Compared with many of the events already booked for Mercedes-Benz Stadium, the first one is pretty tame: an NFL exhibition game Saturday night.

The Atlanta Falcons will open the $1.5 billion downtown stadium – in the works for about a decade and under construction for 3 ½ years – with what is essentially a practice against the Arizona Cardinals.

The game isn’t the main attraction this time. The stadium is.

“We think we have built the finest sports-and-entertainment complex in the United States today,” Falcons owner Arthur Blank said.

Much bigger events are headed there soon.

Read more on myajc.com on the upcoming big events at Mercedes-Benz stadium.

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Tony Barnhart speaks into the microphone during a broadcast of his and Wes Durham's radio show in the 790/The Zone studios in Buckhead. Barnhart, a journalist for more than four decades, announced Thursday that he will retire after this upcoming football season. (AJC 2010)

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