An insider’s view of the opening ceremony: bored guards, locked turnstiles and empty seats.

I walked all the way around the main concourse ahead of the show and what did I see? Virtually nothing!

The news media was consigned to one corner of the stadium, with print reporters working at tables and television reporters doing their live shots in the adjacent sections. Security guards milled around, looking bored. Photographers gathered in a few areas, chilling in the seats while they waited for the ceremony to begin. Ticket turnstiles, which would have ushered in more than 60,000 spectators in prepandemic times, sat unused.

From my seat, the stands did not appear completely empty, though, because the arena’s seating is a motley collection of dark green, white and light green, presumably a design decision to make it look as if empty seats were occupied by people. Trust me: They were not.