North Shore packed with black and gold tailgaters ahead of home opener
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- A wave of black and gold has been unleashed on the North Shore this Sunday to celebrate the Pittsburgh Steelers' home opener at the newly dubbed, Acrisure Stadium.
The Steelers and the New England Patriots kickoff at 1 p.m., but there was a lot to do before that. From the party on Art Rooney Avenue to the Official Tailgate Zone at Stage AE and the Q&A sessions at The Great Hall, there was something for every kind of Steelers' fan.
The North Shore parking lots officially opened at 8 a.m. to welcome tailgaters, but some showed up well before that. For more North Shore parking information, visit this link. They also came by PRT's T service on the North Shore Connector and by Station Square boat shuttles, too.
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It wouldn't be a Steelers Sunday unless thousands upon thousands of fans were here hours before kickoff outside Acrisure Stadium, enjoying the tailgate scene and getting fired up for a Steelers football game. By 7 a.m., fans already started filling any space they could find.
"It's fun. It's the Steelers. Come on, man," Steve Bland, from Highland Park, said while setting up his tailgate.
"It's the Steelers. Home opener. Gotta get out here. Gotta get out here early. Beat the crowd," Stephen Legath, from Mt. Washington, said while wearing a shirt that said - "As long as New England loses."
Whether it's firing up a grill and cooking the meal of the day, or tossing around the pigskin in the parking lot, the feeling of Steelers Nation and their "friends" was one of happiness to have football back.
"It's comradery. It's the spirit of tailgating. Enjoying the game," Steve Krasinski, from New Hampshire, said.
He was wearing his New England gear, but was with a group that was about half Steelers' fans and half Patriots' fans.
"They're all concerned about wearing Patriot garb. Not in Pittsburgh. We're real football fans. It doesn't matter who you are, your walk of life, everyone loves football in Pittsburgh," New Hampshire Steelers' fan Drew Tucci said.
It's truly a nation. A group from New Jersey has season tickets. That's a six-hour drive, one way, for every home game.
"Cause the Jets and Giants are horrible," Mike DeMao said while cooking up some stuffed peppers.
Other fans traveled from different continents to see the home opener. Jorian Kingma is from the Netherlands. His mother is originally from Pittsburgh.
"My mom. She raised me up the right way. Started watching back with Super Bowl XL," he said with a smile.
For the thousands of fans heading into Acrisure Stadium, sometimes it's tricky making sure that mobile ticketing app on your phone is working right, but the fans we talked to said you just need to be prepared.
"Gotta do it at home, you know," Legath said while showing his phone.
"It's already on their now. On their now. Already loaded," DeMao said as he enjoyed a pregame cigar.
"We've almost missed a game trying to do this at the gates. One point person and we all go in together," Tucci said about his plan to avoid any hassle.
There's still at least seven more home games left in the year, and fans are ready to enjoy every minute of it.
Pregame, Donnie Iris sang the national anthem and there was also a military flyover just before kickoff.
For all the information you need about the Home Opener, visit this link. Check out our Steelers' section for all the latest news about the team.