — with gorgeous live oaks in the surrounding areas and tall redwoods peaking over the rim of the venue — offered a very different experience than what you get at the 49ers’ sleek, high-tech NFL palace of Levi’s Stadium, which is where Coldplay performed the last time it came through town with this tour in May 2022. It has a decidedly college-campus vibe — and it stuck with me through the entire show. . . .

I agree, it's a great place to watch a show. I liked the old stadium for its size (when it was full or near-full), but I really like the new stadium for its combination of comfort and spartan conditions, if that makes sense.

I like to see venues for the first time. When Mrs. Mick and I were first married, we went to the Shoreline Amphitheater when it first opened. Opening act was Julio Iglesias. Not a brobdingnagian fan, but we were interested in seeing the venue, in particular whether the rumors of spontaneous methane fires were accurate. It had been built on landfill, the theory was that methane seeped up through the ground and sod. No spontaneous fires, but Iglesias was interesting. His opening act was really interesting -- long before she had any kind of fame, Roseanne Barr opened for Mr. Iglesias.