San Jose delivers a bright finish to Super Bowl Opening Night
Like a scene straight out of a sci-fi movie, a thousand glowing blue-green drones laid out in rows on the grass in front of the Children’s Discovery Museum on Monday night as thousands of people gathered in anticipation.
Then, the colorful drones slowly lifted off in unison, lighting up the skies over Discovery Meadow Park and providing a bright finish to Super Bowl Opening Night as San Jose welcomed NFL media and fans to the Bay Area’s largest city.
The nine-minute Big Game Drone Show gave everyone something to “ooh” and “aah” about from the start. The drones zipped around to form a taiko drummer, an Aztec dancer, a fire-breathing dragon and even the Little Italy arch — a celebration of the diverse cultures that call San Jose home. Big cheers erupted when the drones formed an image of Tommie Smith and John Carlos and their famous Olympic protest.
Of course, football was well represented, too. A pair of football helmets — in Patriots and Seahawks colors — clashing, a huge football opened up like an egg to drop a shower of sparks and the Super Bowl LX logo floated above the crowd.
For fans at least, it may have been more exciting than the official NFL event inside the San Jose McEnery Convention Center. Though hardly boring, it seemed low-energy compared to the pulsating vibe on Opening Night for Super Bowl 50 in 2016 at SAP Center.
Though the two events were close in proximity, the vibes were worlds apart: A tightly controlled made-for-TV NFL production indoors and a free-spirited celebration that saw people flowing in from all sides — no lining up necessary.
At least when it was in the Shark Tank a decade ago, fans in the stands were able to take in the spectacle of what used to be called Media Day. But at the convention center, fans were confined into one corner of the huge low-lit hall, making it tougher to catch a glimpse or a pic of the Patriots and Seahawks players and coaches who were being interviewed in cramped booths.
No doubt, it was still a huge thrill for some cheering fans — including elementary school kids from Berryessa School District who were all smiles — but you could hear the grumbles from others who waited in a long line for hours and expected a better experience. A sea of people flowed from the convention center exits along San Carlos Street to to Discovery Meadow.
If you missed the first drone show, there will be another over Discovery Meadow on Friday night, starting around 10:15 p.m. While Monday’s emphasized San Jose culture, Friday’s will lean into the city’s sports history. Glitches during Monday’s show — including the sound dropping out for the last few minutes and a QR code that didn’t work — should be ironed out by Friday night.
And if — or when — the Super Bowl comes back to Levi’s Stadium, the NFL should bring Opening Night back to SAP Center. San Jose deserves a make-up call on that one.
DESTINATION DOWNTOWN: Super Bowl Opening Night may be over, but there’s still a lot of party left in downtown San Jose before the game on Sunday at Levi’s Stadium.
The Big Game Block Party is happening Wednesday and Thursday from noon to 8 p.m. both days at Hapa’s Creekside at 59 Barack Obama Boulevard. It should be a heck of a party, with Ryan Fitzpatrick and Andrew Whitworth recording an episode of their popular Fitz & Whit podcast live on Wednesday.
San Jose Jazz will be curating the musical entertainment on both days. Wednesday will feature four-hour sets by DJ CME and DJ Weekend Girl, while Thursday will have live music by the 408 Collective, Conjunto Trujillo Sweet Laurel Berry and Tropa Magica, with DJ Too Tall providing music in between bands. Food trucks will be around to satisfy the hungry, and you can also buy tickets for a raffle with two Super Bowl tickets as the prize.
TOP-DOLLAR TICKETS: They say you can accomplish anything if you put your mind to it. Well, I guess you can go to the Super Bowl if you put your mind and your wallet to it.
Two pairs of tickets to Super Bowl LX were auctioned for different causes last weekend: the Boys & Girls Clubs of Silicon Valley brought in $23,000 for a set at its 10th annual Youth of the Year gala on Friday night, and Hillbrook School — with campuses in Los Gatos and San Jose — raised $15,500 for a pair of tickets through an online auction that ended Sunday.
Some might consider it excessive, but it’s also a win-win: The buyers will have an unforgettable experience they’ll be talking about for years and their donations will help a youth-centered nonprofit and support tuition aid at Hillbrook.