New look for 300 level at the UC
Some of the most diehard Blackhawks fans sit in the 300 level at the United Center and now games are going to be more comfortable for them.
The United Center announced Thursday a re-design of the 300 level for Hawks and Bulls games, naming it The Madhouse on Madison.
The 300 level now will feature a renovated concourse with 144 flat screen televisions, new food and beverage stations above select seating sections and two new bars that open up to panoramic views of the arena.
“The Maddhouse on Madison, a throwback to the old Chicago Stadium nickname, is another example of the innovative concepts we're creating at the United Center in an effort to continually enhance and upgrade our fans game experience," said Terry Savarise, senior vice president of operations at the United Center. "The new renovations will allow fans the convenience of watching a game with modernized amenities no matter where you are in the 300 Level."
With these changes and others made recently with the addition of the Harris Club and Theater Boxes, the Bulls new sellout seating capacity has been reduced to 20,917 (formerly 21,711). The Hawks new sellout seating capacity has been reduced to 19,717 (formerly 20,500).
I decided not to purchase a partial plan this year. I had done so in the past but the increase in price led me to just say no. I understand prices have to go up but I was sitting behind the net in row 8. Those tickets were 11.25 last year on a partial plan and now the price more than doubled. We will probably go to a couple of this season but with all the games being televised there is no reason to submit oneself to corporate raping. Remember good people the Hawks had the number 1 selling jersey last year across the league. Those numbers are not small.
The second reason is I am tired of the Cub atmosphere at the games. Too many people who are not hockey fans but want to tell their friends "Oh I went to the Hawk game last night". They didn't see any of the game because all they did was talk, drink, and go to the concession stand. They are not hockey fans. Just social butterflies.
Well McDonut has his wish. Cubbies on ice. Hopefully this team can beat the curse but given the mess this summer I think we now have the Cubbies on Madison.
It wasn't worth the money in my opinion but I know they sold them all anyway so I guess I'm in the minority. To me the Hull Plan was no longer a Hull Plan because it only included 8 games in most cases because of the addition of a useless preseason tilt in place of one regular season game. That made a Bobby Hull Plan a Steve Poapst Plan and like the Hawks did with Poapst, I would be overpaying for underperformance.
I stayed on the full season waiting list but based on current events Toews will be 30 before something worthwhile comes up. In the meantime we'll be building our own Bob Murray or Chris Chelios Plan and hope that the winning continues because last year sure was fun.
I'm am overjoyed that the White Sox Fan Base has decided to call the Blackhawks their own and bit*ch and moan about John McDonough. Just sit right there on your couch and watch the games. You never go to the UC anyway. I don't know why you would even care about pre game ceremonies. These ceremonies are not meant for you. They are meant to draw new and old fans to the team in an effort to grow the fanbase, generate revenue and continue to have the funds to put a quality product on the ice. Please don't turn this into, "we are real fans because we complain about everything!". No one cares and no one wants to hear your theories no matter how misguided and unintelligent. This is a great young team that has a chance to achieve something that has not been done since 1961. Why don't we pay a little more attention to what happens on the ice and not everything else. If you can't do that, just watch your old White Sox World Series dvds. Sheeeeeesh!
...All of you. Team success always = higher ticket prices, ALWAYS. Simple supply and demand. Unfortunately, the price of winning is ultimately passed on to the fans. You might not like it, you might even hate it. But just like death, taxes, and Obama ruining the country with his socialist ways, it's a fact of life.
As far as the 300 level turning into the place to be seen, too late. It started long before this cosmetic makeover of the building. Again, it's the price of winning. The Celebs and other well to do folks always start showing up en mass and trying to take over whenever a sports team starts to look like a serious contender. It happens in every city, in every league, and every sport. It's nothing new or unique to the resurgent Blackhawks organ-I-zation or the Cubs for that matter. I realize that there are a lot of McDonnoughphobic/Anti-Cub type Hawk fans out there, but it really has nothing to do with this. I also know that a lot of Hawk fans, especially the ones who have been there year after year, at the Stadium and the UC, through thick and thin, get especially frustrated when the bandwagon gets rolling so fast that they feel like they are being pushed off or forced out. But again, there is nothing about this phenomenon that is unique to the Blackhawks. It happens everywhere. It sucks for the die-hards, especially the one's that are not rich, but that's just the way it is. Get over it already.
Does anyone know if the naming rights for the UC expired? OR has United defaulted on their payment? Just curious as to the timing of trying to build up this madhouse on madison thing......Unless that's Johnie Mac trying to relive more history.
I'm 100% behind everyone else who wishes McDonaugh would just go away. It's getting a bit concerning that he is becoming the face of this franchise when things go sour, or when they are going upwards.
What really aggravates me is, are we going to have to sit through 40+ games of some moronic Tv/movie/sports star dropping the ceremonial puck? They did it all through the playoffs, and I'll bet anyone here that if JT was asked off the record, he'd beg to get rid of it. Once and awhile is fine....but how many times do I need to see Mike Ditka appear? Seriously? Derek Rose? Jay Cutler? Dan Akroyd?
Lets just hope that the charges get dropped next Thursday, that no Hawk gets hurt in their orientation Olympic camps, and that the start of the season arrives. I know some guys would love to be in the Olympics, but I really hope that Toews, Seabrook, Keith, Buff, and Sharp all don't make their rosters. IT would be huge to get that break in February to heal any injuries, and it's only a matter of time until somebody gets hurt playing in the Olympics.
Again, anyone hear anything about Hossa's contract dilema? Are the Hawks going to get fined, lose picks, etc? I read on another site that "big news" was about to come, yet, like everything else nothing came true.
...United is just as likely as not to be out of business in the next year or two, it would not surprise me if the the name on the building changed sometime in the near future. However, I don't forsee the name of the stadium ever officially being "The Madhouse on Madison". Motorola Center maybe, or perhaps The Boeing Center might sound nice. I'm sure if United is out that some locally based coporate empire will be waiting to pony up the $$ to get their name on the side and roof of the building.
McD is a joke and it would not surprise me to see the team struggle a bit this year. If the team is not winning all those fancy seats will be wealthy no shows or maybe empty half way through the game if the Hawks are losing. Hopefully the team will do well but I think SAV is right, the new section will be a place to be seen and not a place to watch a game.
Everyone complained when nobody was going to the games and the team sucked. Now that they are good, supply and demand takes over and prices go up. It's business.
McCub is marketing directly to those fans who now think it is cool to be a Hawks fan, just like he did with his cubby's. It's now a place to be seen, not to see a game. The "Premium" game pricing structure has existed in town for a while now in other sports, so it shouldn't be a surprise. Yes, putting the Hicks with Sticks, Thrash and Phoenix as a Premium game is a bit of a money grab. But you know what, they are still going to sell out the game. It is a really good team in a MAJOR market. At least Rocky has given us the option to not pay those prices, but to still see the team on TV. And he is putting the money back into the team and into the arena to make it better.
Believe me, I can't stand the cubbification of the Black Hawks, but I sure am happy that they are back to being a real organ-I-zation and winning games again.
This is so lame. right when i was starting to love the UC. i saw the pictures of what its going to look like. and it looks terrible.
Tim's story at least explains the massive price increases in the 300 level. $60-70 for the first seven rows in the blue line area?? Those seats just ain't worth that much money in my opinion. But I know like he did for the Cubs, McD uses data taken from TE and Stubhub to decide what to charge for what sections so obviously he feels that plenty of people will pay these prices even if I won't. And I don't care what day of the week they play, to whack the fans by saying teams like Atlanta or Nashville are prime games is a bit embarrassing. Those teams could disappear and nobody would give it a seconds thought.
Season reservation holders should take a good look at the individual game prices in each level as there is a real good chance that this is exactly what they'll be paying next year for each game. The 200 level was already overpriced and the 300 level is getting ugly but it could be worse. Check out the price for the first eleven rows behind the net....$165 or $180!! A family of four will get the privilege of paying $1000 to attend a weekend game and sit in these seats this year by the time all expenses are added in.
I guess this is the price of success. But they'd better win......
are these games (NSH, ATL, PHO) premium? Is it only because they are weekend games? I would have thought rivals such as DET and STL, NYR and TOR would be primo games.
Do ya get free continental breakfast with these ticket prices?? My comcast bill is looking better and better...
Oggie88 is right on the money with his price increase comment. They took out 783 seats so they have to make it up somewhere right? Per seat price on top of the fees you pay to ticketmaster these prices are getting out of hand. I am sure you pay more at other places and these aren't the most expensive seats in town but it's getting tougher and tougher for the avearge joe to be able to take their kid(s) to a game and that's a shame. Now they have premium game dates to boot, they shouldn't call them "Premium Home Games" they should just call them the "More Expensive Friday/Saturday Night Home Game Just Because We Can" date, and for good measure we'll throw in a couple Sunday and Thursdays. Some of those premium games include Nashville(2), Atlanta and Phoenix. Just very disappointing to see some of the thigns that go on in sports in general. I will continue to support the Blackhawks but it will be from the comfort of home in HD.
The news item on the Chicago BlackHawk site reads in part "....with a specialized menu from Levy Restaurants". Is this the first Bismark snub at the UC? Doesn't Peter Wirtz 'own/operate' Bismark who *used to have exclusive rights in the UC? I just found that tid bit interesting.
BTW The Individual ticket price increase are borderline criminal.