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Many didn’t care how much they paid or where they sat. They just wanted to be at opening night.
"It’s going to be history," Forth Worth resident Lydia Martinez said. "It’s a big day," said Martinez, wearing a Cowboy-blue shirt. "We’re just glad to be here."Awesome, impressive and overwhelming were some of the words fans used to describe the Cowboys’ new home in Arlington. Lines were long and food ran out in some places, but overall visitors seemed happy about the new digs.Martinez and her friend Rose Mary Reyes were taking pictures from every angle outside the west end-zone plaza. Reyes said her relatives and friends were jealous that she was there."Everyone I told, they all want something. I’m getting me something," she said, laughing. They ended up with $85 tickets in Section 408 and couldn’t wait to get inside and see the much-talked about jumbo screen."It’s supposed to be one of the biggest in the world," Martinez said. "We live in Texas. What do you expect?"Fans blocked walkways just below Jerry Jones’ box. Jones’ guests included Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison and former Cowboys coach Jimmy Johnson. Perhaps the most photographed feature was the high-definition jumbo screen. Concourse traffic slowed several times as folks stopped to get their perfect shot of the sign and arena.Longtime Cowboys fan George Zermeno brought his wife and three daughters from El Paso to the new stadium to be part of the opening event. Like many other fans, he said he was impressed with the facility."The big TV screen, it really catches your eye," Zermeno said. "And with all the stadium seating and everything, it goes up to the sky it seems."Sandra Love was on the road nearly four hours headed to the stadium from Bangs, in West Texas. "I follow George [Strait] everywhere," she said. She’s been to about 15 of his shows and was overwhelmed by the stadium."It’s just gorgeous," she said. But she’s glad she printed a map of the place; otherwise, she said she may have gotten lost going to her gate. "They could have more signage on where to go from the parking lots," she said.People were at a standstill in the pro shop buying concert-related items, and staff had to hold doors open to keep traffic flowing. Lines to check out topped 20 minutes at times.Amanda Smith of Garland expected it was part of a pre-show rush and part first-night glitches slowing things down. "I’m not going fault them," she said. "They have to learn. It’s opening night." But lines were too long for some.Evangelina Corley of Garland was in line for 30 minutes waiting for a bottle of water just after Blake Shelton played. She noticed about a dozen vendors walking around selling beer only."I don’t think they’ll run out of beer," she said. "I wish they’d sell water, too."Laura Alley, who joked that she will be Strait’s next wife, traveled from Springtown to hang out with her family at the stadium. And while she found a cardboard cutout of Strait to smooch before the event, she echoed many Cowboys fans’ feelings about the team’s new home."It’s awesome and the Cowboys rock, and we’re going to kick ass this year."Staff writer Andrea Ahles contributed to this report.
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