The Pros and Cons of a Concert at Gillette Stadium

I went to my first Gillette Stadium concert on Sunday, and while the show was great, the experience was all over the place.

It's definitely cool going to a giant venue like that for a show, but with thousands of people comes a number of problems, too. Here's what I feel are some pros and cons of a show at Gillette:

PRO - TAILGATING

Let's be honest, tailgating is fantastic. To just be able to sit by your car, crack a few beers and party however you want is lovely. It's something you can't do outside of a lot of venues we have. Instead, you have to hit the bars nearby and burn through your pockets for some food and drinks. Tailgating is a big advantage of a show at Gillette.

CON - PARKING

The parking is NOT cheap. It's not exactly cheap even if you park a few lots down the road and take the long walk to to the stadium.

PRO - PATRIOT PLACE

If you get there early and don't want to tailgate or didn't drive in, there's a lot you can still do at Patriot Place. They have a ton of nice restaurants and usually they have some fun stuff going on before the show. They also have tons of shops and ice cream... there's ice cream. That's key.

CON - GETTING INTO THE STADIUM

Trying to get into the stadium is wild. If you don't have prime floor seating, then you're getting in there with all the other peasants. It was a giant unorganized cluster of humans trying to get through just a few gates. Everyone was irritated, a little drunk and really hot and sticky. It was disgusting. It was like we were all just living in a pool of each other's disgustingness.

PRO - THE SHOW

A show at Gillette is pretty amazing. Just the size of a football stadium allows for a better stage/set. The energy from a crowd that size is definitely something you can't help but get sucked into. When showtime hits, Gillette is worth every penny.

CON - BEER

Not only does it cost about seven billion dollars to get a beer, but they close up early. I went in there expecting them to close down the concessions and beer early. Apparently the rule is once the headliner starts, they stop serving. I had just stood in a mound of human sweat for 20 minutes trying to get into the stadium and Jay-Z and Beyoncé weren't even on the stage yet, but I couldn't buy a beer because technically the headliner video had started.

CON - LEAVING/TRAFFIC

The traffic getting in there is insane. The traffic getting out is t10 times worse. Even just the foot traffic of people walking out of the stadium is a little crazy. Once you get to your car, you basically should add an hour to your commute just to sit in traffic. You're basically faced with a couple of choices: leave the show early and sprint to your car to get out, wait it out and go hit a bar for a couple hours until most people can get out, or sit in traffic until the end of time.

I mean, don't get me wrong. It was an amazing afternoon and a ton of fun, but I think maybe the Krafts could make a couple changes. Just sayin'.