Intuit Dome Debuts as Newest L.A. Arena Amid Some Issues

The state-of-the-art Intuit Dome opened its doors for the first time last night in Inglewood, California. However, the hi-tech equipment encountered issues during its inaugural test.

Grammy-winner Bruno Mars was the main attraction on opening night, scheduled to perform the first of two concerts. Although Mars was set to take the stage at 8 p.m., the show was delayed until just before 10 p.m. because thousands of attendees were kept waiting outside.

The impressive $2 billion arena was funded by Microsoft CEO and current Clippers owner, Steve Ballmer. The technical issues were thus quite surprising.

Problems arose with the venue’s entry-by-smartphone and opt-in facial-recognition systems, causing an entry bottleneck and forcing staff to inspect digital tickets manually. On social media, attendees complained about long lines, unclear signage, and unreliable Wi-Fi.

The arena is also entirely cashless, requiring people to upload a payment method onto the Intuit Dome app for concession and retail purchases. This, too, led to frustrations among attendees.

Nevertheless, once the show began, the audience quickly forgave the initial hiccups. “Y’all, we are part of California history right now,” Mars told an audience that included celebrities like Jennifer Lopez, Angela Bassett, Courtney B. Vance, Ashton Kutcher, and Simu Liu.

Bruno Mars dazzled with his performance and gave the audience an added surprise: near the end of the show, he brought out Lady Gaga to premiere their new duet, “Die With a Smile.”

Mars has another show tonight at the venue. Following his performances, comedian Sebastian Maniscalco is set to perform on Saturday. Mexican music icon Marco Antonio Solis will entertain the crowd on Sunday, and Olivia Rodrigo will take the stage on August 20 and 21.

The arena’s calendar also includes performances by Twenty One Pilots on August 27-28, Slipknot on September 13-14, Usher on September 21, 22, 24, and 25, Weezer on October 11, and Billy Joel on October 12.

The Intuit Dome has already been selected as the site for the 2026 NBA All-Star Game and will serve as the basketball venue for the 2028 Summer Olympics.

Source: AP News, TMZ, Reuters