Timothy Norris
Bootsy Bellows at SoFi Stadium Is Reimagining Concert Suites
Written by djfrosty on September 6, 2023
Tucked into the side of Southern California’s new SoFi Stadium is a Palm Springs-inspired hideaway dreamt up by actor David Arquette and nightlife company The h.wood Group. The field level suite – called Bootsy Bellows at SoFi Stadium – is a truncated version of the West Hollywood bar by the same name (Arquette’s mother’s name) and more stylish than most sporting spaces. Decked out in velvet furniture, breezeblocks and gold-trimming, the suite is an elevated experience for NFL fans watching home teams LA Rams and Chargers, but the operators are stepping up their game for major concerts.
“No one’s really experienced something like that with the decor and everything, so it’s been very special,” The h.wood Group co-founder John Terzian tells Billboard about the reception to the suite. “If you can make people feel warm in a stadium setting, feel like they’re kind of in a living room, you’ve done a pretty good job.”
This summer alone, SoFi Stadium has hosted Twice, Morgan Wallen and Metallica, in addition to six nights of Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour and Beyoncé’s Renaissance World Tour that just wrapped up a star-studded three nights. The h.wood Group has taken the growing demand for stadium concerts and not only expanded their presence at SoFi, but also made improvements over the past three years.
“The first season, you could only order like a burger, chicken tenders and fries – standard stadium food. People were paying $10,000 for a table to come to a game, they don’t really just want to eat chicken tenders,” explains The h.wood Group co-founder Brian Toll. Going forward the stadium agreed to allow Bootsy Bellows to take advanced orders to deliver additional offerings like sushi platters and Tomahawk steaks.
The h.wood Group also expanded their seating options for concerts. Instead of being limited to their large suite, Bootsy Bellows has been able to take over more space along the sidelines. For concerts, Terzian says, they can run an entire sideline of suites and, depending on the show, add seats on the field for Bootsy Bellows designed pods. “We’ve extended [the space] so that you have this incredible experience where you have your own little section with a couch and a high top [tables] essentially on the field itself,” he says. “That was a massive thing that we did from last year to this year. It’s all about viewing experiences and things that we keep improving.”
Wonho Lee
The ultimate appeal of the Bootsy suites, according to Terzian, is the level of accommodation. In a stadium that can hold up to 100,000 fans, The h.wood Group tries to simplify an overwhelming experience with an exclusive entrance, dedicated staff to get patrons to the suite and private bathrooms, as well as in suite bars and servers. The difference “has been our attention to handling any sort of talent that comes in,” says Terzian. “The whole idea is when you’re in there, you have your own bar, there’s a DJ going, there aren’t people asking for pictures. You have fun whether it’s with family or friends. It’s supposed to be a safe space.”