MILWAUKEE COUNTY

Milwaukee Bucks' last Bradley Center home opener full of optimism, with a twinge of sadness

James B. Nelson
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Milwaukee Bucks fan Tony Wrencher has mixed emotions as the team prepares for its final home opener Friday at the BMO Harris Bradley Center.

"It's going to be sad to see an old friend go, but I'm really excited about the new arena," said Wrencher, 50, of Milwaukee. "It's going to be beautiful."

As the BMO Harris Bradley Center (left) on N. 4th St. prepares for the Bucks' final home opener, the future Bucks arena takes shape just to the north.

The Bucks home season starts on a high note — a nationally televised game against the NBA's Eastern Conference champion Cleveland Cavaliers and superstar LeBron James.  Doors open at 4:30 p.m. for the unusually early 6 p.m. tipoff.

Adding to the festivities, the Bucks are bringing in the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra for a pregame performance and the national anthem. Blue Man Group's Chicago troupe will provide halftime entertainment. The game is expected to be close to a sellout.

Wrencher was among a happy throng gathered Wednesday night at Leff's Lucky Town in Wauwatosa to watch the Bucks season opener, a victory over the Celtics in Boston.

Enjoying the game with a boisterous group of friends, Sammy Hanson, 25, has only known the Bradley Center as the Bucks' home court.

He'll be sad to see the joint go, but thinks the new $524 million arena, under construction just to the north, will be great for the team and the city. The new arena is being built with $250 million in taxpayer money.

Jeffrey Greer of Performance Clean cleans the bleachers at the BMO Harris Bradley Center.

"I'm more excited to be moving forward, to get into something new and something exciting," Hanson said. "I think the new arena is going to bring that."

Friday's game marks the start of a busy week for the Bradley Center that will leave, for now, little time for nostalgia for the building as it enters its 30th and final season.

The week includes three Bucks games (Friday, Saturday and Monday) sandwiched around a Janet Jackson concert Sunday and followed by a WWE Smackdown Live event Tuesday.

The Bradley Center also is helping coordinate the Bucks' "Return to the MECCA" game at the UWM Panther Arena against the Celtics on Thursday. That game, part of the team's 50th-anniversary celebration, is expected to be one of the hottest tickets of the year.

RELATED:Milwaukee Bucks 'Return to the MECCA' game set for Oct. 26 vs. Boston Celtics

"We are amped up and excited about the year ahead," said Bradley Center President and CEO Steve Costello. "We're entering our final year in earnest."

Costello, who's been with the Bradley Center since it opened in 1988, said there are some mixed emotions as the final season gets underway.

"You can't help but be a little wistful and nostalgic," he said.

RELATED:A look back at big moments at the BMO Harris Bradley Center as the arena enters its final year

In addition to Bucks games, the Bradley Center will host 18 home games for the Marquette University Golden Eagles and an array of concerts and other events. 

As the seasons kick into gear, fans who haven't been downtown in a while will notice the remarkable progress on the yet-to-be-named new arena. It's nearly enclosed, and the glass panels are being installed on the soaring atrium on the east end of the building.

Alyssa Sylvester, 27, of Wauwatosa was part of the viewing party at Leff's Wednesday night but admitted she's not much of a Bucks fan.

Sylvester said she was initially skeptical about the futuristic looking new arena.

"At first I didn't think it would fit in with the city, but now I think it's gorgeous," she said. "I'll definitely go see some games at the new arena."

It's a delicate task for the Bucks to build excitement about the new arena and their promising young team while marking the end of the Bradley Center and celebrating 50 years in Milwaukee. 

"This is not a 'handshake goodbye,'" said Bucks President Peter Feigin. "We are totally on board with making beyond a gracious exit."

Feigin said the Bucks have sold about 2,350 new season ticket packages during the off-season and expect to hit 2,500 in the fall. The team has the equivalent of 7,000 full season ticket packages sold, and 92% of those purchases include ticket plans for the new arena.

"We're in a great place," he said. 

The Bucks will mark their Bradley Center legacy with fan giveaways and specially themed games, Feigin said

"We will be celebrating the Bradley Center in a big way," he said. 

That includes tributes to the late Jane Bradley Pettit, the philanthropist who donated the $90 million arena to the community in memory of her father, Harry Lynde Bradley, co-founder and chairman of the Allen-Bradley Co. The company is now Rockwell Automation.

RELATED:Fundraising campaign to honor Jane Pettit will be part of the Bradley Center's final year

Fan Wrencher counts himself among those who are grateful for the legacy of the Bradley Center, which helped keep the Bucks in small market Milwaukee.

"Thank you, Jane Pettit, for a wonderful arena," he said. "She was so generous and a wonderful soul."

Adds Costello: "There are still a lot of memories to be made here."