So what was it like inside BMS?

[bowlinggreenvol]

It was a great experience at a unique venue. I am incredibly glad I was able to attend. Most importantly it was a great win for the Volunteers. But the experience was far from perfect.

I expected traffic Armageddon but we left Chattanooga aboard a bus around 2:15 and had virtually no problems. The biggest issue was getting into the stadium. We arrived shortly after the Vol walk and started up a sidewalk to get in. It took about an hour and a half standing shoulder to shoulder with thousands of other fans at gate 13. By the time we finally got close to the entrance something must have changed because people got in much faster suddenly. I suspect someone higher up saw a half filled stadium approaching kickoff and told workers to ease the process. When we entered nobody was checking bags and they weren't really using the metal detectors; only asking that people empty their pockets and show them the contents. There were also people scaling a hill to avoid the sidewalks despite security telling them not to. One Vol fan apparently broke his ankle and had to be treated by EMS personnel while thousands watched him. His foot was turned in an obviously unnatural position.

Not every gate was open because they weren't all equipped with metal detectors. This was what blew my mind. They were expecting a record crowd and had years to prepare and yet they weren't ready. Closer to kickoff they did open more gates and people strolled in with virtually no screening. I am far from an expert but I did work in game day operations for an MLB team for a couple of years. All it would have taken to ease the jam at gate 13 would be having game day personnel directing people to use other gates and not all crowd the same one. They made videos and emailed them out about parking, prohibited items, etc but they should have added something about how to get into the stadium (as basic as that may sound). There were many people there like myself that had never been to Bristol and were unfamiliar with the stadium layout.

I sat in the Allison Terrace in the upper levels. The Arby's concession stand ran out of water in the first quarter! Also there was a drink tent that was occupied by one worker! There was easily 200 people in line. They expected a record crowd but somehow things like that still happened.

It doesn't dismiss the spectacle to point out the flaws. Fans paid a lot of money and while you might have expected headaches some issues were obviously overlooked despite years of planning. The OP asked for people's experience and not everything was puppies and rainbows.

Our bus got back after 5 am. It wasn't cheap to ride but it was a great decision. Getting out was a breeze since I slept through it. Go Vols!

It probably should've been alleviated because of the time to plan but at the races you can bring in your own coolers and contents so the track has NEVER had to supply concessions for 160k people or employ the manpower.

 

[luthervol]

Drove up Sat. morning with my 13 year old son and set up camp at a campground about a mile away. Went to the Vol Walk, saw some family, went to tailgate at their RV, stood in line at gate 8 for one and half hours before they decided to let people just storm in without even checking their tickets, teared up during the National Anthem, lost my voice singing Rocky Top, couldn't get anything to drink or eat because concession lines were so long, watched the fireworks, bought a couple of half price t-shirts, walked a mile back to camp ground, ate dinner at 1:30 a.m, packed up camp this morning and drove home.
On the way home my son said "that was the greatest experience of my life." The negatives really don't seem to matter.

 

[T_Vol376]

Do some of you all complain just because you enjoy complaining. What kind of security do you want checking you at the gate. Complain the check you. Complain they don't. Damn people. If someone carried a gun or pipe bomb in there and used it you would be complaining the other way. Next time will have suggestion box beside the gate so you security experts can tell us how to do it.

This was a thread asking what it was like in BMS and I shared my experience. If people don't want to know, they shouldn't ask or shouldn't read the thread. I have no problem whatsoever with security checks and would prefer them to be thorough for everyone's safety. It pissed me off to stand in line that long and then watch them barely check people. I saw them wave people through who set off the
metal detector without even checking them further. I am for thorough security checks!

 

[T_Vol376]

Seriously screw these people claiming that it was an awful time.

If you're not into drunk people, just ignore them, don't try to start fights then complain about it.

You set a world record tonight, and you can't even look at the bright side that TN scored 24 unanswered after being down 14-nil and ended up kicking some Hokie ass.

There are idiot fans at every game, that argument doesn't hold water for me. Also, I didn't see any fights, but sh!t, if I did it'd be entertaining as fug, I live for that crap.

Also, it only took me 30 min to get into the gate before the game. Just cut the line, baby! I thought this was America? Security was real, had to remove stuff from pockets and go through a body scanner. Just telling myself to act sober the whole time like I was 16 and stoned at a traffic light next to a cop again or something. Hilarious. They have scanners at Neyland, brah? Security was tight.

We left mid way through the 4th, walked back to our lot (red barn lot SW of the stadium) and drove back to my parents place in Knoxville in 2 hours.

This was the biggest game in the history of the sport. Stop using Volnation like you use YELP and showing your age. THE BIGGEST GAME IN THE HISTORY OF THE SPORT.

In 20 years if you remember this game as some nightmare fighting frenzy with no security you're either over 60 or have serious issues. Time of my life. GBO. This one was for Harambe, baby!!

Can't wait til we do it again and Butch gets on the mic midfield and gives me a "FINALLY BUTCH HAS COME BACK.......to bristol..." (Sheer pandemonium ensues)

For the record we did not start any fights. Why should my husband allow a drunk to cut line in front of him then try to put his hands on him? Why should I allow drunks to bully my daughter? Screw THAT and screw your idiotic post.

 

[vol66]

Caveat: I fully expected this experience would be a nightmare.

We left Knoxville a little after 11:30 AM and we were parked with our canopy up in the Big Red Barn lot by 2:30. This part was much easier and painless than I expected. We tailgated and enjoyed the fellow Vols on either side of us. This was probably my favorite part of the experience.

We took off for the stadium around 6:00 PM, not really knowing what to expect as far as the walk. We got to Gate 11 in about a half hour and began the wait. There was some pushing by frustrated fans who watched the Cadets from Va. Tech get access while fans had to wait. Once the cadets had entered I turned to my left and told my 8 year old, "Hey, there's Fred White...AND there's Al Wilson." There were several other former Vols with them, a good portion of the crowd obviously didn't recognize them and were not too happy as they made their way to the front of the line and gained access.

As we inched our way forward I started to fear a bit for my son's safety, but we made it through the security check. We stopped to get our bearings before entering the concourse and we had elevator passes to get to our seats in the Earnhardt section. Upon entering the concourse my senses were heightened again by fans of both schools, literally, sprinting in every direction...it was a mad rush to figure out where the heck to go. There was plenty of assistance available and after waiting a shorter stint at the elevator we got to our seats about 20 minutes before kick off. After a brief rest, I thought I'd go to the concessions and get the boy some food, the wife a water and a beer for myself. I had Aisle seats and the concessions were just a few steps down and around the corner. I didn't even make it down the steps before deciding to wait until after the game was underway because in all my years I've never seen a line like THAT.

The pregame stuff was all great and I was surprised at how well you could hear the bands for both schools. Thought that was top notch. Our seats were what I expected, I didn't think I'd be able to see the jersey numbers and I couldn't, but like I said, I expected that.

I don't remember exactly what time in the first quarter I left for the concessions, but the score was 0-0 and both teams had punted at least once.

When I returned to my seats the score was 17-14 Tennessee with just over 5 minutes left in the second.

That shouldn't happen, they were woefully understaffed, out of water and other things but...i expected it, maybe not to that extent...

The Pride did us proud at halftime!

The rest of the game was fun, we left just before Va. Tech scored their final points. Getting out was easier than I expected and we were at home by 3 AM and yes...I watched the first half as soon as I got home.

Last night I probably would have said, "never again"...but I bet I would.


GBO!!!

 

[NWGVol]

Sat in a suite that was next to the suite Peyton was in. Peyton made a 10 yo young mans night by signing his jersey. It was awesome seeing the unadulterated joy on that young mans face.

 

[T_Vol376]

View attachment 118195

Gate 13

I was amidst that - it was horrible!

 

[VolnJC]

Drove up Sat. morning with my 13 year old son and set up camp at a campground about a mile away. Went to the Vol Walk, saw some family, went to tailgate at their RV, stood in line at gate 8 for one and half hours before they decided to let people just storm in without even checking their tickets, teared up during the National Anthem, lost my voice singing Rocky Top, couldn't get anything to drink or eat because concession lines were so long, watched the fireworks, bought a couple of half price t-shirts, walked a mile back to camp ground, ate dinner at 1:30 a.m, packed up camp this morning and drove home.
On the way home my son said "that was the greatest experience of my life." The negatives really don't seem to matter.

It's funny how something that could have gone so wrong turned out amazing...I went by myself because my 8 year old is autistic and struggles with noises..I remember someone gave me tickets to see Half Holbrook as Mark Twain and I made my oldest go with me so the ticket wouldn't be wasted he still talks about how amazing it was to go

 

[armchair]

It probably should've been alleviated because of the time to plan but at the races you can bring in your own coolers and contents so the track has NEVER had to supply concessions for 160k people or employ the manpower.

the Bristol Nascar races? Are they sold out? Do they use metal detectors? You shouldn't have to wait 1.5 hours to get into a stadium--period--and there is no excuse for concessions running out of water and other food after the first quarter.

 

[T_Vol376]

View attachment 118196

More gate 13. You can't see all the people waiting behind these people that are down the ramp. It was nuts.

Horrible is an understatement. I was with my family in that. Pure misery!

 

[VolnJC]

Anybody see the terrible wreck on I81? I came through just as it happened..I debated stopping but there was already people attending to the hurt.. I called 911 but it had already been dispatched white truck looked terrible

 

[volbrave]

Last night was the most amazing sports experience in my life. We didn't really experience anything negative at all. Of course we were lucky and had been given suite tickets.

We arrived at BMS around 1:00. Set up in the fan tent in the shade. Mingled around a little playing some of the games and such. Watched Uga almost get beat and then decided to go in the gates when they opened to avoid the long lines expected after the Vol walk. Although we missed the team we got to get to our air conditioned suite and enjoy some good snacks.

We went down to the track and took a lot of pics of the bands, the cars, the track, the field, and the finish line. Headed back up for dinner service and settle in for pre-game ceremonies, which needless to say was amazing.

The game itself was so much fun with all the Vol fans in our suite. If I had to pick one thing to criticize, it would be that they need to have a better sound system to filter in the crowd and band noise for a better football atmosphere. I'm sure the Bristol Club is designed to keep as much noise out as possible for races.

After the game we waited in the suite for a good while and could see the parking lines from the Windows in the hallway. Once traffic looked to be moving we made our way down and we're back in Kingsport by 1:30.

 

[Volinmem]

Now for the most important question...did they run out of beer??

 

[Volunteer2012]

Now for the most important question...did they run out of beer??

I doubt it,most I'm my section just gave up on getting beer because of the lines. I wonder how much more money they could've raked in had they had efficient stands

 

[TechnoVol]

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

 

[BigOrangeVols]

Do some of you all complain just because you enjoy complaining. What kind of security do you want checking you at the gate. Complain the check you. Complain they don't. Damn people. If someone carried a gun or pipe bomb in there and used it you would be complaining the other way. Next time will have suggestion box beside the gate so you security experts can tell us how to do it.

Most people said they enjoyed it despite these complaints

 

[bowlinggreenvol]

the Bristol Nascar races? Are they sold out? Do they use metal detectors? You shouldn't have to wait 1.5 hours to get into a stadium--period--and there is no excuse for concessions running out of water and other food after the first quarter.

The track holds 153k so back before the economy the races were sold out. I've been 5x and would consider it "sold out". There wasn't massive blocks of empty seats. It was 92 degrees and they have no way of knowing how many drinks would be consumed when the precedent is to bring in your own drinks. NASCAR has always allowed small coolers capable of handling 6-12 drinks so maybe half the stadium buys drinks and the other half brings theirs? There's truly no way of quantifying how many beverages are consumed outside of concession sales; therefore no way of knowing how many more they would need for the same number of people in a different scenario.

 

[Volfreak1964]

It was absolutely amazing it had a feel like I have never had at a game before! Halftime show gave me goosebumps. Volwalk great also!

 

[edyeary]

Smelled like rubber

Bet you didn't get showered with asphalt though. lol

 

[volintheham]

Yeah, VJC I agree, looked like you had obstructions if you were sitting that low. I was hoping they were going to take the crash fence poles down, but they didn't cause any real issue.

View was pretty good on row 1 on the 50 from the battlefield. Thanks Pilot, didn't cost a dime.

 

[jtbvols]

Reading this post is like reading one of those "Hip" pages on Facebook. Most everyone *****ing and I'm wondering if they were at the same event as me.

I had an amazing experience overall and would go back in a heartbeat. The key with an extra large crowd like this...allow extra time for EVERYTHING. We like Sevierville 8 hours prior to kickoff, expecting it to take 4 hours to get there. It took less than 2. Normally I will walk into Neyland about 45 minutes prior to kickoff...I assumed it would take much longer with all the extra security that was well documented so decided to get in the line for the gate an hour and a half before. It moved quickly, IMO.

Walking in to the stadium reminded me of the first time I walked in Neyland 30+ years ago and was just blown away at how massive it was.

The view was much better than I expected from our seats. I loved how they really created a "Super Bowl" type atmosphere from pre-game to post game. For those that didn't attend or for those that did but were too drunk to remember it, you really missed being part of something truly special.

The concessions at BMS definitely need some updating and some work. Plenty of vendors outside the stadium, but nowhere to sit and eat. Running out of ice and drinks is really unacceptable. You've had three plus years to plan it, come on!

Colossus was amazing to look at, but did a poor job of showing replays.

Overall it was a great experience.

I would like to see this game happen about every 10 years.

 

[wmcovol]

About 66% to 33%. Yes I realize that only adds up to 99%. I saw a guy wearing Norte dame shirt, 1 in Clemson, and tailgated next to someone wearing Bama jersey. So the random other fans make up for the missing 1%.

I asked Bama man what he was doing there. He just wanted to be at the game to experience it. I imagine it was the same for the other random fans.

Nothing about a Bama game I want to experience.

On TV, the atmosphere looked NCG or even Super Bowl quality. Great experience for the team.

 

[uvavol]

I work at VT. Sat in Pearson in heart of VT section with a bunch of coworkers. The 1st quarter was hell on those of us in orange sitting on that side. The next run of 45-3 changed the mood veeeeeery quickly. Most fans around me thought the fix was in and the refs were pulling for UT. The refs don't fumble the balls 5 times.

Yeah the refs and bad calls are tech fans excuse every time they lose. Intereting how they never talk about how bad their coaches after a loss or win lol

 

[Nationdom]

Seriously screw these people claiming that it was an awful time.

If you're not into drunk people, just ignore them, don't try to start fights then complain about it.

You set a world record tonight, and you can't even look at the bright side that TN scored 24 unanswered after being down 14-nil and ended up kicking some Hokie ass.

There are idiot fans at every game, that argument doesn't hold water for me. Also, I didn't see any fights, but sh!t, if I did it'd be entertaining as fug, I live for that crap.

Also, it only took me 30 min to get into the gate before the game. Just cut the line, baby! I thought this was America? Security was real, had to remove stuff from pockets and go through a body scanner. Just telling myself to act sober the whole time like I was 16 and stoned at a traffic light next to a cop again or something. Hilarious. They have scanners at Neyland, brah? Security was tight.

We left mid way through the 4th, walked back to our lot (red barn lot SW of the stadium) and drove back to my parents place in Knoxville in 2 hours.

This was the biggest game in the history of the sport. Stop using Volnation like you use YELP and showing your age. THE BIGGEST GAME IN THE HISTORY OF THE SPORT.



In 20 years if you remember this game as some nightmare fighting frenzy with no security you're either over 60 or have serious issues. Time of my life. GBO. This one was for Harambe, baby!!

Can't wait til we do it again and Butch gets on the mic midfield and gives me a "FINALLY BUTCH HAS COME BACK.......to bristol..." (Sheer pandemonium ensues)

Finally someone who gets it.

 

[tatud4life]

Absolutely phenomenal!!! Would definitely go again. We weren't in traffic very long. We were home by 2:45 3:00 AM and we live in Church Hill.