Intuit Dome opening: Bruno Mars puts on show at Inglewood’s new arena after tech snag

INGLEWOOD, Calif. (KABC) — The $2 billion Intuit Dome, which will be the new home of the NBA’s Los Angeles Clippers, officially opened Thursday night as Grammy winner Bruno Mars performed the first of two concerts to inaugurate the venue.

Mars was set to take the stage at 8 p.m. but the show began just before 10 p.m. after technical snags led to delays. Thousands of people were kept waiting outside, apparently due to a problem with the facial recognition system at the arena slowing down the entry process.

The Grammy winner put on a show once the concert began and fans were treated to a surprise appearance by Lady Gaga. The two stars performed their new song, “Die With a Smile.”

Earlier in the evening, a ribbon cutting was held to celebrate the opening of the arena.

“I’m excited about the Clippers. I love the stadium,” concertgoer Bettie Tillman said. “I’m excited about Bruno Mars, most. I’m mostly excited about the new beginning here in Inglewood.”

Southern California’s newest venue has been years in the making. It spans 26 acres of land in Inglewood and has almost 18,000 seats. Construction on the Intuit Dome officially began in September 2021 near the corner of Century Boulevard and Prairie Avenue, south of SoFi Stadium and the Kia Forum.

“We’re now a center for social excellence, economic resurgence and great diversity in our population,” said Inglewood Mayor James Butts. “But now, we will have the newest, grandest stadium in the world, SoFi, and the newest, grandest arena in the world – the Intuit Dome. There are no words.”

The proximity of the Forum initially created a legal snag for the project, with then-owner Madison Square Garden Co. suing the Clippers and Inglewood, claiming the new venue violated a non-competition clause of the Forum’s operating agreements with the city. In 2020, Clippers owner Steve Ballmer found a unique solution to resolve the lawsuit — by purchasing the Forum from MSG for $400 million.

The Forum remains primarily a music venue, and while Intuit Dome has already landed a series of high-profile concerts, its main purpose will be to house the Clippers, who have long shared the downtown Crypto.com Arena with the Lakers.

Ballmer has insisted Intuit Dome would be a technological marvel, most notably for the two-sided “Halo Board” scoreboard that encircles the arena with nearly an acre of lighting. There are even T-shirt cannons mounted on the board so every seat has a chance to grab a shirt.

The arena also includes five basketball courts — the game court, two practice courts, one promotional court and one court on the outdoor plaza. In addition, it features 86,000 square feet of training, medical and player spaces, including an indoor pool, and an 80,000-square-foot outdoor plaza that features two bars, a restaurant and 5,000-square-foot team store.

The seating area features what is known as “The Wall,” a 51-row section with strict rules designed to ensure only Clippers fans are admitted — through restrictions on ticket resale and the wearing of opposing team gear.

The arena is also highlighted by a half-dozen public artworks created by local artists, including murals, sculptures and digital displays.

People attending events at arena will have to download the Intuit Dome app and create an account to enter the venue. Once the account is created, ticketholders can set up a “Game Face ID” that allows them to walk directly into the arena without displaying a ticket, or use an “Identity Pass” that requires people to scan a smartphone ticket to enter.

The arena is also cashless, so people must upload a payment method onto the Intuit Dome app to make concession and retail store purchases.

Future events at Intuit Dome

Mars has another performance set for 8 p.m. Friday. The shows will be Mars’ first Los Angeles performances in six years.

Comedian Sebastian Maniscalco is set to perform at the arena Saturday, followed by Mexican music icon Marco Antonio Solis on Sunday and Olivia Rodrigo Aug. 20 and 21.

Other notable acts already on the arena’s calendar include Twenty One Pilots on Aug. 27-28; Slipknot on Sept. 13-14; Usher on Sept. 21, 22, 24 and 25; Weezer on Oct. 11; and Billy Joel on Oct. 12.

Looking ahead, the dome has already been chosen as the site of the 2026 NBA All-Star Game, and will serve as the basketball venue for the 2028 Summer Olympics.

City News Service contributed to this report.