So what was it like inside BMS?

#176
#176
Boca Vol said:
I'm glad I went. We sat in Junior Johnson row 18...near goal line. View was better than I expected.

Not sure I would go again. The lines to get into the stadium were awful.
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I was JJ row 23. A fight that turned to a braw broke out out coming into the stands from the concessions. It's was crazy!
 
#177
#177
DD4ME said:
The 19 people in my group got through gate 8 in minutes. We allowed plenty of time though because of the crowd size. I believe too many people treated their entry time as if they were at Neyland with 100k people well versed in the layout.
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I'm happy all of you were able to get in so quickly, had they bothered to have all the metal detectors going it wouldn't have been such a back up and taken so long, regardless of when we got in line. We take full responsibility for not getting in line earlier...
 
#179
#179
Boca Vol said:
I heard about that fight.
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Didn't hear about that but saw a couple drunks up in All American about to get one started.. awhh drunk in the heat seems to bring out the good in a person, LOL ... I know people around us went to concessions and we thought they were lost- it took forever!!
 
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#180
#180
TechnoVol said:
Traffic was brutal as we arrived at BMS. It took almost 3 hours to go the last 5 miles in our charter bus.

Vol Walk was amazing... sea of orange.

Entered through Gate 5. Metal detectors were there and they may as well not have been because security screeners just kept waving people through even though red lights were flashing.

Entered the stadium and was blown away by the sheer size of the place.

Game experience was below par. Sound was too loud, JumboTron was very poorly utilized as it focused more on fans and used terrible angles when action was shown and very few replays. Halftime show was very good.

Traffic and trip back to Knoxville was much better than going.

Overall, glad I went but wouldn't go back for another football game at BMS.

Our view from Richard Petty, Section A, Row 36
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Ha! I'm in this picture, bottom left, next to the guy in the light orange shirt with khaki shorts and hat.

We had an outstanding time!! I am so glad I was able to be a part and experience this. I was blown away at the size of it once we got inside, and my view was great. It took us probably about 20 minutes to get into the gate. Concession lines were pretty long, but nothing crazy given the number of people there. I arrived friday around noon and set up camp, and left on sunday shortly after lunch so the only traffic I experienced was while we were walking to and from the concert and the game. I was pretty much in awe the entire time, it was amazing.
 
#181
#181
volspeach said:
BocaVol, did you go in through Gate 8, as did thousands and thousands including us? It was horrible... took us an hour and half to get through that pathetic security.. they had almost 4 years to get things ironed out but only had two metal detectors operating but finally opened up them all. I'd bet a plug nickel to a dime lots missed kick off and pregame.. We were in JJ,D Row 3 and were very happy with our seats- it almost felt like we were in an inside area..

It took us from almost midnight until 3am to get to our cabin in Elizabethton.. traffic control at BMS sucked big time... we were leaving Lot E and had to wait until the shuttle busses were loaded.. Like Mr. Peach said, he now has a much better appreciation for traffic control around Neyland after a game...

All in all our experience was good but would've been better had we been able to hook up with our friends but things happen and all of us were very happy with a "W"...:rock:
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This is basically the same situation we had. Gate 8 was ridiculous. I had my 4 yr old on my shoulders the entire time basically because I was afraid he could get trampled. Saw multiple almost fights that easily could have got someone hurt badly.

We were also parked in lot E. Complete disaster. We left early as the 4 yr old was passed out. Got to car before the game ended, and they had already shut the lot down. Sucked!

Glad I went as the game as the experience inside BMS was awesome. All the other logistics of the game sucked.
 
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#182
#182
Vols_74 said:
Tailgate atmosphere - A+
Pre game parking - A
Stadium gates - F
View from seats - D
Concessions - D
Video Sound - C-
Crowd noise - C
Post game exit traffic control clowns - F-

This was my experience. Glad I went. Happy we won. Neyland stadium is 1000 times better.
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The police officer at the entrance to 11E.
 

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#183
#183
There was absolutely no traffic control coming out of Lot E... the so called lot attendants were sitting on the curb, LOL .. there were so many shuttle busses being loaded first before traffic was allowed out of Lot E...very poorly managed- those shuttle busses could've been loaded at a better location, I mean both sides of the street were being utilized for loading..
 
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#185
#185
Being a Tri-Cities native, there was no way I was going to miss a UT football game here.

We had cheap seats - wife and I had taken turns standing in line a year ago to buy them at BMS for the public sale. Might've had $50/seat in them, plus the day in line. They were in the Rusty Wallace Tower, end zone, at the very top. They were pretty awful seats to watch a football game. I brought binoculars, and if I hadn't, I couldn't have followed the action well at all.

But hey, I had a bird's eye view for the National Anthem and Lee Greenwood and the Pride of the Southland performing God Bless the USA. The fireworks were at eye level for me, and I'm here to tell you, my eyes welled up as Lee sang. It was one of those moments when you know this is one of the top 10 experiences you'll ever have.

The other cool thing was that even though I've been a UT season ticket holder for many years, I'd never been to a Vol Walk. I was determined that this time, I'd see it. I knew they were going over a bridge, and when I got there, the crowd was 10-15 people deep already. I looked to my left, trying to figure out where they'd walk up into the stadium. I couldn't determine the potential route, but I saw a fence line up the hill with space available that would peer over the main walk. So wife and I went up there. As time got closer, security started coming through telling people to get off the fence and into the grass. Well, the grass consisted of maybe a 10-inch space behind the curb bordering a narrow paved road up the hill to the track. Behind that 10-inch space was a grassy hill pitched so high that people were sliding down when they'd try to sit on it. When the officers told people to move, there was no one at the 10-inch space that one could actually stand next to the narrow road. I happened to hear an officer mutter, "They're gonna come thru here," so it finally dawned on me that we were right on the route. So we sunk our feet between the hill and the curb, and as the Walk progressed, here comes the motorcycles up the hill. Then Smokey. I screamed like a teen girl in 1964 when in the presence of the Beatles when I saw Smokey coming that close to me. Then Butch was right behind. He slapped my hand, determined look on his face. Then Dobbs the same. Then the whole darned team, slapping my hand as I screamed my head off to beat those Hokies. I'd like to think that my enthusiasm gave them an extra edge.:good!:

I still can't believe I experienced a Vol Walk like that. Pretty sure I'd never accomplish that at UT.

Yeah, my seats sucked, but I wouldn't trade that day for anything.

Go Vols!
 
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#187
#187
We left the tailgate at 6:30, got to the gates for Earnhart Terrace section ~ 6:50 and went straight in no problem. Even with waiting on the elevator we were in our seats at 7:00. Couldn't see near as well as I'm used too but the experience of it all was incredible. Didn't even bother with concessions as the lines were so long but the beer lines weren't bad. I'm not going to miss much of a game for any food or drink. Didn't seem near as loud as Neyland. Probably with it being so open. Pregame and halftime were very moving and I had the tears to prove it. So glad I had the chance to experience it with my whole family. With both kids being in college I'm afraid I'm quickly running out of those opportunities. Kaepernick would have purely hated it.
 
#188
#188
roberthunter said:
We had probably close to the "worst" seats in the house. Wallace tower. Great for pics, but hilariously far from the field. I watched the game through binoculars.
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Never been to Bonnaroo but I loved the festive atmosphere at BMS. My 79-year-old dad & I were also way up there in Wallace Tower, row 4. Good mix of fans from both schools around us. We watched the game through binoculars, sometimes focusing on Colossus instead of the field; not a problem.

We took a BMS shuttle (school bus) from Sullivan Central HS in Blountville, took about an hour to get there. If they'd just dropped us off once we hit 394 it would've shaved 20-25 minutes off the travel time, but they dumped us off at the dragway behind BMS @ 5:20.

We'd been told on the bus that a shuttle would pick us up at the dragway. But there were shuttles running hither and yon and we didn't know what the heck was going on; with nobody to ask there, we just walked toward BMS since it was close.

Went down a ramp next to where the Vol Walk was and dived into the chaos. Couldn't figure out where to go from there, and the teenybopper "staff" were sweet but clueless.

Enjoyed the Vol Walk and parked Pop in the shade while I tried to figure out the logistics of entering the dadgum racetrack. I think the gate mentioned on my ticket said Elevator F or something like that, but no such place showed up on any of the maps. I didn't know if we could go in any gate and walk to our seats or not; again, nobody we asked knew the answer. (For someone who's never been to the labyrinthine behemoth that is BMS, simple things like this should've been clarified in the literature or on the website.)

At about 6:30 we started walking through the parking lot toward Wallace Tower and went through a gate beneath it; took about 2 minutes and my plastic bag was inspected. Then saw the signs on the left for the Wallace Tower & Kulwicki Terrace elevators. Got on one of those after waiting another 8-10 minutes. The section on our ticket didn't match up w/ what I was reading on the walls, but the young staffer up there said that we were in her section so we were seated by 6:55. The stands were only about 10-15% full at that point.

With 5 minutes left in the 2nd quarter, my dad asked if I'd go get us a couple of bottled waters. I walked past the 1st concession stand due to the line, then got in line behind 100+ fans at the 2nd concession stand. The wait was ridiculous, almost an hour, mostly because one poor lady was taking the orders and then walking 20 feet down the counter to make change and/or retrieve drinks. I've seen concession stands at middle school football games that were run more efficiently -- and much faster -- than this asinine set-up. I felt bad for this woman for catching so much grief from frustrated & thirsty fans. Also, they ran out of food early in the 3rd quarter just before I got to the counter. Levy Restaurants, the concessionaire, just did a crappy job.

Leaving BMS, we had to crawl under a fence that we'd walked through earlier in the day. We were told the shuttle buses would leave 45 minutes after the game but it ended up being about 75 minutes. Once we got underway, we got back to Sullivan Central using backroads familiar to the bus driver.

Overall, it was awesome; I loved the atmosphere and the outcome of the game. Logistically, lots of glitches but they didn't detract too much from the experience on the whole. Very glad I went and grateful to attend my 1st UT football game with my dad since we sat in the rain for the UF game almost exactly 20 years ago.

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#192
#192
kamoshika said:
Never been to Bonnaroo but I loved the festive atmosphere at BMS. My 79-year-old dad & I were also way up there in Wallace Tower, row 4. Good mix of fans from both schools around us. We watched the game through binoculars, sometimes focusing on Colossus instead of the field; not a problem.
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I'm trying to tell from the pictures if you were on our right or left in that section.
 
#193
#193
kamoshika said:
Enjoyed the Vol Walk and parked Pop in the shade while I tried to figure out the logistics of entering the dadgum racetrack. I think the gate mentioned on my ticket said Elevator F or something like that, but no such place showed up on any of the maps. I didn't know if we could go in any gate and walk to our seats or not; again, nobody we asked knew the answer. (For someone who's never been to the labyrinthine behemoth that is BMS, simple things like this should've been clarified in the literature or on the website.)
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Yep - I had the exact same experience. The "gate" printed on the ticket didn't actually exist. Like you, I finally just picked the gate below where I knew my seats were, and hoped I'd be able to find my way from there. Once inside we saw the small sign that said Elevator for the Wallace Tower.
 
#194
#194
It was a once in a life time experience for my daughter and I, that being said the venue sucked for football. They had no idea how to put on for a football game. The seats were horrible with a support pole blocking our view. The noise was the loudest I've ever heard. We were in the corner of the end zone, on the vols side, under the overhang. we couldn't even see the players numbers and the big screen wasn't much better. It was very hot under the overhang and you couldn't see out to see the fireworks. Like I said I'm glad my daughter and I were there for the occasion, but I would never even entertain going back.
 
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#196
#196
Awesome Game. Sat in the suite next to ESPN so saw Herbie and Rece do their thing. Was entertaining to watch. Watched the guys get off the buses. They were laser focused.
 

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#197
#197
walkenvol said:
I sense a common theme to this post...are you a member of MADD? If not, you might want to explore joining as I think it would be right up your alley.
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I take offense at that. I'm REALLY far from a "teetotaler", but there is no justification OF ANY KIND for people attending a public event and getting completely, sloberingly drunk. If someone can't go to a venue and enjoy whatever is taking place, without alcohol or drugs inhibiting their sobriety, then then they need to abstain from drinking.

A person HAS NO RIGHT to attend a public event, get drunk, become belligerent (as noted by many that attended), and ruin the experience for others and just because someone doesn't like or want to see or deal with drunk people around them, it doesn't mean they should "join MADD" or not attend sporting events. The burden is on the person drinking alcohol to not ruin the fun of others, not the other way around.
 
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#198
#198
roberthunter said:
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The wife and I had an amazing time. Tent camped at Dave and Kay's Campground. Drove up Friday and relaxed all day at our spot on Saturday, before walking in for the Vol Walk. Plenty of people partying and having a good time around us, but everyone had plenty of room and it seemed like a good time was had by all.

We went in right after the Vol Walk. There was no wait at our gate. We had to wait a little bit at the elevators, but probably only 15 minutes or so.

As others have said, they weren't prepared for the concessions. My wife waited for a while in the third quarter for a couple of waters, but luckily she could see the field from the line. They were out of hot dogs.

We had probably close to the "worst" seats in the house. Wallace tower. Great for pics, but hilariously far from the field. I watched the game through binoculars.

Overall we had an amazing time. Felt more like Bonnaroo than a football game at times, which was fun. I'd go again in five years, but would try to get seats along the sidelines.
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Those are great pictures. Were those with a camera? I took several with my phone, and the lights and fireworks are not clear.

We weren't too far from your tent. We stayed in JC, but we tailgated for the afternoon at Dave's Campground with a friend who had brought an RV from Michigan. We had a big group right across from the restrooms.

It was a very cool experience. Not sure that I would do it again. The only real disappointment for me was the wait to enter the stadium. Don't understand how they weren't prepared for that. Otherwise, I expected it to be a long day and late night.
 
#199
#199
bowlinggreenvol said:
After the game, I turned the truck on and my wife and I laid the seats back to wait out traffic. Woke up at 3 am and was the only one still in the lot haha. Traffic was non-existent after that.
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I bet Tim Priest's interview questions make you very sleepy... I don't think he has a pulse
 
#200
#200
DD4ME said:
The 19 people in my group got through gate 8 in minutes. We allowed plenty of time though because of the crowd size. I believe too many people treated their entry time as if they were at Neyland with 100k people well versed in the layout.
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We got to Gate 5 at 6:45 and stood for nearly an hour. They did tell people to get there early, and I know there are 50k more fans. But they were clearly not prepared to get people in quickly. As gametime neared, they opened up all of the metal detectors and didn't even check bags or anything on you.
 
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