There were not a lot of empty seats when I was there, except for in the press section. However at most events I have attended there have been, particularly at beach volleyball and baseball, each of which I attended multiple times. Both stadiums had VIP sections in the areas with the most prime seats. And each time they were at least 90% (I am not exaggerating) empty. At the bronze medal baseball game between the US and Japan, the entire stadium was packed. But the VIP area, the lower level right behind home plate, was completely empty. Really quite a shame. I’d imagine most of these tickets were left sitting out next to open bottles of Dom Perignon in the hotel suites of Olympic donors and the like.

As for the concessions, the prices were standard at all Olympic venues, and they were ridiculously cheap. 5 kuai for beers. 3 kuai for yogurt. Check out this post I wrote last week about the Econ-O-Lympics.

@ Dan

My main frame of reference for huge mega stadiums is going to be Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, another excellent stadium in its own right, but I would say the Bird’s Nest compares quite favorably.  I went up for concessions once, and only had to wait inline for about 3 minutes.  One thing I did not see, which I heard several people ask about, were vendors walking through the stands.  The bathroom was pretty typical (I think Japan is still miles ahead of the rest of the world when it comes to bathroom innovation), and the lines were not long either.  They have Western toilets (I would actually prefer a squatter in a venue that gets so much use), and adequate facilities for the handicapped.  I like the red and black paint scheme as well.  All that being said, I only went to the Nest once, and I would imagine experiences can vary based on the event, seating location, etc.  Case in point:  See Shanz’s comment.  

Was there for the Closing Ceremonies just a few hours ago, and won’t be going back. Ever. Not even if my favorite band played there and I was given a front-row ticket. Here’s some highlights:

* “VIP” cars screaming about dangerously close to pedestrians _sharing the same space_. Just idiotic. As I watched, an elderly man tried to jump out of the way of a bus full of cadres, and broke his ankle. Jia you! The bus, of course, accelerated away.

* Exits that wouldn’t look out of place in a prison (in other words both narrow and poorly lit) which lead on to stairways that meander back and forth (forcing you to watch your footing) so that the crowd proceeds at a crawling pace

* An echo-chamber sound system that meant the athletes (it’s all about the athletes, right?!) couldn’t hear a single thing that happened in “their” closing ceremony (I spoke with several of them afterwards). Not that it was much better in the stands, really.

* Completely inadequate toilets, concession options, and seat pitch.

Apparently the stadium cost a bitch-tin of cash, too. And unlike the signs at the venue, that makes at least one thing perfectly clear: where all the money went.

Were there tons of empty seats while you were there? I also heard that the concessions are dirt cheap.

Nice pics too, Ben.

I couldn’t agree more. Unfortunately tickets to the night sessions are a lot more expensive, and harder to come by. Hopefully they will keep it lit up after the Olympics are over.