Sensory overload: The Stadium

Before I could pose the question to manager Tom Henderson, he answered it.

“We’re not a Hooters light,” he said when asked about the skimpy ref uniform outfits the female servers wear. “Miller Lite gave us ref jerseys, the girls wore them for Halloween costumes...we are a sports bar and restaurant. It goes along with the theme.”

There are no servers on slower nights, so the Hooters comparison kinda sorta dies there. The menus might be a bit similar too, but The Stadium is more about what's inside than who’s serving it. Deep, right?

Opened in March 2004, El Estadio has seen peaks and valleys. In addition to the Hooters controversy, The Stadium was hit with hundreds of thousands of dollars of vandalism damage hours before New Year’s Eve 2007 (forcing the closure of half the complex). Henderson was even stabbed as he chased liquor thieves during the middle of an afternoon in a separate incident.

But you know what? The place is still packed almost every night. And that is a testament to the hard work and resilience of Henderson and his staff. In some ways, it made running the 31,000 square foot complex a little easier.

“It’s just something we had to go through,” Henderson said of the vandalism. “Now we’re smaller. We used to use the front space (facing Congress Street). But it ended up being too much space to keep an eye on.”

Instead of throwing in the towel, The Stadium adapted to its smaller size, which is, well, not that small. There are two entrances, one on Free Street and one on Brown street, two separate gaming areas and two nights a week (Wednesday and Saturday) the lights come out and the pop music gets cranked. There are still lots of TVs (the best ones are right at the bar), multiple full bars, massive amounts of sports memorabilia and space for hundreds of partygoers.

Wednesday nights are the big night at The Stadium: College night. Cheap Miller Lite, loads of young adults and the fake blond hair and dress shirts that goes with that.

“We are usually around the 25 to 35 (range), but Wednesday nights are younger than that,” Henderson says. “ A lot USM, UNE, a bunch of them. People that aren’t even in college anymore. We’ve kinda grabbed (that crowd).”

Billed mainly as a sports bar, I was surprised the Lakers-Spurs game wasn’t on during my Sunday night visit. After a request to throw it on, the bartender excitedly obliged (I think the softball on ESPN was not something he was interested in). He even switched the TV in front of my seat to the game. Later, when I turned on the jukebox and it clashed with the radio, the staff turned down the radio to let B.I.G. ride. So while they missed the game, the staff is paying close attention.

The beer selection is decent, though a little pricey (four “good beers” was $18 before tip) and there are loads of hard liquor, including a Jagermeister tap which must see heavy use with the college crowd. The menu is as pub-ish as you can get, highlighted by “The Tailgater,” which is a big appetizer spread served on a trash can lid.

Important as the TVs are, the activity selection is great. Air hockey, pool, an aquarium, video games, pinball machines, even mechanical bull riding on Saturdays. If you can’t find something fun to do here, maybe the bars aren’t for you. Check out Punchy O’Guts’ blog to see what a good time she and other Roller Derby-ers had.

On the other hand, it’s a bit much. I was trying to see if Kobe would snap and just straight-up smack Bruce Bowen (dirtiest player in the league) during the pivotal playoff game, but it was hard to concentrate with the loud, somewhat grim music and yelling patrons. Later, the game was rendered completely unwatchable when the club lights and karaoke DJ came on. People were loving it, though. At least 40 people were at the bar, many of them excited to sing. Umm, I left like five minutes later.

The Stadium is great because it has way more activities than any other bar, lots of TVs, a huge menu and a good Happy Hour. Here’s the thing that gets me. The Stadium is not a chain, but it really feels like one. I feel like I’ve been transported to the Inner Harbor in Bodymore, Murdaland or Faneuil Hall in Boston. It all feels generic and a bit forced.

It’s like a place you would see on a Coors Light commercial depicting a night out with your boys. But there is a lot to do, it is well attended, and really has the only college night in the city. Weigh the pros and cons, and if it’s for you, then by all means, get on that mechanical bull.