As Eagles Rock The Forum, Angelenos Wonder How Revamped Venue Will Stack Up Against Staples
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com) — Music is back at the Forum.
The Eagles opened Wednesday night to thousands of screaming fans.
And as they rocked out again - with an enormous Hotel California record spinning on the venue's rooftop - music fans are wondering how the revamped concert arena will stack up against the Staples Center, and if it will become "the" place for artists to play.
"Oh big time. Because here they don't have the scoreboards and things like that... The cushioned seats, the sound, it's fabulous," Eagles fan Heidi Keeran told KCAL9's Melanie Woodrow.
The Forum has been under-utilized for years since the Lakers left it for the Staples Center for the 1999-2000 season.
The venue, now owned by the Madison Square Garden Company, has undergone a $100 million renovation that has made it the largest indoor music and entertainment venue in the country, according to the firm.
The new Forum, built with artists in mind, now seats 17,500 and boasts seven-star caliber dressing rooms.
For Keeran, returning to see the Eagles play was a nostalgic experience.
"I saw my very first concert here - it was the Eagles in 1980 - so for me to come back all these years later to see the Eagles it's just so cool that they're bringing this back," she said.
Eagles fan Mark Pastor was equally impressed, and says music lovers shouldn't be detoured by the Forum's location in the City of Inglewood.
"The last concert I went to was probably 15 years ago if not more. And it's just beautiful - it's magnificent," he said. "The Staples Center, yeah it's in downtown L.A., but there's nothing like the fabulous Forum."
Residents hope the restoration will also be good for Inglewood - promising hundreds of thousand dollars in revenue to the city and many much-needed jobs.
"Yeah! We needed it," Eagles fan Rosemary Hemm said.
The Eagles will play five more concerts through January 25.
Upcoming shows at the Forum include Justin Timberlake, Imagine Dragons and Paul Simon.
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