Where were the lights in Bryant-Denny Stadium during Alabama vs. Mississippi State?
When Alabama announces a nighttime kickoff, fans know they’re in for a long day of tailgating and other pregame fun that will leave them exhausted by game’s end. But they also know they can expect the lightshow in Bryant-Denny Stadium, a still-new gameday experience fans already adore.
But during the Crimson Tide’s homecoming game against Mississippi State Saturday, fans did not get the stadium lights they’ve come to expect when the sun goes down. Even during the portion of the game when a Bama cheerleader grabs a microphone, walks to midfield and instructs the crowd, “Lights up, lights down!” Normally, the house lights go down, the red LED bulbs glisten and fans switch on their phone flashlights during a timeout.
Not this time. The house lights stayed on during that moment, and pretty much for all four quarters. Fans looked for an explanation online.
“Where is this “million dollar light show” I’ve heard so much about at Bryant Denny????” one person tweeted.
“is the LED light system working properly tonight at Bryant-Denny?” another fan asked.
“Does Alabama no longer have the fancy red lights in the stadium?” one wondered.
Fear not, Alabama fans. The lights will return. The absence should only be temporary.
Alabama athletics director Greg Byrne responded to one tweet asking, “Where are the lights in BDS?”
“Unfortunately, we had an issue with the game lights that prevented us from using the red lights tonight,” Byrne tweeted. “We hope this is a one game issue. Appreciate everyone’s patience. #RollTide”
The Bryant-Denny lights made AL.com’s list of 25 things every Alabama fan should do. They really take the BDS experience up a notch. As the sun sets, the atmosphere takes on a new form with the amazing strobe effect and the all-red beams that hurl you into a science fiction backdrop.
You feel like you’re in a space ship during timeouts, or you can just rock out and enjoy the show when they time the lights to tracks like Metallica’s “Enter Sandman.” Just when you thought gameday in Tuscaloosa reached its peak and couldn’t get any better, the program added this awesome element that wows more than 100,000 people with every flicker.
Here’s what the Bryant-Denny lights look like during a typical night game.