Gillette Stadium

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Gillette Stadium
"The Razor"
Gilette Stadium Logo.svg
Gillette Stadium (Top View).jpg
Aerial view from south in 2007
Gillette Stadium is located in Massachusetts
Gillette Stadium
Gillette Stadium
Location in Massachusetts
Former namesCMGI Field (2002)
Address1 Patriot Place
LocationFoxborough, Massachusetts
Coordinates42°05′28″N 71°15′50″W / 42.091°N 71.264°W / 42.091; -71.264Coordinates: 42°05′28″N 71°15′50″W / 42.091°N 71.264°W / 42.091; -71.264
Public transitMBTA.svg  Franklin Line 
MBTA.svg  Providence/Stoughton Line  at Foxboro (regular service for Franklin Line, game days only for Providence Line)
OwnerThe Kraft Group
OperatorThe Kraft Group
Executive suites89
CapacityAmerican football:
65,878 (2015–present)[1]
68,756 (2002–2014)
Soccer:
20,000 (expandable)[2]
Field sizeAmerican football:
120 yd × 53 1/3 yd[3]
Soccer: 116 yd × 75 yd
SurfaceFieldTurf (2006–present)
Grass (2002–2006)
Construction
Broke groundMarch 24, 2000
OpenedMay 11, 2002; 19 years ago (2002-05-11)
Construction cost$325 million
($468 million in 2020[4])
ArchitectHOK Sport (now Populous)
Project managerBarton Malow[5]
Structural engineerBliss and Nyitray, Inc.
Services engineerVanderweil Engineers[6]
General contractorSkanska[5]
Tenants
New England Patriots (NFL) (2002–present)
New England Revolution (MLS) (2002–present)
Massachusetts Minutemen (NCAA) (2012–2016, 2018)
Boston Cannons (MLL) (2015)
New England Revolution II (USL1) (2020–present)
Website
https://www.gillettestadium.com

Gillette Stadium is a stadium in the northeastern United States, located in Foxborough, Massachusetts, 28 miles (45 km) southwest of downtown Boston and 20 miles (32 km) northeast of downtown Providence, Rhode Island. It opened 19 years ago in 2002, replacing the adjacent Foxboro Stadium.[7][8] The seating capacity is 65,878, including 5,876 club seats and 89 luxury suites.

It serves as the home stadium and administrative offices for both the New England Patriots of the National Football League (NFL) and the New England Revolution of Major League Soccer (MLS). It was also the home stadium for University of Massachusetts (UMass) Minutemen football in 2012 and 2013, while on-campus Warren McGuirk Alumni Stadium underwent renovations. It continued to serve as a part-time home venue for higher attendance UMass games through 2018.

The stadium was originally known as CMGI Field before the naming rights were bought by Gillette after the "dot-com" bust.[9] Although Gillette was acquired by Procter & Gamble (P&G) in 2005, the stadium retains the Gillette name. Gillette and the Patriots jointly announced in September 2010 that their partnership, which includes naming rights to the stadium, will extend through the 2031 season.[10] Additionally, uBid (until April 2003 a wholly owned subsidiary of CMGI) as of 2009 continues to sponsor one of the main entrance gates to the stadium.[11] The stadium is owned and operated by Kraft Sports Group, a subsidiary of The Kraft Group, the company through which businessman Robert Kraft owns the Patriots and Revolution.[12]

The Town of Foxborough approved plans for the stadium's construction on December 6, 1999, and work on the stadium began on March 24, 2000.[13] The first official event was a New England Revolution soccer game on May 11, 2002.[7][14] The Rolling Stones played at the venue on September 5 on the band's Licks Tour; Jeremiah Freed was the opening band at the WBCN River Rave on June 9, making them the first band to ever play Gillette Stadium.[15] Grand opening ceremonies were held on September 9, when the Patriots unveiled their Super Bowl XXXVI championship banner before a Monday Night Football game against the Pittsburgh Steelers.[16]

Gillette Stadium is accessible by rail via the Providence/Stoughton and Franklin lines at the Foxboro MBTA station, but only during Patriots games and some concerts.

The Patriots have sold out every home game since moving to the stadium—preseason, regular season, and playoffs. This streak dates back to the 1994 season at Foxboro Stadium;[17] by September 2016, it had reached 231 games.[17]

History[]

Foxboro Stadium[]

Main article: Foxboro Stadium

From 1971 through 2001, the Patriots played all of their home games at Foxboro Stadium. The stadium was privately funded on an extremely small budget and featured few amenities. Its aluminum benches would freeze over during cold-weather games and it had an unorganized dirt parking lot.[18]

Foxboro Stadium did not bring in the profits needed to keep an NFL team in New England; at just over 60,000 seats, it was one of the NFL's smallest stadiums.[19][20]

In 1984, team executive Chuck Sullivan funded the Victory Tour of The Jacksons, in an attempt to earn more profit for the team. Tickets sales failed, however, and the team's debt increased even further – to a final total of US$126 million.[21] After two unsuccessful owners bought the team and stadium, it was clear that a new stadium had to be built for the team to stay in New England. This is when other cities in the New England area, including Boston (which was previously home to the Patriots), Hartford, and Providence became interested in building new stadiums to lure the Patriots away from Foxborough.[22]

Location discussions[]

The first major stadium proposal from another city came in September 1993. Lowell Weicker, the Governor of Connecticut, proposed to the Connecticut General Assembly that a new stadium should be built in Hartford to attract the Patriots to move there, stating that a stadium had "potentially great benefit" if it were built. The bill passed in the State Assembly on September 27, 1993.[23]

Back in Massachusetts, there was a proposal to build a "Megaplex" in Boston, which would be the site of the stadium, as well as a new Fenway Park (the home park of the Boston Red Sox) and a convention center. The proposed sites for this hybrid convention center-stadium were along Summer Street in South Boston or at the so-called Crosstown site along Melnea Cass Boulevard in Roxbury, adjacent to Boston's South End. The administration of Massachusetts Governor William Weld pushed for construction of a full "Megaplex" at the crosstown site, with then-new Boston Mayor Thomas Menino favoring construction of a new, stand-alone convention center in South Boston. Ultimately, the residents of neither of these neighborhoods wanted a stadium, and as a result, Menino backed out, fearing that it would affect his chance at re-election.[24] The Fenway Park plan was cancelled after many "Save Fenway Park!" groups popped up to save the historic ballpark.

Kraft then began a plan to build a new stadium in South Boston. In that plan, Kraft was to pay for the stadium himself, hoping to win the support of Weld and Menino. He began to sketch designs, but the project was leaked to the press in December 1996. The residents of South Boston objected to a stadium being built in that location, causing Menino and Weld to become angry at Kraft. Kraft abandoned all plans for a Boston Stadium after the affair.[25] In January 1997, Kraft began talks with Providence mayor Vincent Cianci to relocate the team to Providence and build a new stadium there. The proposed 68,000-seat domed stadium would have cost $250 million, and would have been paid through income taxes, public bonds, surcharges on tickets, and private funds. Residents of the neighborhood of the proposed project were extremely opposed to the project because the surrounding area would have needed massive infrastructure improvements. The proposal fell through after a few weeks.[26]

During a news conference in September 1998, the team revealed plans to build a new stadium in Foxborough, keeping the team in Massachusetts. It was to be funded by the state as well as Kraft himself. This plan brought more competition from Connecticut, as a $1 billion plan to renovate an area of Hartford, including building a stadium.[27] Kraft then signed an agreement to move the team to Hartford on November 18, 1998. The proposed stadium included 68,000 seats, 60 luxury boxes, and had a projected cost of $375 million.[28] As before in Boston and Providence, construction of the stadium was challenged by the residents. Problems with the site were discovered, and an agreement could not be reached regarding the details of the stadium. The entire plan eventually fell through, enraging then Connecticut governor John G. Rowland, who lobbied hard for the stadium and spent weeks deliberating with Robert Kraft.[29] Rowland announced at a press conference that he was officially "a New York Jets fan, now and probably forever".[30] In 1999, the team officially announced that it would remain in Foxborough, which led to Gillette Stadium's construction.[31] After the Hartford proposal fell through, Robert Kraft paid for 100% of the construction costs, a rare instance of an NFL owner privately financing the construction of a stadium.

Design[]

On April 18, 2000, the team revealed plans for the new stadium in Foxborough.[32] It was announced as a 68,000-seat stadium at a cost of $325 million, with the entire cost privately funded. Boston is thus the only city in professional sports in which all facilities are privately owned and operated.[citation needed] The Kraft Group (owner of the NFL team the Patriots and the MLS team the Revolution) owns Gillette Stadium, the Red Sox own Fenway Park, and TD Garden is owned by Delaware North (the owner of the Bruins) (the Celtics rent the TD Garden from Delaware North).

Concurrently announced was a new road to access the stadium from U.S. Route 1, and an additional 3,000 parking spaces to accommodate the increased number of fans.[32]

The stadium was designed by HOK Sport (now Populous). Kraft wanted it modeled on M&T Bank Stadium which had opened in Baltimore in 1998. Kraft insisted on it having a "front door" with a Disneyland-like entrance. Populous went through 200 designs before coming up with one that Kraft liked.[33] The entrance includes a lighthouse (which was originally designed to shoot a light 2 miles (3.2 km) high and a bridge modeled on Boston's Longfellow Bridge.[34] The lighthouse and bridge are now featured on the stadium's logo.

For the first eight years of its existence the stadium used a video display, with a smaller LED scoreboard just beneath it, at each end of the field. The south side also had a large LED scoreboard in addition to the smaller one. In 2010, the stadium installed two new HD Daktronics video displays to replace the entire previous setup at both ends.[citation needed] At the time of their construction, the larger screen, at 41.5 feet tall and 164 feet wide (12.6 m x 50.0 m), was the second-largest video monitor in any NFL stadium; only AT&T Stadium had a larger one.[35]

Gillette Stadium ranks first among all NFL venues in stadium food safety with a 0% critical violations.[36] The Gillette Stadium food service, instead of being outsourced like most NFL teams, is run in-house and is led by the Patriots executive director of foods and beverage David Wheeler.[37]

Marking the 20th anniversary of the September 11 attacks, a memorial garden was installed outside Gillette Stadium. It has a semicircle of six flowering trees, a commemorative plaque, a mural and tribute stones with the names of the victims.[38]

Events[]

NFL[]

Gillette Stadium mezzanine area

The venue has hosted the NFL's nationally–televised primetime season–opening games in 2002, 2004, 2005, 2015, 2017, and 2019 (when the Patriots unveiled their championship banners from Super Bowls XXXVI, XXXVIII, XXXIX, XLIX, LI, and LIII. The first ever NFL game at the stadium was held on September 9, 2002 against the Pittsburgh Steelers, a 30-14 Patriots victory. The stadium's first playoff game was held the next year following the 2003 regular season. Playing in the Divisional Round against the Tennessee Titans, the Patriots hosted the coldest game (4 °F (2 °C), −12 °F (−7 °C) wind chill) in New England Patriots history. The Patriots won 17–14. The stadium also played host to the 2003 AFC Championship Game, in which the Patriots defeated the Indianapolis Colts 24–14.[39]

The Patriots won the first seven playoff games held at the stadium between the 2003 and 2007 seasons, including the 2007 AFC Championship Game, where they beat the San Diego Chargers to improve to 18-0 and advance to Super Bowl XLII. On January 10, 2010, the Baltimore Ravens beat the Patriots 33–14, giving the Patriots their first home loss in the playoffs in Gillette Stadium. The Patriots suffered their second consecutive home playoff loss on January 16, 2011 in a 28–21 New York Jets victory. During the 2011-12 NFL playoffs, the Patriots defeated the Denver Broncos, 45–10, and the stadium hosted its third AFC Championship, where they won against the Baltimore Ravens, 23–20. However, the New York Giants ruined the Patriots' season by beating them in the Super Bowl for the second time. The following year, they again hosted the AFC Championship game, where they lost 28–13 to the Baltimore Ravens in the final game for long term Patriots radio announcer Gil Santos. During the Divisional Round of the 2014-15 NFL playoffs, the Patriots avenged their 2012 defeat by the Baltimore Ravens by beating them 35–31. The following week, they defeated the Indianapolis Colts 45–7 in the 2014 AFC Championship. The stadium hosted its sixth AFC Championship game during the 2016 playoffs, as the Patriots defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers 36–17. The seventh AFC Championship hosted at Gillette Stadium came the next year, when the Patriots knocked off the Jacksonville Jaguars by a score of 24–20. In the 2018 season, Gillette Stadium hosted a Divisional Round game, as the Patriots knocked off the Los Angeles Chargers by a score of 41–28 on the way to winning Super Bowl LIII. In Tom Brady's final game as a Patriot, were upset by the Tennessee Titans in the First Round of the 2019 playoffs with a loss of 20–13. Entering the 2021 season, the Patriots had an all time playoff record of 19-4 at the stadium.

College football[]

As part of the UMass football program's move to Division I FBS, the Minutemen played all of their home games at Gillette Stadium for the 2012 and 2013 seasons. The stadium is 95 miles away from the UMass campus in Amherst—the longest trip of any FBS member. The Minutemen's on-campus stadium, Warren McGuirk Alumni Stadium, was not suitable for FBS football in its previous configuration. Its small size (17,000 seats) would have made it prohibitively difficult to meet FBS average attendance requirements, and its press box and replay facilities were well below Mid-American Conference standards. Additionally, several nonconference teams would not even consider playing games in Amherst. McGuirk Stadium was renovated to FBS standards for the 2014 season, but the Minutemen's current deal with the Kraft Group calls for the Minutemen to play four of their home games in Foxborough from 2014 to 2016 in exchange for keeping part of the revenue from ticket sales.[40][41] Moving forward, Gillette will continue to host UMass football with those games of anticipated larger attendance.

Date Away Team Result Home Team Attendance
October 23, 2010 New Hampshire 39–13 UMass Amherst 32,848
October 22, 2011 New Hampshire 27–21 UMass Amherst 24,022
September 8, 2012 Indiana 45–6 UMass Amherst 16,304
September 29, 2012 Ohio 37–34 UMass Amherst 8,321
October 20, 2012 Bowling Green 24–0 UMass Amherst 10,846
November 17, 2012 Buffalo 29–19 UMass Amherst 12,649
November 23, 2012 Central Michigan 42–21 UMass Amherst 6,385
September 7, 2013 Maine 24–14 UMass Amherst 15,624
September 21, 2013 Vanderbilt 24–7 UMass Amherst 16,419
October 12, 2013 Miami (OH) 10–17 UMass Amherst 21,707
October 26, 2013 Western Michigan 31–30 UMass Amherst 20,571
November 2, 2013 Northern Illinois 63–19 UMass Amherst 10,061
November 16, 2013 Akron 14–13 UMass Amherst 10,599
August 30, 2014 Boston College 30–7 UMass Amherst 30,479
September 6, 2014 Colorado 41–38 UMass Amherst 10,227
October 18, 2014 Eastern Michigan 14–36 UMass Amherst 12,030
September 19, 2015 Temple 25–23 UMass Amherst 10,141
October 24, 2015 Toledo 51–35 UMass Amherst 12,793
November 7, 2015 Akron 17–13 UMass Amherst 6,228
September 10, 2016 Boston College 26–7 UMass Amherst 25,112
September 24, 2016 Mississippi State 47–35 UMass Amherst 13,074
October 15, 2016 Louisiana Tech 56–28 UMass Amherst 13,311
November 10, 2018 BYU 35–16 UMass Amherst 14,082

Ice hockey[]

Gillette Stadium also hosted the eighth edition of the NHL Winter Classic, between the Boston Bruins and Montreal Canadiens, on January 1, 2016.[42]

Date Away Team Result Home Team Event Spectators
December 31, 2015 Les Canadiennes de Montreal 1-1 Boston Pride 2016 Outdoor Women's Classic -
January 1, 2016 Montreal Canadiens 5-1 Boston Bruins 2016 NHL Winter Classic 67,246

Notable soccer games[]

Memorable Major League Soccer playoff victories include wins over the Chicago Fire in the 2005 and 2007 Eastern Conference Final, sending the Revs to the MLS Cup. Additionally, the venue hosted MLS Cup 2002, four games of the 2003 FIFA Women's World Cup, and some Copa America Centenario matches in 2016.

The crowd of 61,316 drawn to the 2002 MLS Cup Final was the largest stand-alone MLS post-season crowd on record until the 2018 MLS Cup in Atlanta at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.[43]

MLS Cup[]

Date Winning Team Result Losing Team Tournament Spectators
October 20, 2002 United States Los Angeles Galaxy 1-0 United States New England Revolution MLS Cup 2002 61,316

International soccer matches[]

Date Winning Team Result Losing Team Tournament Spectators
May 19, 2002  Netherlands 2–0  United States Friendly 36,778
July 11, 2003  United States 2–0  El Salvador 2003 CONCACAF Gold Cup First Round 33,652
 Canada 1–0  Costa Rica
July 13, 2003  United States 2–0  Martinique 2003 CONCACAF Gold Cup First Round 8,780
 Cuba 2–0  Canada
July 15, 2003  El Salvador 1–0  Martinique 2003 CONCACAF Gold Cup First Round 10,361
 Costa Rica 3–0  Cuba
July 19, 2003  United States 5–0  Cuba 2003 CONCACAF Gold Cup Quarterfinals 15,627
 Costa Rica 5–2  El Salvador
September 27, 2003  Norway women 7–1  South Korea women 2003 FIFA Women's World Cup First Round 14,356
 Canada women 3–1  Japan women
October 1, 2003  United States women 1–0  Norway women 2003 FIFA Women's World Cup Quarterfinals 25,103
 Sweden women 2–1  Brazil women
June 2, 2004  United States 4–0  Honduras Friendly 11,533
September 4, 2004  United States 2–0  El Salvador 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification - CONCACAF Third Round 25,266
July 11, 2005  United States 0–0  Costa Rica 2005 CONCACAF Gold Cup Group B 15,211
 Canada 2–1  Cuba
July 16, 2005  Honduras 3–2  Costa Rica 2005 CONCACAF Gold Cup Quarterfinals 22,108
 United States 3–1  Jamaica
October 12, 2005  United States 2–0  Panama 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification - CONCACAF Fourth Round 9,192
April 14, 2007  United States women 5–0  Mexico women Women's International Friendly 18,184
June 12, 2007  United States 4–0  El Salvador 2007 CONCACAF Gold Cup Group B 26,523
 Trinidad and Tobago 1–1  Guatemala
June 16, 2007  Canada 3–0  Guatemala 2007 CONCACAF Gold Cup Quarterfinals 22,412
 United States 2–1  Panama
September 12, 2007  Brazil 3–1  Mexico Friendly 67,584
July 11, 2009  United States 2–2  Haiti 2009 CONCACAF Gold Cup Group B 24,137
 Honduras 4–0  Grenada
June 4, 2011  Spain 4–0  United States Friendly 64,121
June 15, 2013  United States women 4–1  South Korea women Women's International Friendly 13,035
September 10, 2013  Brazil 3–1  Portugal Brasil Global Tour 62,310
June 6, 2014  Portugal 1–0  Mexico Friendly 56,292
July 10, 2015  Honduras 1–1  Panama 2015 CONCACAF Gold Cup Group A 46,720
 United States 1–0  Haiti
September 8, 2015  Brazil 4–1  United States Friendly 29,308
June 10, 2016  Chile 2–1  Bolivia Copa América Centenario Group D 19,392
June 12, 2016  Peru 1–0  Brazil Copa América Centenario Group B 36,187
June 18, 2016  Argentina 4–1  Venezuela Copa América Centenario Quarterfinal 59,183
May 19, 2019 England Chelsea F.C. 3–0 United States New England Revolution Club Friendly 27,329
July 29, 2019 Portugal S.L. Benfica 1–0 Italy A.C. Milan 2019 International Champions Cup 27,565

Lacrosse[]

Gillette Stadium hosted the NCAA Men's Lacrosse Championships in 2008, 2009, 2012, 2017, and 2018 and was the home of the Boston Cannons for the 2015 season.

Collegiate[]

Dates Tournaments Result Spectators
DI DII DIII
May 10–26, 2008 Division I Men's, Division II & Division III Syracuse NYIT Salisbury 97,194
May 9–25, 2009 Division I Men's, Division II & Division III Syracuse C.W. Post Cortland State 78,529
May 9–25, 2012 Division I Men's, Division II & Division III Loyola (MD) Dowling Salisbury 62,590
May 12–28, 2017 Division I Women's Maryland - - 11,668
May 13–29, 2017 Division I Men's, Division II & Division III Maryland Limestone Salisbury 59,501
May 12–28, 2018 Division I Men's, Division II & Division III Yale Merrimack Wesleyan 60,071

Major League Lacrosse[]

Date Away Result Home Spectators
April 12, 2015 Denver Outlaws 13-16 Boston Cannons 4,285
April 26, 2015 Charlotte Hounds 12-11 (OT) Boston Cannons 3,612
May 3, 2015 New York Lizards 15-13 Boston Cannons 4,713
May 17, 2015 Rochester Rattlers 16-17 (OT) Boston Cannons 5,654
May 30, 2015 Florida Launch 9-13 Boston Cannons 10,142
June 28, 2015 Chesapeake Bayhawks 11-14 Boston Cannons 7,211
July 11, 2015 Ohio Machine 19-12 Boston Cannons 6,813

[44]

Premier Lacrosse League[]

On February 15, 2019, the Premier Lacrosse League announced that Boston would be the first city on the schedule for the 2019 season.[45] It was also announced that Gillette Stadium would be the venue to host the league on June 1 and 2. The PLL was planning on returning to Gillette for the 2020 season, but the COVID-19 pandemic put the season on pause and the league scrapped their 2020 schedule.

Date Away Result Home Spectators
June 1, 2019 Archers L.C. 13–12 (OT) Chrome L.C. PLL announced 13,681 over three games
(average of 4,560 for three games)
Whipsnakes L.C. 15–14 (OT) Chaos L.C.
June 2, 2019 Atlas L.C. 9–11 Redwoods L.C.

Women's Professional Lacrosse League[]

On June 2, 2019, Gillette will host a handful of games for the Women's Professional Lacrosse League to start their 2019 season.[46]

Date Winning Team Result Opponent Ref.
June 1, 2019 Command 11-8 Fire [47]
June 2, 2019 Fight 6-4 Pride

Concerts[]

Date Artist Opening act(s) Tour / Concert name Attendance Gross Notes
September 5, 2002 The Rolling Stones The Pretenders The Licks Tour — —
July 6, 2003 Metallica Limp Bizkit
Linkin Park
Deftones
Mudvayne		 The Summer Sanitarium Tour 42,898 / 48,600 $3,217,350
July 22, 2003 Bon Jovi Sheryl Crow
Goo Goo Dolls		 Bounce Tour — —
August 1, 2003 Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band — The Rising Tour 96,108 / 98,559 $7,107,215
August 2, 2003
July 24, 2004 Toby Keith Montgomery Gentry
Jo Dee Messina
Gretchen Wilson
Scotty Emerick
Don Campbell Band		 The Big Throwdown Tour 39,717 / 41,354 $2,850,279
July 23, 2005 Kenny Chesney Keith Urban
Gretchen Wilson
Uncle Kracker
Pat Green		 The Somewhere in the Sun Tour 50,860 / 50,860 $3,263,448
September 3, 2005 Green Day Jimmy Eat World
Against Me!		 The American Idiot Tour 26,781 / 43,615 $1,006,421
July 16, 2006 Kenny Chesney Dierks Bentley
Big & Rich
Carrie Underwood
Gretchen Wilson		 The Road and The Radio Tour 55,124 / 55,124 $4,136,945
July 27, 2006 Bon Jovi Nickelback The Have a Nice Day Tour 45,874 / 45,874 $3,384,804
September 20, 2006 The Rolling Stones Kanye West A Bigger Bang Tour 44,115 / 45,285 $4,042,193
July 28, 2007 Kenny Chesney Brooks & Dunn
Sugarland
Sara Evans
Pat Green		 The Flip-Flop Summer Tour 56,926 / 56,926 $4,496,363
September, 2, 2007 Jimmy Buffett — Bama Breeze Tour — —
September 8, 2007
July 26, 2008 Kenny Chesney Keith Urban
LeAnn Rimes
Gary Allan
Sammy Hagar		 The Poets and Pirates Tour 57,394 / 57,394 $5,274,364
August 2, 2008 Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band — Magic Tour 50,000 / 50,000 $4,760,337
July 18, 2009 Elton John
Billy Joel		 — Face to Face 2009 52,007 / 52,007 $6,209,342
July 28, 2009 AC/DC Anvil The Black Ice World Tour — —
August 15, 2009 Kenny Chesney Sugarland
Montgomery Gentry
Miranda Lambert
Lady Antebellum		 The Sun City Carnival Tour 57,890 / 57,890 $5,041,001
September 20, 2009 U2 Snow Patrol The U2 360° Tour 138,805 / 138,805 $12,859,778
September 21, 2009
June 5, 2010 Taylor Swift Kellie Pickler
Gloriana
Justin Bieber		 Fearless Tour 56,868 / 56,868 $3,726,157 Swift became the first woman to headline the stadium.[48]
June 13, 2010 Eagles Dixie Chicks
Keith Urban		 The Long Road Out of Eden Tour 26,433 / 41,582 $2,822,410
July 24, 2010 Bon Jovi Kid Rock The Circle Tour 51,138 / 51,138 $4,418,585
August 21, 2010 Brad Paisley Jason Aldean
Darius Rucker
Sara Evans
Easton Corbin		 The H2O Tour 51,107 / 51,107 $3,476,779
June 25, 2011 Taylor Swift Needtobreathe
Randy Montana
James Wesley		 Speak Now World Tour 110,800 / 110,800 $8,026,350
June 26, 2011
August 26, 2011 Kenny Chesney Zac Brown Band
Billy Currington
Uncle Kracker		 The Goin' Coastal Tour 106,755 / 106,755 $9,228,920
August 27, 2011
August 18, 2012 Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band — The Wrecking Ball World Tour 49,621 / 50,000 $4,548,896
August 24, 2012 Kenny Chesney
Tim McGraw		 Grace Potter and the Nocturnals
Jake Owen		 The Brothers of the Sun Tour 111,209 / 111,209 $9,926,110 Birth of no shoes nation[49]
August 25, 2012
July 20, 2013 Bon Jovi The J. Geils Band The Because We Can Tour 45,912 / 45,912 $3,514,571
July 26, 2013 Taylor Swift Ed Sheeran
Austin Mahone
Joel Crouse		 The Red Tour 110,712 / 110,712 $9,464,063 At the first show, Carly Simon was the special guest.[50]
July 27, 2013
August 23, 2013 Kenny Chesney
Eric Church		 Eli Young Band
Kacey Musgraves		 The No Shoes Nation Tour 109,207 / 109,207 $9,465,256
August 24, 2013
May 31, 2014 George Strait Tim McGraw
Faith Hill
Cassadee Pope		 The Cowboy Rides Away Tour 55,863 / 55,863 $5,005,789
July 1, 2014 Beyoncé
Jay-Z		 — The On the Run Tour 52,802 / 52,802 $5,738,114 Jay-Z became the first rapper to headline the stadium.[51]
August 7, 2014 One Direction 5 Seconds of Summer The Where We Are Tour 148,251 / 148,251 $13,475,239
August 8, 2014
August 9, 2014
August 10, 2014 Luke Bryan Dierks Bentley
Lee Brice
Cole Swindell		 The That's My Kind of Night Tour 56,048 / 56,048 $4,349,568
July 24, 2015 Taylor Swift Vance Joy
Shawn Mendes
Haim		 The 1989 World Tour 116,849 / 116,849 $12,533,166 Walk the Moon was the special guest.[52]
July 25, 2015 MKTO was the special guest.[53]
August 22, 2015 AC/DC Vintage Trouble Rock or Bust World Tour 48,000 / 50,000 —
August 28, 2015 Kenny Chesney
Jason Aldean		 Brantley Gilbert
Cole Swindell
Old Dominion		 The Big Revival Tour
The Burn It Down Tour		 120,206 / 120,206 $11,624,917
August 29, 2015
September 12, 2015 One Direction Icona Pop The On the Road Again Tour 48,167 / 48,167 $4,493,993 Liam Payne and Niall Horan, respectively, made a cover of "22" by Taylor Swift, because of the 22nd birthday of both.
September 25, 2015 Ed Sheeran Passenger
Christina Perri		 The x Tour 51,996 / 54,000 $3,234,377
June 3, 2016 Beyoncé DJ Khaled The Formation World Tour 48,304 / 48,304 $6,008,698
July 15, 2016 Luke Bryan Little Big Town
Chris Stapleton
Dustin Lynch		 The Kill the Lights Tour 76,450 / 87,871 $7,511,536
July 16, 2016
July 19, 2016 Guns N' Roses Lenny Kravitz The Not In This Lifetime... Tour 65,472 / 71,099 $8,302,575
July 20, 2016
July 30, 2016 Coldplay Alessia Cara
Foxes		 A Head Full of Dreams Tour 54,952 / 54,952 $6,530,260
August 26, 2016 Kenny Chesney Miranda Lambert
Sam Hunt
Old Dominion		 The Spread the Love Tour 121,399 / 121,399 $11,455,368
August 27, 2016
September 14, 2016 Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band — The River Tour 48,324 / 51,664 $5,439,521
May 19, 2017 Metallica Volbeat
Local H
Mix Master Mike		 The WorldWired Tour 47,778 / 48,905 $6,095,723
June 25, 2017 U2 The Lumineers The Joshua Tree Tour 2017 55,231 / 55,231 $6,881,340
August 4, 2017 Coldplay AlunaGeorge
Izzy Bizu		 A Head Full of Dreams Tour 52,188 / 52,188 $6,263,906
August 25, 2017 Kenny Chesney Thomas Rhett
Old Dominion
Midland		 The No Shoes Nation Tour 2017 121,642 / 121,642 $12,095,688
August 26, 2017
July 26, 2018 Taylor Swift Camila Cabello
Charli XCX		 Taylor Swift's Reputation Stadium Tour 174,764 / 174,764 $21,779,846 Hayley Kiyoko was the special guest on night one.
July 27, 2018
July 28, 2018
August 5, 2018 Beyoncé
Jay-Z		 Chloe X Halle and DJ Khaled On the Run II Tour 47,667 / 47,667 $6,159,980
August 24, 2018 Kenny Chesney Dierks Bentley
Brothers Osborne
Brandon Lay		 Trip Around the Sun Tour 121,714/121,714 $11,631,679[54]
August 25, 2018
September 14, 2018 Ed Sheeran Snow Patrol
Anne-Marie		 ÷ Tour 110,238 / 110,238 $9,382,550
September 15, 2018
June 21, 2019 Luke Bryan Cole Swindell
Brett Young
Jon Langston		 Sunset Repeat Tour TBA TBA
June 22, 2019 Dead & Company Summer Tour 2019 40,509 / 43,779 $3,281,808
July 7, 2019 The Rolling Stones Gary Clark Jr No Filter Tour 49,669 / 49,669 $11,675,732 This concert was originally scheduled to take place on June 8, 2019 but was postponed due to Mick Jagger recovering from a heart procedure.[55]
August 17, 2019 George Strait The George Strait 2019 Tour TBA TBA
October 9, 2021 Garth Brooks The Garth Brooks Stadium Tour TBA TBA'
2022 Justin Bieber Kehlani
Jaden Smith		 Changes Tour TBA TBA
August 27, 2022 Kenny Chesney Florida Georgia Line
Old Dominion
Michael Franti & Spearhead		 Chillaxification Tour TBA TBA
2022
2022 Rammstein North America Stadium Tour TBA TBA

Other events[]

The AMA Supercross Championship has been racing at Gillette Stadium since 2016.[citation needed]

Monster Jam has been coming to the stadium since 2014.[citation needed]

Playing surface[]

On November 14, 2006, two days after a rainstorm contributed to the deterioration of the grass surface in a Patriots game against the Jets, team management decided to replace the natural grass surface with a synthetic surface, FieldTurf. Normally, NFL rules insist that such work could only be done during the off-season; however, the grass field was in such poor condition, the league agreed to waive the rule. The entire job was done during a two-week road trip, with three shifts working around the clock. The Patriots' first game on the surface was a victory over the previously 9–1 Chicago Bears on November 26. Brady and his teammates commended the much-improved surface. At the conclusion of the 2007 season, Patriots quarterback Tom Brady had a career record of 31–3 on artificial turf. The team lost a preseason matchup in August 2007 to the Tennessee Titans on the new FieldTurf but otherwise won its first eleven regular-season and playoff games on the surface covering the period of November 2006 until September 2008, when the Patriots lost to the Miami Dolphins.

In February 2010, the surface was pulled and upgraded to FieldTurf "Duraspine Pro", which was expected to meet FIFA standards that the previous turf did not, preventing the team from having to place sod on top of their turf to host international soccer matches.[56]

The surface was upgraded again in April 2014 to FieldTurf "Revolution" with "VersaTile" drainage system. The FieldTurf Revolution product is currently used at many venues across North America, including Lumen Field (home to the NFL's Seattle Seahawks and MLS's Seattle Sounders) and Providence Park, home of the MLS's Portland Timbers, where its installation was recently completed.[57]

[]

When the field is configured for American football, the Patriots have their "Flying Elvis" logo painted on the field at dead center of the 50-yard line. Off to both sides along the 50-yard line, the Gillette Stadium logo is also painted on the field. This is a gray-and-yellow stylized representation of the bridge and tower at the north entrance of the stadium.

Covid-19 vaccine mass distribution site[]

From January 18th to June 14th, 2021, Gillette Stadium was used as a mass distribution site for the Covid-19 vaccine, with a total of 610,283 shots being administered.[58][59]

Patriot Place[]

2009 Energy Project Award Winning 525 kilowatt BIPV CoolPly system on the Patriot Place Complex Adjacent to the Gillette Stadium in Foxborough. The Solar Project was built, and is owned and operated by Constellation Energy.
Main article: Patriot Place

In 2006, the Patriots and Kraft announced plans to build a "super regional lifestyle and entertainment center" in the area around Gillette Stadium named Patriot Place.[60][61] The cost of the project was $350 million, more than the cost to build Gillette Stadium itself; Kraft had purchased much of the surrounding land, about 700 acres (280 ha), when he bought Foxboro Stadium in the late 1980s.[62]

The first phase of the project opened in fall of 2007,[63] and featured the first Bass Pro Shops in New England, as well as Circuit City (now closed), Bed Bath & Beyond, Five Guys Burgers, Christmas Tree Shops, and Staples.[62] In December 2007, the Patriots and CBS announced plans to build a themed restaurant and nightclub, named "CBS Scene", at the site, which would also include studios for CBS-owned WBZ-TV.[64] The restaurant was part of the second phase of the project, which included an open mall, a health center, a Cinema de Lux movie theater, a four-star Renaissance hotel, and "The Hall at Patriot Place." Attached to Gillette Stadium, the Hall includes a two-level interactive museum honoring the Patriots accomplishments and Super Bowl championships, plus the Patriots Pro Shop.[65] The first restaurants and stores in phase two began opening in July 2008, and were followed by the openings of the Hall at Patriot Place and the CBS Scene in time for the beginning of the 2008 New England Patriots season. More locations, including the health center and hotel, opened in 2009, along with additional sites in phase one.

Panorama of Gillette Stadium, taken from the south end, in 2007. The video screen has since been replaced with a larger one.

See also[]

  • List of NCAA Division I FBS football stadiums

References[]

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Sources[]

External links[]

Events and tenants
Preceded by
Foxboro Stadium 		Home of the
New England Patriots
2002 – present 		Succeeded by
current
Preceded by
Foxboro Stadium 		Home of the
New England Revolution
2002 – present 		Succeeded by
current
Preceded by
Columbus Crew Stadium 		Host of the
MLS Cup
2002 		Succeeded by
Home Depot Center
Preceded by
Invesco Field at Mile High 		Home of the
Drum Corps International
World Championship
2005 		Succeeded by
Camp Randall Stadium
Preceded by
M&T Bank Stadium 		Home of the
NCAA Lacrosse Final Four
2008–2009 		Succeeded by
M&T Bank Stadium
Preceded by
Oakland Coliseum
RCA Dome
Heinz Field
Sports Authority Field at Mile High
Sports Authority Field at Mile High 		Host of AFC Championship Game
2004
2008
2012–2013
2015
2017–2018 		Succeeded by
Heinz Field
Heinz Field
Sports Authority Field at Mile High
Sports Authority Field at Mile High
Arrowhead Stadium
Preceded by
Nationals Park 		Host of the
NHL Winter Classic
2016 		Succeeded by
Busch Stadium
Retrieved from ""