Photos by Matt Colville, Stadium Journey
Super Bowl LIX Week has come and gone, and New Orleans showed out in a major way for its record tying 11th Super Bowl to host. Sure, the game was a blowout as the Eagles drummed the Chiefs 40-22, but the game itself was an afterthought, as nothing in it really stood out besides being the most lopsided Super Bowl in recent memory. What did stand out was the constant influx of parties, perfect weather, concerts, and fan events that overtook the city – New Orleans city was abuzz all week, from the spectacular opening night to the thrilling NFL Experience and the unforgettable parties that lit up the Crescent City, the city was on display like never before. This week felt more like a celebration of New Orleans than an actual football game.
They call New Orleans a city of resilience, as there aren’t many cities in the U.S. that have had to overcome as much adversity. Whether it’s the frequent hurricanes, flooding, oil spills, crime, or the horrendous events that unfolded on the morning of January 1st. But Super Bowl week unfolded without a major hitch, thanks in part to the many law enforcement personnel standing on every street corner in the French Quarter. On the world’s biggest stage, the Big Easy proved why it is the perfect city to host big special events. I’ve never seen the city transformed like this before, from its huge billboards and Super Bowl signage hanging on every building, to the projected lighting on the St. Louis Cathedral each night. This year New Orleans was lit up like never before.
It all started on Monday night with the spectacle that was Super Bowl Opening Night – the final touches of the Superdome’s $500 million renovation were on display, as fans who couldn’t purchase tickets to the game were able to go inside the Dome and get a sneak peek at the Super Bowl signage on the field and concourse. This star-studded affair was broadcast on NFL Network and featured live music, special guests, and both the Chiefs and the Eagles coming out to take questions from the media.
On Wednesday the Super Bowl Experience opened at Morial Convention Center and lasted until Saturday. If you’ve ever wanted to test your strength in an NFL combine-type workout, this would be your chance – they had bench presses, accuracy throws, kicking games, high jumps, vertical jumps, 40-yard dashes, and many more. Anything NFL related was on display here, from past Super Bowl rings and helmets to current and former players signing autographs. The Pro Football Hall of Fame even had an exhibit that looked like they brought the entire Hall of Fame from Canton. Flag football games also took place on the makeshift field, but the highlight of the night was seeing Michael Vick jump in and play quarterback for a random game that was going on.
The pageantry of the NFL Honors was felt Thursday night at Saenger Theatre, where the best players of the year were honored. The red carpet was rolled out and the stars were on hand for the event, hosted by Snoop Dogg. Josh Allen went home with NFL MVP honors, while Saints legends Drew Brees and Steve Gleason presented the award for Walter Payton Man of the Year to Jaguars DE Arik Armstead.
On Saturday the Super Bowl parade rolled through the French Quarter; nobody does Mardi Gras like New Orleans. With so many fans from all over the world converging on the city, what better way than give them a New Orleans-style parade with a Super Bowl theme? The king of the parade was Raising Cane's founder Todd Graves, and if that wasn’t enough to have kept you entertained, at night there were exclusive private and public parties, with concerts ranging from Chris Stapleton and Post Malone to Travis Scott during the weekend. At Mardi Gras World they had a collection of different festival-like parties going on, with Shaq’s Fun House taking place on Friday, a carnival-like atmosphere complete with games, rides, and concerts hosted by Shaquille O’Neal and Ludacris. Also on Saturday was the Sports Illustrated and Maxim Magazine Super Bowl party, followed on Sunday by Chef Guy Fieri’s Tailgate Bash before the big game.
A celebration of New Orleans’ spirit and culture was even on display for Sunday’s game for the world to see – the pre-game show opened with a touching Nola Strong tribute to the victims of the Bourbon Street terrorist attack. Lady Gaga’s voice belted throughout the French Quarter as she played the piano from the Bourbon Street Memorial, with the NOPD standing next to Roger Goodell along with Saints legends like Drew Brees and Sean Payton. Jazz singer Harry Connick Jr. began the show in the Superdome with a jazz performance complete with the famous Mardi Gras Indians, followed by New Orleans music legends Trombone Shorty and Lauren Daigle’s performance of ‘America the Beautiful’. Another New Orleans legend Jon Batiste then displayed a soulful rendition of the ‘Star-Spangled Banner’. Emotions were running high when some of the victims’ families were on hand to present the coin toss, including the family of 27-year-old Lafayette, LA native Tiger Bech, and the family of 25-year-old Superdome video producer Matthew Tenedorio, who was also scheduled to work Super Bowl LIX.
The best part about the whole week was the walkability between all the venues hosting the events; it is less than a mile from the Convention Center to the French Quarter and over to the Superdome. In that triangle you would find over 100,000 football fans from all over the world, as well as fans of all 32 teams converging on the city for the week. Even if you had no intention of checking out any of the Super Bowl events, you could have a good time just walking around the French Quarter checking out the sights, or people-watching the fans from all 32 teams. You couldn’t ask for better weather either, with each day being sunny in the high 70s. It’s hard to believe that 3 weeks before the big game, a record blizzard left New Orleans covered in 3-4 feet of snow; in a way the snow kind of cleaned the city up just in time for the Super Bowl.
The big week had a huge economic impact on the entire Gulf Coast region, and was exactly what New Orleans needed after the terrorist attack on January 1st. With all the big celebrities in town, though, the biggest star of the week ended up being New Orleans itself. Not a day went by during the week without a famous celebrity or social media personality raving via Tweet about the city’s atmosphere. On the world’s biggest stage, the Big Easy proved why it is the perfect city to host big special events – whether it was the perfect weather, excellent food, or Southern hospitality, Super Bowl Week was a huge success. Hopefully it won’t be another 12 years until New Orleans sees another Super Bowl.
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