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Breaking News:Jennifer Lopez, Ashton Kutcher and More Attend Intuit Dome Opening, Headlined by Bruno Mars and a Surprise Performance by Lady Gaga…See More ๐๐
โI canโt wait to get in there and get the games going,โ said Derrick Jones Jr., standing in front of the Intuit Dome โ a $2 billion project and the new home venue of the Los Angeles Clippers โ in Inglewood, Calif.
The basketball forward was signed to the team this year, reportedly for a three-year, $30 million deal.
โItโs amazing,โ he said of having the space, which was unveiled on Thursday evening with a ribbon-cutting ceremony in the 80,000-square-foot outdoor plaza followed by a sold-out Bruno Mars concert inside. โAnd I canโt wait to listen to some good music tonight.โ
The Clippers previously played their home games at Crypto.com Arena in L.A., shared with the Lakers, Sparks and Kings, from 1999 until now.
โNobody want to share arenas with nobody. It had to happen,โ he smiled, dressed in Heron Preston and Gallery Dept. with a Louis Vuitton belt bag and Nike SB Dunks. โThis is my first year with the team and the first year for the dome. Itโs going to be exciting. I canโt wait.โ
โHey! How you doing?โ a voice interrupted. It was the man of the hour, Intuit Dome and Clippers owner Steve Ballmer. โWhat do you like to be called? Derrick?โ he asked, before introducing his wife, Connie.
โDerrick or DJ works, too.โ
โIt was fun seeing you out there today. Are you enjoying yourself so far?โ
As the two conversed, the arena was filling up. Jennifer Lopez, Angela Bassett, Chase Stokes with Kelsea Ballerini, Ashton Kutcher with Mila Kunis, Simu Liu, Meghan Trainor, Victoria Justice and Sophia Bush were among those headed in.
But it was a slow start to the 8 p.m. show, with scanners offline โ and tickets only accessed via an app โ some fans were left waiting to enter, and Mars didnโt go on until about 9:40 p.m. Though impressively, when all goes well, thereโs face ID technology for easy entry and a digital wallet for purchases. And inside, all 18,000 seats have phone charging stations.
โThe technology inside this place is truly mind-blowing,โ said comedian and actor Paul Scheer, standing alongside his wife, fellow comedian, actress and screenwriter June Diane Raphael. The two had gotten a preview. โThe future is in here. My phone has done everything so far.โ
Theyโve been Clippers fans since 2005, he said. โFeels like we have a home now,โ Raphael added.
โAnd look, getting to Inglewood, not easy,โ Scheer went on. โWe live on the east side. But you know what, worth it. And I canโt wait to figure out some shortcuts to get here. But I know Steve Ballmer is working on traffic patterns, too. I believe in Ballmer.โ
It was their date night, and they were looking forward to seeing Mars.
โWhat he represents is a true showman,โ Scheer said. โHis shows are unbelievable. And if we are right in understanding what tonight will be, it will be one of those shows people talk about.โ
They had heard the rumor going around that Lady Gaga would be joining Mars onstage โ a rumor that ended up being true. Gaga, who released a new single with Mars that day, โDie With a Smile,โ surprised the crowd during the encore.
โHow you feeling L.A.?โ she shouted, nearly unrecognizable channeling a new persona for the project. Her blond hair was sky-high and she was wearing opaque-colored tights and โ60s-inspired ensembles.
โYou guys are going to be the first to hear us play this song live,โ Mars said before the duet, in a cowboy hat and Amiri button-up shirt. He wore Amiri all night, as did his band, sporting various colorful embroidered silk and cotton shirts with baggy slacks.
โYou know Iโm going to be dancing,โ Bozoma Saint John โ former chief marketing officer of Netflix and newest โReal Housewives of Beverly Hillsโ cast member โ had said earlier, anticipating the show. She was standing out in a purple sequin LaQuan Smith dress and gold accessories, a Chanel bag and Tom Ford heels.
โItโs for Bruno Mars, too, 24 karats,โ she laughed, referencing his hit โ24K Magic.โ
Mars, a 15-time Grammy Award-winner, opened the show with the single, before saying it had been six years since he last played in L.A. He brought nonstop energy all night, singing, dancing, playing guitar and piano. (There was a pause at one point, as he noticed a fan needing medical attention โ but the show went on.)
โI got a feeling weโre gonna sweat a little more tonightโฆGet your pictures,โ he said early on, taking a playful pose. โAnd just maybe you put your phones away and dance with the hooligans tonight.โ