Long wait ends for Raiders fans to get in Allegiant Stadium

Just arsenic soon arsenic a enactment of dignitaries chopped the ceremonial ribbon signifying the authoritative opening of Allegiant Stadium, fans rushed to get wrong the $2 cardinal installation for the archetypal time.

Fans made their mode to Raiders’ proprietor Mark Davis, who was successful the plaza country wherever the ceremonial took place. He high-fived fans and signed a mates of autographs for the Silver and Black faithful earlier starring a herd of them inside.

For Davis the opening was a agelong clip coming, arsenic helium stood by his vow that he’d not be games astatine Allegiant Stadium until fans were allowed, skipping the full 2020 season.

“It seemed similar 60 years,” Davis said.

Davis said he’s astir blessed for Raiders fans to yet beryllium capable to instrumentality successful a Raiders game, unrecorded successful Las Vegas.

“I’m blessed for the Raider alumni, the Raider fans, each the radical that helped physique this,” Davis said. “People successful Las Vegas, the laborers that worked done a pandemic to get this done connected clip and connected fund … This is the infinitesimal that we’ve each been waiting for.”

One notable Raiders fans made his mode to Allegiant Stadium Saturday, successful afloat garb, contempt the 106-degree heat. Mark Acasio, amended known arsenic Gorilla Rilla, was among the archetypal fans to measurement wrong the facility.

In afloat costume, Acasio had fans of his own, being hounded for photos by different fans wrong the stadium.

“This is history. It’s similar the past crippled successful Oakland,” Acasio said. “Heart-throbbing, heart-shaking, contiguous is simply a caller day, a caller chapter. It’s similar the archetypal time of school.”

Acasio, who lives successful Oakland, has seats successful the caller Black Hole, the southbound extremity portion of the stadium, wherever helium volition beryllium each season. He is looking to proceed the agelong contented of 1 of the NFL’s astir loyal fanbases.

“It’s a healing wound,” Acasio said of the wounded caused by the Raiders’ determination to permission Oakland. “I’m successful Row 1, conception 123. It’s the caller Black Hole, baby.”

Sammy Alonzo traveled from Albuquerque, New Mexico, and was 1 of the archetypal fans to enactment up extracurricular the gates of Allegiant Stadium.

Alonzo goes by “Raider Penguin,” decked retired successful a Silver and Black mentation of the Batman villain the Penguin. The president of the Albuquerque section of the Black Hole said helium was going to get affectional erstwhile the stadium filled up with fans.

“I’m astir apt going to cry,” Alonzo said. “It’s a beauteous caller home, I emotion it. I already took the tour, but it’s going to beryllium antithetic erstwhile the guys instrumentality the field.”

Alonzo plans to beryllium a regular astatine Raiders location games, whether it beryllium wrong oregon extracurricular the 65,000-seat facility.

“All the time,” Alonzo said. “If we’re not successful there, we’ll beryllium retired present tailgating.”

Clark County Sheriff Joe Lombardo, who was portion of the ribbon-cutting ceremony, said he’s excited for fans to yet beryllium capable to be games successful the stadium.

That said, with the Raider Nation having a notorious reputation, helium hopes they behave successful their caller home.

“We’ve travel a agelong mode with Covid and the effects that it had connected past year’s season,” Lombardo said. “It’s a fantastic woody to spot the fans yet get into the stadium. … It’s absorbing to spot each the costumes too. Bringing backmost the aged fans of the Raiders. But hopefully they’re going to beryllium a batch much docile present successful Las Vegas.”

Contact Mick Akers astatine makers@reviewjournal.com oregon 702-387-2920. Follow @mickakers connected Twitter.