February 10, 2023
Shamus Clancy/for PhillyVoice
Rockbar Inc. in Scottsdale, Arizona, the Eagles West headquarters.
Super Bowl LVII has the Eagles heading West to Arizona, but a spot in Scottsdale has long been the home for Birds fans out in the desert.
Rockbar Inc., located at 4245 N Craftsman Ct., is the place to be for Eagles fans out in Arizona for Super Bowl Week festivities or, really, any given NFL Sunday.
Making the trek to Scottsdale earlier this week, I checked out Rockbar, which displays its Eagles fandom proudly with an "Eagles Country" flag that sits just above its outside signage. Hell, "Eagles Country" might as well be the name of the bar at this rate.
Rockbar general manager Nima Parvin, who grew up in North Scottsdale, has long been used to the sea of green that seeps into the establishment. After the bar opened 11 years ago, it quickly became the Eagles West Headquarters.
"There used to be a sports bar over here called Upper Deck that used to plan for every team, college and the NFL. They used to put out all the flags, Vikings, Saints, Eagles, just trying to pull people in," Parvin said. "Then one day, they were catering to one group that was bigger in attendance that day against the Eagles and that pissed off the Eagles people, so they were like, 'Ya know, f**k this place. We'll just take our business somewhere else."
That happened a "year or two" into Rockbar's existence.
"They were peeping their heads in saying, 'Yo! Can you guys put the Eagles game on?' Yeah, sure. They asked, 'Can you guys cater us every week?' Yeah, dude! If they bring in 20 or 30 people people in the morning like they did last week. We started taking control," Parvin continued. "I did all their social media stuff and we just built it week after week and, next thing you know, we're one of the biggest Philly bars in the country now."
Walking into Rockbar, its decor makes you feel like you're back home at your neighborhood hangout.
"Eagles Fan Club West" indeed.
Parvin is expecting a monster crowd this weekend.
"On a regular weekend, without extensions or anything, we get like 300 people. With everything going on, we'll fit a couple thousand on Sunday," Parvin said.
The bar has a two-floor setup with the the rooftop locale acting as a prime spot for Eagles fans to cheer and scream, as their energy echoes through all the way to State Farm Stadium in Glendale. There's additional outside seating and standing room The entire street will be blocked off, just as Rockbar did when the Birds won the Super Bowl in 2018, too.
Check out the scene from the @eaglewestaz Instagram page that Parvin runs after the Eagles' NFC Divisional Round win over the Giants in January:
With the way Eagles fans have completely taken the spot over, Parvin says he is now "100 percent" a Birds fan.
"I've seen people coming from the East Coast. I overhear a bunch of conversations, 'This is just like Philly!' I feel like people don't expect it," Parvin said. "They come in and think, 'Oh my God. Everyone here bleeds green.' Right off the bat, it was a cultural shock. I'm such a laid-back, West Coast dude. That kind of mentality. These East Coast people are so high energy. They use the f-word a lot.
"I get to learn, 'This is how you guys were raised.' You get to know the culture. You get to know everything. I've never met a more die-hard fan base anywhere. Just to see the passion you guys have behind it is unique and unmatched by any other fan base. I love it."
Parvin gave a solid 37-20 Eagles Super Bowl win prediction and professed his love for Jalen Hurts. "No one deserves to win a ring more," he said of Hurts.
"How can you not like the Eagles?" Parvin asked.
He may be the only person in human history born outside of the Delaware Valley to utter that question.
I'll close with this scene that sums up everything that Rockbar is about...
In a bar of maybe 15 people at 4 p.m. on a Tuesday this week, a person wearing an Eagles hat left the bar and yelled, "Go Birds!" at everyone else. In unison, every other patron replied, "Go Birds!"
Home away from home, right?
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