Oakland Coliseum
March 22, 2025
The seagulls waited patiently somewhere else as the best soundtrack in professional sports transcended up from the expansive parking lot like barbecue smoke. A coat of white paint now covers the iconic concrete facade of this storied entertainment complex from the sixties, but the late afternoon sky was still as blue as it ever was.
There are twenty-three stadiums in the USL Championship league, and then there’s the coliseum in east Oakland. The most sacred ground for East Bay sports fans, the Oakland Coliseum has been the site of countless legendary sports moments, epic concerts, and some freaky tales as well.
Slandered in the corporate media, it goes on and on, and the only thing it knows is how to survive. It’s been abandoned by two different championship franchises, but is now the home of the Oakland Roots.
The soccer club’s recent game against San Antonio FC wasn’t just a sold out home opener for the 2025 season, it was the opening of a new era in Oakland pro sports.
In addition to a lively tailgating scene in the parking lot, there were also food trucks in the plaza between the baseball and basketball stadiums, while Oakadelic laid down uptempo R&B classics from a balcony overlooking the plaza. Big for a rock band but small for a funk band, Oakadelic is perfect for those who prefer the raw, live version of a song to the overproduced studio version.
Inside the stadium, the crowd was exactly what you would expect for a soccer game in East Oakland: multicultural, multigenerational, and resilient af.
An early score by both teams kept the energy high. In the former left field section was the raucous Los Roots fan group; A’s fans will recognize the large waving flags and the relentless drumming that used to emanate from the old right field bleacher section. The flags are now black instead of green, lending the whole scene a more ominous, Raider-esque vibe.
The wave is back in its birthplace, the Oakland coliseum.
At halftime, Too $hort performed, and…well…I think it was lit?
Too $hort himself appeared to be doing great, but the audio in my half of the stadium (I was sitting in the former Black Hole) was terrible, and I couldn’t really hear the music or vocals at all. However, I think he performed Gettin It, Shake That Monkey, Blow the Whistle, and The Ghetto.
It is entirely possible that an executive decision was made to not broadcast Too $hort lyrics throughout the entire stadium; This was, after all, a very family-friendly event, and I kinda recall hearing the national anthem just fine at the beginning of the game.
Since most of my memories from events at the coliseum are a bit hazy, I can’t really remember if this audio issue has long been a thing, but it did feel highkey deja vu.
In any event, cheerleaders from Castlemont high school accompanied the rapper, and there was also a cheerleader wearing the uniform of Too Short’s alma mater, Fremont high school.
If you’ve never been to a high school basketball or football game in the Town, you’re missing out on one of the true gems in this community. Oakland high school cheerleaders are spirited and loud, and they can dance too. They aren’t your run-of-the-mill matching-hair-bow-wearing pompom wavers: they need their hands free to be used as powerful percussion instruments. Castlemont is no exception to this rule, and in their natural element on an athletic field, they did their thing, showcasing their passion and dance moves to the sold-out coliseum crowd on this night.
Dancers from Turf Feinz and Turf Inc joined the performance after the first song. Members Icecold 3000, Dmonte, and Aktive were part of a Bay Area contingent in the recent Super Bowl half time spectacle, following their appearance in Kendrick Lamar’s “Squabble Up” music video. The crowd erupted when they came out, and the turf dancing helped keep the energy high throughout the rest of the show.
The half of the stadium that could hear the performance, the “club” section, seemed to be thoroughly enjoying themselves. Unlike the music and vocals, I could hear the roar of the crowd just fine, and they were definitely having a moment. Many were probably sports fans who never thought they’d be in that stadium ever again, and they showed a lot of love for the home-grown performers.
After the game (San Antonio won 2-1), an East Bay themed fireworks show lit up the night sky to music by local artists like Tony! Toni! Toné! and Green Day. It was a great ending to a great beginning.
On the slow walk to the BART bridge, you could hear in the distance the lamented mating calls of reminiscing Raider fans as they wandered around the emptied stadium.
You can have Las Vegas, homie. I'ma stay short but funky.
