The second time's a charm.
Crews tried once again to demolish the upper ring of the Pontiac Silverdome on Monday afternoon after Sunday's failure, and this time they succeeded, or at least made progress.
At about 4:05 p.m. an ear-rattling boom sounded in Pontiac and the black metal exterior of the upper bowl of the Silverdome disappeared in cloud of dust, exposing the concrete innards of the stadium, which remain standing.
The second explosion, announced less than 30 minutes before detonation, left tardy gawkers disappointed they didn't get to see it.
A handful of curious onlookers pulled off M-59 south of the stadium to hold up camera phones in the moments leading up to the blast. Closer to the stadium, others ran toward the fence surrounding the property hoping to shoot photos and videos.
"I'm super bummed," said Chrissy Clason, 39, of Auburn Hills, who arrived moments after the blast.
Clason grew up a quarter-mile away and spent her childhood watching the Detroit Lions practice at the outdoor facility that once graced the Silverdome grounds.
"I've got a ton of memories here," she said.
Seann Lewis, 39, of Shelby Township brought a drone to photograph the implosion, but arrived too late to capture the big event.
"I was hoping to shoot it," he said.
Dave Demopoulos, 40, of Mt. Clemens felt cheated as well.
"I am disappointed since I was out here from about 6 a.m. until 9 yesterday," Demopoulos said.
So the lesson here is: If at first you don't succeed, try again. But we'll never forget the Silverdome's resilience after the first attempt at demolition.