Instead, almost five years on from the completion of Dunedin's most controversial project, the crowds are cheering as the roofed stadium begins to deliver results.
Major international music acts are coming, the cash registers are ringing and the city is basking in the buzz of big events and the flood of fans they attract.
• Davies hanging in happily
• Critics still not ready to concede
Since August 5, 2011, 1.35 million visitors have passed through the stadium's gates, helping pump tens of millions of dollars into the local economy.
The plaudits for the stadium have come from far and wide too, as the city hummed from visits by the All Blacks, All Whites, the Kiwis, and, of course, November's sellout Fleetwood Mac concert.
The improving mood is a far cry from the bitter divisions of the past, when the city was split over the cost blowouts, broken promises and budget holes associated with the stadium.
But the man credited with driving the turnaround, Dunedin Venues Management Ltd chief executive Terry Davies, says he is not done yet.
Far from it - he has big plans for the company, including domination of the South Island and a warning for rivals who might stand in the way.
"I'm going to say ‘No, we're going to tread on your head','' he tells the Otago Daily Times in an interview.
"I'm going to take you on, Christchurch. I'm going to strangle you, Wellington, because you're not as good as us.
"We're going to beat you.''
It's a deliberately aggressive approach that has already seen the fast-talking, 55-year-old Englishman given a nickname by the Australian music promoters he regularly badgers for concerts.
"The Mouth from the South ... they're sick of me,'' he laughs.
But while the tough talk could easily be dismissed as rhetoric, Mr Davies insists it is essential for a small city and a stadium stuck at the bottom of the world.
The hard-nosed approach was in action when Dunedin played hardball with the organisers of next year's Rugby League World Cup earlier this year.
The city had been invited to join a consortium of New Zealand cities bidding to host matches, but there was a catch.
Dunedin would have to front up with cash ahead of the joint bid, with no guarantee of securing big matches to justify the investment.
But, unlike Dunedin's previous cash-fuelled bids for Rugby World Cup and Fifa Under-20 matches, this time the city was prepared to say no.
"We were getting pushed around because we were little brother,'' Mr Davies said.
"The thinking out of the North Island is ... ‘You're just Dunedin'. ‘You're miles away - you can't compete'.''
Instead, Dunedin made a counteroffer - cash up front, but only for matches including a guaranteed quarterfinal, to ensure the economic benefit justified the city's investment.
"If it doesn't, then we're not in the game. We're out,'' Mr Davies said.
The audacious move resulted in the city missing out completely, but Mr Davies didn't bat an eyelid when asked if his approach had backfired.
"I'm happy with that.
"If we apply that philosophy moving forward, you're going to get some that will be significant winners, but we're not wasting city money to chase things down a hole.
"I'm not going to waste anyone's time on stuff that's just a token gesture to throw an event in.''
And, despite the outcome, it was an approach that appeared to be working for Mr Davies.
The former cricketer came to Dunedin in 2014 after forging a career in Australia that included 15 years spent building the Adelaide Oval's reputation as a major events destination.
He arrived in Dunedin to inherit a stadium struggling under mounting losses, projected to hit $3.8 million over the next three years, and run by staff who had been "smashed'' by relentless public criticism.
His two predecessors - David Davies and Darren Burden - had departed in quick succession, and there were calls for the stadium to be mothballed as the Dunedin City Council launched a major review.
The review eventually rejected mothballing and instead pumped an extra $1.81million a year into stadium funding, to put DVML on a secure footing.
That lifted the annual cost of the stadium for ratepayers to $11.65million, mainly comprising debt-servicing and subvention payments.
The change was enough to allow DVML to begin booking small profits, while Mr Davies set about rebuilding the company.
The overhaul led to the departure of 14 staff - about 60% of the company's headcount - allowing new staff with a mix of commercial, marketing and event acquisition skills to be recruited.
The upheaval was not without pain, but the fresh blood was essential, Mr Davies said.
"The culture here was a losing habit because we'd been battered around.
"It's like a sporting team. It's easy to learn to lose ... you don't get brave, you cover your arse.
"It was a start-up business that needed to take a complete left-turn,'' he said.
Two years on, the company appears reinvigorated and firmly focused on lifting its game and that of the city.
That includes more collaboration with the city's other key organisations, to help the city accommodate big events and make the most of every successful bid.
It also meant encouraging DVML staff to be as hungry and competitive as Mr Davies.
"I treat this like it's my own. I get angry and frustrated when I don't win content ... we instil that in all our team - that we're chasing things.
"It should bloody well hurt if we're not delivering that benefit back to the city ... that's our duty. Anything less and we shouldn't be here, and I shouldn't be in a job.''
And the results have started to flow as Rod Stewart, Neil Diamond and Fleetwood Mac all beat a path to Dunedin's door last year, followed by Black Sabbath earlier this year.
Last year's big three concerts alone drew 70,000 people to the stadium, the majority from outside the city, and pumped nearly $20 million into the local economy.
The strong ticket sales, including 35,000 for Fleetwood Mac's show, which sold out in less than an hour, had also ensured the city was now firmly on the concert map.
But Mr Davies wasn't done - he was already eyeing another aggressive move, this time by growing DVML beyond Dunedin's borders.
The company now considered itself an events management company, more than a stadium operator, and there were opportunities to do more, inside and outside Dunedin, he said.
That could involve a push to run events or venues in other South Island centres, much like Stadiums Queensland already did across Brisbane, the Gold Coast and Townsville in Australia.
DVML already boasted "world-class'' ground maintenance, event management and conference teams, and there was no reason its skills could not be used elsewhere to generate returns for Dunedin, he said.
"I've got a vision of taking DVML significantly forward. I think the size of the business could be anything - it could be double, triple - over the next five to 10 years. We want to be the leading events business in the South Island.''
That push began in May when DVML announced it would replace Otago Cricket as the host for international cricket at University Oval, beginning with a test against South Africa next March.
The coup was another demonstration of DVML's new hard-nosed approach, as the city's bid to New Zealand Cricket came with a set of conditions.
Dunedin was only interested in ‘‘A-Grade'' matches against Australia, England, South Africa or India, and only in warmer summer months after Christmas, when students were back, he said.
That was designed to maximise the return for the city, Mr Davies said.
"Historically, that second- or third-tier thinking has said ‘We're Dunedin ... thanks very much, we're happy to get Bangladesh or Sri Lanka in November'.
"The problem I've got is ... I don't like bending down and saying we only want B-grade product because we're a B-grade city.
"My approach was - we don't want it. If they're not going to bring A-grade cricket down here, then we won't want anything else.''
To sweeten the deal, and others like it, DVML was prepared to offer underwriting where necessary to secure content, he said.
That was considered only when the returns for Dunedin justified it, but the company had to operate in "the real world''.
"When you're competing, there's many ways to skin a cat.
"We don't want to put any ratepayers' money at risk, anytime ... but the reality of the business we're in is we've got to be flexible around deals.''
The successes that flowed from the new approach meant other centres, including DVML's rivals, were now paying attention "because we're doing the right things'', he said.
"We're catching people asleep.''
Mr Burden's responsibilities include Hagley Oval, which now finds itself in direct competition with DVML for international cricket.
Despite that, Mr Burden applauded the city's recent success and Mr Davies' approach.
"He's absolutely right [to be aggressive]. He has to be ... to make himself heard above the big boys.''
While that could lead to more direct competition between the two companies, DVML had "a lot of work to do'' to dominate the South Island, he said.
Communities such as Christchurch might also question the value of an outside company moving in and taking profits to Dunedin, he said.
Dunedin Mayor Dave Cull was more in favour, saying offering DVML's skills in other centres should be low-risk, "because they're not investing, but they could be earning income'', he said.
"If they went out and said ‘I would like to buy the Cake Tin [Wellington's stadium]' I might have another view.''
In the meantime, DVML is still trying to secure the city's next big stadium concert.
Despite rumours the company was close to announcing a major event, Mr Davies would only say the stadium had "lots'' of bookings pencilled in from late this year until the end of summer.
None had been confirmed, and promoters were "very tight-lipped'' about the bands involved, he said.
That was because the entire southern hemisphere's touring market was unusually quiet, but it was hoped announcements could follow over the next few months, Mr Davies said.
He is still hoping for at least one more concert later this year, and more next year.
"We're pushing really hard.''
Be there
Dunedin Venues Management Ltd will mark Forsyth Barr Stadium's fifth birthday with a function on Friday, followed by public tours of the venue on Sunday, August 7.
Bookings can be made through DVML's office.