More cowbell, more lights, more food: Inside the enhancements at Davis Wade Stadium

Before we dive into more specifics, while all of us in attendance saw the same stuff, my vantage point for watching the new videos and lights was slightly more unique because sitting directly in front of me was Director of Athletics Zac Selmon.

His genuine enthusiasm for the improvements was unmissable. Whether it was clapping or fist pumping something said in a video or just grooving to the music (which I did to, but it’s kinda required when Crazy Train plays), it was clear he was excited about all of these changes.

And you, the Mississippi State fan, should be excited to. Let’s get into the specifics of what we saw Monday night.

New stadium lighting

The new lights are state-of-the-art, best-in-class technology stuff and it shows. The lights were brighter and there are more controls for the lighting, meaning there will be choreographed LED lighting sequences and other special effects throughout a home game.

What we saw Monday night felt like something you would see at a concert of NFL game. And it really did look cool.

New chairback rental options

The new chairs are comfortable and will allow a person to lean back in the chair, without feeling like the back is about to break off. Also, instead of having to purchase the chairbacks for an entire season, fans will be able to rent chairs for individual games.

New video board elements and technology upgrades

The stadium has a ton of new cameras available to capture on-field action and fan reactions. As previously mentioned, we saw some of the new videos that will be played pregame and during the game, all of which looked good.

Gameday prep and tailgating

A new tailgating layout has already been announced by the university, but they’ve also announced a new web page that will connect fans “with everything needed to plan their campus visit in one centralized location.”

Drone show and fireworks

One of the things we didn’t see Monday were the newly added firework stations nor did we see a preview of the upcoming drone show. We did see a video of the fireworks being tested, though, and the main takeaway is there will be more fireworks. The drone show will definitely be must-see at halftime of the Arizona State game September 6.

The food

We got to try some of the new food offerings, including the new flatbread pizza (with a honey hot sauce), the pulled pork nachos with a molasses-based bbq sauce, the famous double-patty Hail State Burger and a new sausage dog made with alligator and pork sausage, bacon bits, peppers and a creole mustard sauce on slider buns.

Folks, believe me when I say I know what good food tastes like and what we had was good food.

My favorite was the new flatbread pizza. It’s about a foot in length with tomato sauce, mozzarella cheese, basil, chicken and a honey hot sauce made in-house. The honey hot sauce is a perfect combination of sweet and heat and is something I wouldn’t have thought about putting on a pizza until now.

I also really liked the sausage dog. Now, if you want something with a good kick of heat, that’s the one to get.

The pulled pork nachos were good. None of the chips were super soggy, the cheese was good and the pulled pork, of course, was great. But the bbq sauce is the star of the dish, in my opinion. A little bit of sweetness because of the molasses, but the bites with all four components were phenomenal.

Final Thoughts

There are still more enhancements that I haven’t covered above, which, after nearly 800 words, should tell you about the magnitude of the changes and improvements being made.

Everything we saw was impressive and everything we tasted was phenomenal. Fans attending games at Davis Wade Stadium should have some of their best experiences at a Mississippi State game.