"Live from the Levi's Cheap Seats" - Sec925 takes in the first Niners playoff game in Santa Clara

By Jim Rowney | Section925 Correspondent

It was a long wait. Coming off a Super Bowl appearance and three consecutive NFC Championship Game appearances, both first time and long time 49er season ticket holders assumed the playoff appearances would continue in the 49ers sparkling new home in Santa Clara. A rash of injuries, along with infighting between the GM and coach, turned 2014 into a season of mediocrity. A series of retirements by key 49er veterans, some questionable coaching decisions, and even more injuries, made the 49ers an afterthought in the NFL postseason for five forgettable years.

The large crowds and initial excitement in those early 2014 games at Levi’s became a memory. Add in new stadium teething problems in the first several years, and Levi’s got the reputation as a giant boondoggle. Home field advantage? Hardly, when opposing fans made up a healthy percentage of the crowd, with large swaths of empty seats. One popular sports radio host called it the “worst of the new NFL stadiums, and it’s not even close”. There were even yearnings for Candlestick (where my wife once missed an entire quarter to go to the restroom and buy me a beer).

Was it the stadium, the location, or the poor on-field performance by the home team that caused such emotions? Probably a combination of all those things. But things have changed. Continued work on the stadium and infrastructure brought viable improvements. Food vendor variety and quality was improved, stadium employees became more experienced, and cellular access is now excellent. Traffic patterns were diagnosed and changes made. The VTA figured out how to move people in and out with their excellent light rail system. How many times have people used the word “excellent” in reference to a Bay Area transit agency?

Simultaneously, a new GM and coach seemed to be making all the right moves. Jimmy G arrived, along with a force of nature named George Kittle. A pass rush that made even the unflappable Aaron Rodgers look uncomfortable. Suddenly, long suffering Levi’s season ticket holders are on their way to an NFL Divisional Playoff game at Levi’s Stadium.

Count my family and I among those loyal season ticket holders. We attended the last game at Candlestick, the first at Levi’s, and Saturday’s playoff game, the first of its kind. Indeed, we do occupy the cheap seats, high up in section 405, where the field is small, but so is the Personal Seat License price tag, and views are uninterrupted. We also get a decent breeze from the bay in the hot months, sparing us from the well documented heat of the lower bowl.

Following our usual game-day pattern, we parked at one of several free lots near a VTA light rail station, where an express train whisks us to Levi’s in about 15 minutes. We have driven and parked at the stadium a few times, but $50 is painful, especially when compared to the $5 round trip VTA ticket. Remember we are in the cheap seats!

The train was full (stuffed might be a better word) after just a few stops, and the occupants festive. Viking fans were heartily booed when trying to enter our full car…and yes, they were rejected. The weather…well it reminds of us why we live in the Bay Area, and put up with our traffic and housing issues. Perhaps a little cool for locals, but downright balmy for visitors from Minnesota. Daytime football, like God intended, on a splendid winter day…a combination even Viking and 49er fans could agree on.

90 minutes before kickoff, the tailgating was in full force. Walking thru the predominately red and gold parking lot was fun, people were loud and friendly. However, to be honest, nothing will ever replace the sights and sounds in the Oakland Coliseum parking lot before a Raider game. The imagination used in various interpretations of what constitutes a “Raider” will be sorely missed.

Levi’s was never an attractive stadium from the outside, lacking symmetry and classic architecture forms. But somehow, draped in huge banners, surrounded by the buzzing crowd, it seemed to rise up to the moment.

My experience with Levi’s 49er fans, at least regular season fans, is mixed. Notoriously late arriving, there are also a fair number of what I call posers. Splendidly maxed out in 49er colors, jerseys, and accessories, their main concern during the game is attending to vital social media issues, or trooping up and down the stairs between their seats and the bar, eventually staying there after halftime. Saturday seemed very different. The huge crowd was in their seats before kickoff, and for the first time that I remember, extremely few (if any) empty seat in our section. Perhaps it was the price of admission, or the importance of the game, but it was great to see. Viking fans were relatively sparse, but not silent, at least in the first half. We had one in front of us…we liked him because he looked like a Viking, complete with horned hat and long white beard. A good sport also; lacking opportunities for high fiving fellow fans, especially in the second half, he joined us for some friendly hand slapping.

Loud? Yes. Levi’s was finally rocking. On the Vikings first possession, the chants of “DE-FENSE!” rang out with intensity. “Aye-OO’s” were loud and coordinated after every 49er first down. I had the opportunity to attend the Clemson-Alabama National Championship game a year ago at Levi’s, and although the fans were also loud, they were split close to 50-50. The Alabama half of the stadium was deathly silent most of the game. Not so this Saturday. It’s fair to say the 49ers have finally found, and earned, a home field advantage.

There will be plenty of words written about the game itself, so I won’t review it. It was, however, an interesting throwback day for the NFL. Both winners, the 49ers and Titans, brought to mind sayings like “Defense wins championships” and “The game is won at the line of scrimmage”. Old time football! At least for a day, spread offenses and read-option quarterbacks took a back seat.

Leaving the stadium the crowd was happy, but strangely quiet. Perhaps exhausted from the outpouring of energy. Most of the talk concerned who the 49ers would likely play, or who they wanted the 49ers to play. Frankly, I was just happy and satisfied that my season tickets finally paid the dividend I was waiting for, and that we would be back in just 8 days. The verdict for Levi’s Stadium? Not bad at all, far better than the detractors have claimed. Once inside, it doesn’t matter much what it looks like from the outside. The concourses are wide, facilities numerous, and sight lines are good; even better when you are seeing a football team as good as the 2019-2020 San Francisco 49ers.