The Shark Tank finally has an actual shark tank. The bad news is that the most likely way the average fan will see it is on the Animal Planet show, “Tanked.”
The 2,000-gallon saltwater aquarium — with a dozen small sharks and about 30 other fish — was unveiled Thursday as the centerpiece of the new BMW Lounge at SAP Center. The 6,000-square foot VIP area is a $4 million overhaul of the Grill at SAP restaurant, and Sharks Chief Operating Officer John Tortora expects it to provide an “elevated experience” for fans.
“Other venues throughout the NHL and the NBA have these types of experiences, and we felt that was missing here,” said Tortora, who expects the lounge to attract everyone from hard-core fin heads to corporate customers aiming to impress a client.
It does sound pretty impressive. BMW Lounge tickets include seats in the first three rows of the lower bowl and access to the high-end hangout with a full bar and food stations, with complimentary food and drink before and during games. SAP Center Executive Chef Craig Coe has been cooking up exclusive menus with a lot more than your regular arena fare. (Think pork belly with an apple compote and blueberry sauce or shots of cinnamon-roasted butternut squash soup.) Other perks include a semi-private entrance, concierge service and comped parking — and, of course, exclusive viewing of the shark tank.
The 17-foot long aquarium is filled with teal-tinged decor, with Sharks logos, hockey sticks and a goalie mask reminding the aquatic entertainers they’re not in the ocean anymore. There’s even a mini version of the Sharks head that the players skate out from every game. Designed and installed by Las Vegas-based Acrylic Tank Manufacturing, it’ll be featured on an episode of the Animal Planet series, “Tanked,” this fall.
For budding marine biologists, the species in the tank include epaulette sharks, horned sharks, bamboo sharks and even a catshark. They’re all really little guys right now, but they’ll grow to be about 3 feet long, much bigger than the tangs, triggerfish and other fish in the aquarium. At Thursday’s unveiling, though, mascot S.J. Sharkie dwarfed them all.
Fans with BMW Lounge tickets will get their first chance to see it at the Sharks first preseason game Sept. 19. A grand opening celebration will take place before the home opener against Philadelphia on Oct. 4. Fans will also get a look at another part of the sponsorship deal with BMW: A showroom at SAP Center featuring the latest BMW models.
So what’s all this going to cost? A lot. BMW Lounge-level seats start at $300 per game — that’s $13,200 for the season — and bump up to $500 for the seats right on the glass. And while there are only a total of 400 tickets at the new level — and they’ve been going fast — some have been held back for single-game purchase when tickets go on sale Friday morning.
As for everyone in the non-fancy seats, Tortora said the team’s working on scheduling non-game times when the public can view the tank without the other bells and whistles.
TRIBUTE TO ARTS LEADER: It’s hard to believe the tragic circumstances that robbed Silicon Valley of Ann Woo, a really treasured arts leader who died Aug. 25 after being injured during a physical argument two weeks earlier. Woo was the executive director of the Chinese Performing Artists of America, which had its classrooms and rehearsal stage in San Jose.
Over the years, she helped bring amazing performances to Silicon Valley audiences — including working with Dennis Nahat a few years back to bring the Dalian Acrobatic Troupe here from China. Cecilia Fabos-Becker met Woo and her husband, John Chu, in 1989 and remembers her as someone fascinated by connecting communities through art. She later served on the CPAA board with Charlotte Powers and the late George Shirakawa Sr. in the 1990s,
“Ann was very interested in the common themes of the ancient cultures of Europe and Asia and bringing people together through dance that celebrated both,” Fabos-Becker said.
A memorial service for Woo will be held Sunday at 2 p.m. at the CPAA’s building at 6148 Bollinger Road. Delegates from China’s consulate in San Francisco are expected among the many speakers.
CLASSIC CARS AT HISTORY PARK: The 17th annual Antique Autos show at History Park on Saturday should be something of an immersive experience for visitors. Besides having more than 200 vehicles, dating from the late 1800s to 1945, the Toot Sweet Jazz Band will be playing music from the 1920s and ’30s, Portraits of the Past entertainers will be strolling in vintage costumes and a genuine barbershop quartet will be roving the grounds.
The show, presented by the Santa Clara Valley Model T Ford Club and History San Jose, runs 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Admission is $5.
