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Opening night at the Metropolitan Opera is always a little crazy, but a number of new elements made it especially so this year.

It's one of the biggest nights of the year on the cultural calendar. There were free projections of the opening night performance on the plaza and in Times Square, and a symphony of celebrities attended, including Maxwell, Leelee Sobieski and Tyra Banks

“This is like, probably one of the top things I’ve ever gone to in terms of glamour and elegance,” said Banks.

“Really full of theatrics. It’s really a grand show, you either love it or you hate it. It’s nice when something’s polarizing but it can’t hurt you,” said Sobieski.

“These are the first concerts that were ever done. I think what I do is sort of a hybrid, a progression to what this is,” said Maxwell.

The star on stage was soprano Anna Netrebko. She played the doomed Ann Boleyne, who married Henry VIII and then went mad before being beheaded.

This new production of Donizetti's “Anna Bolena” is indicative of what's happening all season long at the Met Opera: glamorous performers, eclectic subject matter, and an earlier curtain.

As for audience reaction, general manager Peter Gelb was hoping for the best

“Tonight I expect all cheers,” said Gelb.

He was right. There were cheers at the end of the performance, but it's always a little crazy at the opera.