Lady Gaga, Bruno Mars duet “Die With a Smile” at the opening of the Intuit Dome

Intuit Dome officials and local leaders needed no reminder that Thursday was historic for Inglewood and the Clippers. A ribbon-cutting ceremony preceded the concert and included remarks from LA Clippers President (and Intuit Dome Champion) Steve Ballmer, Halo Sports CEO Gillian Zucker, Mayor James T. Butts Jr. and Intuit CEO Sasan Goodarzi. “Damn, I’m mad,” Ballmer said as he took the stage. “I have to say I’m a little anxious tonight. I love what we’ve built, but I want you all to love what we’ve built.”

What they’ve built is a $2 billion facility that’s been years in the making and spans 26 acres and features state-of-the-art technology, including a double-sided “Halo Board” screen that wraps around the arena. The facility also includes five basketball courts (one game court, two practice courts, one promotion court and one in the spacious outdoor plaza), a training facility, medical and player facilities, an indoor pool, and an 80,000 square foot market with two bars, a restaurant and a large team store. The arena, which was built to resemble a net with a ball in the center, is also adorned with a handful of public art created by local artists, such as murals, sculptures and digital displays, including a ship that features basketball hoops and backboards designed by Glenn. Cain.

Star guests at the Bruno Mars concert included Jennifer Lopez, Ashton Kutcher, Mila Kunis, Angela Bassett, Courtney B. Vance, Meghan Trainor, Kelsea Ballerini, Chase Stokes, Simu Liu, Halle Bailey, Sophia Bush, Victoria Justice, Paul Scheer, June. Diane Raphael, Kenya Barris, Jimmy Jam, Derek Hough, Jimmy O. Yang, Chris Olsen, Amanda Kloots, Bozoma Saint John, Crystal Kung Minkoff, Rob Minkoff, Babyface, Irving Azoff and Shelli Azoff, WME President Richard Weitz, Doug Walden, Cam Christie, Derrick Jones Jr., Jordan Miller, Kai Jones, Kobe Brown, Mo Bamba, DJ D-Nice and more.

“It’s a pleasure and a privilege to have the chance to welcome you here,” Ballmer said during his remarks, which referred to the wild and ambitious “journey” in building the Clippers’ permanent home after sharing with Crypto.com Arena with the Los Angeles Lakers. “When we bought the first business, the LA Clippers basketball team, I said to myself, one of the great things about buying the Clippers is that we never have to build an arena. I said, look, all these teams, they’re selling, you’ve got to build arenas. We’ll never have to do that… Well, it took about six months to realize that it might be a good idea to have our own house.”

In tonight’s home opener, Ballmer even took the time to acknowledge that there will likely be hiccups, especially since the Intuit Dome relies entirely on technology, as it’s a cashless, app-mandated facility that uses facial technology and smartphones for purchases. “I know they like to mention technology. Can I tell you what technology means? Technology is software and I really hope everything works tonight… It won’t. We’ve made version one of many software products, so bear with us, just bear with us if you need to.”

That plea for leniency and patience turned out to be a predictable warning as the app malfunctioned, causing a log jam at the entrance between 7 and 8 p.m. A huge crowd numbering in the thousands gathered in the courtyard as tensions rose and staff were scrambling to get facial recognition and app scanners back online. Despite a delay in getting the audience inside, it didn’t disrupt the festivities too much as Mars continued not long after the planned 9pm showtime. At one point in the night, Mars took a moment to call security for an emergency that unfolded with a male guest in the front section. His condition was unclear at press time.

The Intuit Dome, which broke ground in September 2021, is located not far from Inglewood’s other gems, SoFi Stadium and the Kia Forum. It has already committed to hosting the 2026 NBA All-Star Game and the hoops games for the 2028 Summer Olympics. On the immediate calendar, the Intuit Dome will host comedian Sebastian Maniscalco this weekend, followed by concerts from Marco Antonio Solis, Olivia Rodrigo , Twenty One Pilots, Usher, Weezer and Billy Joel.

“It’s our home,” Ballmer said as he concluded his comments. “We also knew our house had to be about more than basketball. Our house was going to be about music and basketball and all the support and advice from (Irving Azoff) and others we got to try to make it a house, a house where people feel comfortable coming. I’m thinking about it. like the best basketball unit ever built – I think of it that way. I hope you agree, but I am absolutely thinking about it. Whether people know about it around the world, we hope they will come visit.”

See below for more opening night views.