Gillette crowd noise: is it a problem?

[Stitch01]

This really is the key.

We can ring our hands about the crowd noise and wish that the noise level in Foxboro was like Seattle, Denver or Baltimore. But I think a massive percentage of the difference is down to Stadium construction. It's fun to take shots at the spoiled fans and wine and cheesers but that's just not what it's like there based on my experiences over the years. In a stadium where the third deck is so high that the noise just does not travel downward to the players, you will not get the noise they get in those other locales.

It's a pity. Kraft et al created a gorgeous facility and did not give one second of thought to the noise aspect.

All that said, I'm not sure that the Foxboro location matters. Would Pats fans in Boston make more noise? I don't see why.

And last, no one is holding his breath on a new stadium. Or even adjustments to this one to address the noise issue. It is what it is....

Its not a great crowd at times, but yeah, from my experience people are standing and loud during playoff games and most big games (sort of surprised to hear this week's crowd was a dud). Its still not going to be a super loud stadium.

I think you'd get better crowds for random games in Boston than you do in Foxboro, but dont have great evidence for it. The gameday experience of going to Foxboro blows.

The problem I have with the spoiled crowds as the primary factor is that you can go back to articles from the first year the stadium opened and find immediate commentary about how the stadium wasnt as loud as the old stadium because of the way it is designed.

Anecdotal, but Ill also add that the vast majority of fans I have encountered at the stadium who arent into the game arent "wine and cheese" yuppies, they're people who come in the 2nd quarter 10 beers deep, make three beer runs, and leave to tailgate by the start of the 4th quarter. Ive had the typical lol moment where someone says to sit down and be quiet on 3rd down, sure, but way more often even in the 300's we have six or seven empty seats by the 4th quarter from the here to get plastered crowd.

 

[The Tax Man]

I've been a season ticket holder and been going to most games for the past 5 years or so. The crowd is usually great for playoff games and other big games. Sunday night was atrocious. All the complaints above are accurate and it is a combination of those reasons as to why the in-stadium experience kinda blows these days.

I'd guess that this game was bad (even though it was a great match up) because going to an 8:30 game on a work night is very difficult. We've had so many of these games the past 15 years that season ticket holders (who are the real diehards that pay attention to the game) will sell these tickets for night games.

So you end up with disinterested tourists and people there just to drink. I had the odd combination of two groups of drunk guys in the 30-40s that were actively trying to fight my group because we were standing while on defense in the 200s. I've also many times experienced the wine and cheese crowd (our level 200 seats were $170 for this game). And of course the stadium isn't designed to optimize crowd noise. It's all a perfect storm and it does really detract from the experience.

 

[Number45forever]

I still think the design of the stadium plays a big role here. I've sat in the lower bowl a few times and found it gets plenty loud there. But when I've sat in the 300 section, it's quieter and you are so fucking far away from everything it feels like a different planet. That combined with the open nature of the design gives sound a much better chance to escape. It often doesn't feel loud. At this point, with HDTV so great, I won't even go to games unless I'm sitting in the lower bowl. It sucks getting to Foxboro, it's expensive and you can't see shit from the upper deck.

 

[Ralphwiggum]

I love the games in person, even though it is an all-day investment, and I'd go to every game if my dirty, grubby kids didn't take up so much of my free time. That said, I agree about the 300 level seats. Granted I am spoiled because I have regular access through family members to a few different sets of good to great seats in the first and second bowls. But I still go to games in other seats, and I will go if I am down low in the 300s. But it has to be a playoff game or a good regular season matchup or a divisional matchup. No way am I sitting up there for the Jags or Bears on a random October Sunday afternoon and I'm not sure I would even if I wasn't picking my spots due to kid stuff. Upper part of the 300s, I've only sat up there a couple of times and probably wouldn't ever again, except for maybe an AFC Title game. My experience up there is that you don't even feel like you are at the game and I don't blame anyone who sits up there for not standing and yelling for three hours.

 

[Stitch01]

Im in the Upper 300s around midfield and am find with the seats, Im sort of in the minority here in that I dont want to move down unless I can do so at midfield or close to it.

The all-day investment and having to haul out and back from Foxboro now that I have a kid is more of the issue. Its not just the drive out its the fact that you have to a) park in the stadium and wait an hour to get out or b) park a half hour away from the stadium and walk to and from the game.

 

[NortheasternPJ]

I love the games in person, even though it is an all-day investment, and I'd go to every game if my dirty, grubby kids didn't take up so much of my free time. That said, I agree about the 300 level seats. Granted I am spoiled because I have regular access through family members to a few different sets of good to great seats in the first and second bowls. But I still go to games in other seats, and I will go if I am down low in the 300s. But it has to be a playoff game or a good regular season matchup or a divisional matchup. No way am I sitting up there for the Jags or Bears on a random October Sunday afternoon and I'm not sure I would even if I wasn't picking my spots due to kid stuff. Upper part of the 300s, I've only sat up there a couple of times and probably wouldn't ever again, except for maybe an AFC Title game. My experience up there is that you don't even feel like you are at the game and I don't blame anyone who sits up there for not standing and yelling for three hours.

One of our pairs is the last row (313 Row 7) of the lower section of the 300's (right by the stairs). I love those seats. You get a great view, you're right above the club seats, there's no one behind you to complain and you can hop over the seats in and out without bothering anyone. Plus they're 35% cheaper than the 200's and half the price of the 100's.

I wouldn't pay anything to be in the upper 300's on a regular basis.

 

[( . ) ( . ) and (_!_)]

I'd agree with anyone arguing that the Gillette crowd noise is probably in the lower half of the league if we were ranking by volume. But I think you also have to understand where Carol is coming from with that quote.

The fans in Seattle would crucify him if he did not constantly reinforce how loud and wonderful they are. Carol would have said the same thing about the Gillette crowd Sunday night even if they had set some type of noise record. He was playing to his audience. I have a buddy that said it best.... Seattle fans don't go to game to cheer their team, they go to cheer for their non-sense concept of being the "12s". And they should be ridiculed for that name and concept constantly.

 

[Tyrone Biggums]

In a good year when everything financially breaks right I can take myself and the girl to two games. What I'm saying is that the real fan base that used to enjoy games at the old stadium can't afford these prices now.

 

[PortlandSoxFan]

One of our pairs is the last row (313 Row 7) of the lower section of the 300's (right by the stairs). I love those seats. You get a great view, you're right above the club seats, there's no one behind you to complain and you can hop over the seats in and out without bothering anyone. Plus they're 35% cheaper than the 200's and half the price of the 100's.

I wouldn't pay anything to be in the upper 300's on a regular basis.

My season tickets are in the LAST row of 326. I've had them for 11 seasons now, and I love them. I love being able to see the whole field, it is a great perspective to watch the game from IMO.

That said, I did not go Sunday night. I generally hate night games; mainly because I live almost 90 minutes from Foxboro so it makes for a pretty shitty next day.

 

[NortheasternPJ]

I'd agree with anyone arguing that the Gillette crowd noise is probably in the lower half of the league if we were ranking by volume. But I think you also have to understand where Carol is coming from with that quote.

The fans in Seattle would crucify him if he did not constantly reinforce how loud and wonderful they are. Carol would have said the same thing about the Gillette crowd Sunday night even if they had set some type of noise record. He was playing to his audience. I have a buddy that said it best.... Seattle fans don't go to game to cheer their team, they go to cheer for their non-sense concept of being the "12s". And they should be ridiculed for that name and concept constantly.

They're not mutually exclusive though. What started this was Carrol's comments, but the crowd at Gillette is bad and getting worse.

I'm amazed that something could be lamer than the Pink Hats at Fenway, and the "12's" previously the "12th Man*" are way worse. At the game I heard "We lead the league in causing false starts", "We Hold the decibel record" blah blah blah. People actually wearing #12 jerseys with the name as "FAN" . These weren't cheap ones either, they were authentic. Plus they actually purchase and bring around flags with the #12 on them. As our President Elect would say, SAD!

The Seahawks fans are such a joke that they think they're part of the team. As the pendulum swings, they're on one end and we're on the other. I'd rather be in the middle at least. I don't think its "a problem" as in drastically changing the outcome of games but it doesn't help and makes games way less fun to go to. I cheer more at home than I do at the stadium.

*rebranded due to lawsuits

 

[alydar]

Im in the Upper 300s around midfield and am find with the seats, Im sort of in the minority here in that I dont want to move down unless I can do so at midfield or close to it.

The all-day investment and having to haul out and back from Foxboro now that I have a kid is more of the issue. Its not just the drive out its the fact that you have to a) park in the stadium and wait an hour to get out or b) park a half hour away from the stadium and walk to and from the game.

I'm here too -- same seats, same place in life re: the kid, same general annoyance with the game day haul. So this means I go less frequently, and almost never to night games except the playoffs. But none of those things make me any quieter during the games I do attend. Hell, if anything I'm probably a bit louder because it is a rarer experience.

 

[Rick Burlesons Yam Bag]

In my opinion, Gillette has the perfect storm of debacle when it comes to crowd noise:

- Large openings on both ends and that really weird section in one end zone where there are no seats. It has been a few years since I was there last so maybe this section has since had seats put in, but I never understood that.
- A bunch of opportunities to buy things like food, apparel et al, but the stadium is constructed such that it is difficult to do that quickly. If I want to take a pee and get a quick bit to eat in the middle of the second quarter, it seems like the stadium does not make that easy to do in 10 (actual) minutes from most of the seats.
- Most white guy music ever. If you have only been to Gillette then you may not even notice this....but most stadiums mix it up a little. Gillette's DJ seems to think that everyone is a 42 year old white guy who is really into AC/DC. This does not lend itself to pumping the crowd up. Also, Mr. Patriot DJ does a shitty job of crescendoing the moment. Dude, if it is a huge play in the 4th Quarter coming out of a tv timeout, hit me with something that is not the same AC/DC song you have played 5 times. Admittedly, I have biases here, but Mr. Eagles DJ is either coming in with the full blown Rocky montage (which is admittedly overdone, but still gets you going), or is nailing in with something fresh and off brand. Grow from the feedback Mr. Patriot DJ.
- Tough ins and outs for the stadium from the parking lot. It is tough to get to Gillette, then it is tough to get into the stadium. You can have one of these, but having two makes it tough to get the crowd into the game for the first 10 minutes and the last 10 minutes of the game. This may have been improved over the last few years but the few occasions I have gone to Gillette it has been a shitshow.
- Distance from city. This shouldn't be a big deal, right? Wrong. Nowadays every franchise - including my own beloved Eagles - has 80%+ of the seats in the lowest section from the 20 to the other 20 owned by companies. The days of these seats being owned by 40+ year season ticket owners are long gone, with the advent of PSLs et al, plus prices going through the roof. This, in turn, raises the importance of being close to the city to get folks in quickly and getting them loud. Gillette being far from the city and hard to get to from......pretty much 50-60% of Boston's population is a kick in the nuts for those key seats.

The fact that the fan base are a bunch of vaginas is secondary to all of the items listed above.

 

[Ralphwiggum]

In a good year when everything financially breaks right I can take myself and the girl to two games. What I'm saying is that the real fan base that used to enjoy games at the old stadium can't afford these prices now.

Gillette is expensive, and it sucks you can't afford to make it to more games. I'm not sure what that has to do with crowd noise, though. The old stadium wasn't any louder than Gillette, and it was an epic dump filled with disgusting, angry drunks.

Anyway, Pats tickets aren't expensive because of Gillette. They are expensive because there are only 8 games a year, and what with the Pats being in the middle of a decade and a half of being annual Super Bowl contenders, there is tremendous demand for the tickets.

 

[mauf]

Most white guy music ever. If you have only been to Gillette then you may not even notice this....but most stadiums mix it up a little. Gillette's DJ seems to think that everyone is a 42 year old white guy who is really into AC/DC. This does not lend itself to pumping the crowd up.

Have you been to a game at Gillette? It's pretty much all 42-year old white guys who are into AC/DC. (Full disclosure: I am a 42-year old white guy who is into AC/DC.) The Bruins draw a similar crowd and play similar music, and no one thinks Boston is a relatively quiet hockey venue.

I have no idea if the crowds in Foxboro would be louder if they were younger and/or more diverse.

 

[Rick Burlesons Yam Bag]

Have you been to a game at Gillette? It's pretty much all 42-year old white guys who are into AC/DC. (Full disclosure: I am a 42-year old white guy who is into AC/DC.) The Bruins draw a similar crowd and play similar music, and no one thinks Boston is a relatively quiet hockey venue.

I have no idea if the crowds in Foxboro would be louder if they were younger and/or more diverse.

No! The Bruins actually do a halfway decent job of mixing it up!!! Seriously!!! Listen, you will hear way more diversity in what is played at Bruins games than at Gillette. And by diversity, I don't just mean mixing in a little rap or something, Mr. Patriot DJ will play the same fucking AC/DC song 3-4 times in the same game. I get it.....people really like "You shook me all night long" and the opening riff to "Thunderstruck," but do we need to hear them multiple times in the same game? While this is certainly not the linchpin of what drives a lack of crowd noise, hearing the same style and the same actual music repeatedly turns every break into elevator music as opposed to creating these build ups in intensity.

 

[Rick Burlesons Yam Bag]

Have you been to a game at Gillette? It's pretty much all 42-year old white guys who are into AC/DC.

This is true. But with alcohol those people can get pretty wild when guided properly.

 

[Marciano490]

No! The Bruins actually do a halfway decent job of mixing it up!!! Seriously!!! Listen, you will hear way more diversity in what is played at Bruins games than at Gillette. And by diversity, I don't just mean mixing in a little rap or something, Mr. Patriot DJ will play the same fucking AC/DC song 3-4 times in the same game. I get it.....people really like "You shook me all night long" and the opening riff to "Thunderstruck," but do we need to hear them multiple times in the same game? While this is certainly not the linchpin of what drives a lack of crowd noise, hearing the same style and the same actual music repeatedly turns every break into elevator music as opposed to creating these build ups in intensity.

Do you know where you are? You're in the jungle, baby. You're going to die off the rails of this crazy train.

 

[mauf]

No! The Bruins actually do a halfway decent job of mixing it up!!! Seriously!!! Listen, you will hear way more diversity in what is played at Bruins games than at Gillette. And by diversity, I don't just mean mixing in a little rap or something, Mr. Patriot DJ will play the same fucking AC/DC song 3-4 times in the same game. I get it.....people really like "You shook me all night long" and the opening riff to "Thunderstruck," but do we need to hear them multiple times in the same game? While this is certainly not the linchpin of what drives a lack of crowd noise, hearing the same style and the same actual music repeatedly turns every break into elevator music as opposed to creating these build ups in intensity.

OK, you have a point -- they play "Thunderstruck" way too much. (Shit, that's not even a good AC/DC song.)

But I think there's a larger point there about the suburban (almost exurban) location drawing a crowd that's older and whiter than it would be if the Pats played in Boston -- which probably leads to a quieter crowd, and might explain why the Pats are the only Boston-area pro sports team with a reputation for (relatively) quiet crowds.

 

[mauf]

When I let my 11-year old choose the music we listen to in the car, it sounds like what they play at Gillette. That's probably sub-optimal.

 

[Zomp]

I know nothing gets me pumped up like hearing Bon Jovi!

 

[ifmanis5]

The fact that the fan base are a bunch of vaginas is secondary to all of the items listed above.

That made me laugh.
Terrible stadium music is a great topic, though. It's as if Rock 'N Jock Jams were still a thing.

 

[Smiling Joe Hesketh]

Wasn't the big thing that got the crowd pumped up in the 35-31 Baltimore playoff game the opening bit to Your Love? Seems to me I saw a fair number of You Tube videos showing the crowd going nuts when it was played that night.

Sincerely,

Nearly-45-year-old white guy who's really into AC/DC

 

[NortheasternPJ]

Wasn't the big thing that got the crowd pumped up in the 35-31 Baltimore playoff game the opening bit to Your Love? Seems to me I saw a fair number of You Tube videos showing the crowd going nuts when it was played that night.

Sincerely,

Nearly-45-year-old white guy who's really into AC/DC

That's a Scott Zolak thing. It's part of his faux-celeb status.

 

[ifmanis5]

Wasn't the big thing that got the crowd pumped up in the 35-31 Baltimore playoff game the opening bit to Your Love? Seems to me I saw a fair number of You Tube videos showing the crowd going nuts when it was played that night.

Sincerely,

Nearly-45-year-old white guy who's really into AC/DC

Yes, it was a nice call back to this SNL skit: They still play it once in a while. Think I've heard it at Sox games, too.

 

[mt8thsw9th]

Honestly sometimes I hope they don't score so I don't have to hear Bon Jovi.

 

[Rick Burlesons Yam Bag]

Do you know where you are? You're in the jungle, baby. You're going to die off the rails of this crazy train.

WELCOME TO THE 'BLAAAAAAAADDDDEEEE BITCHES!!!!!!


Seriously, when my life flashes in front of my eyes at the end of my life you just nailed the soundtrack for all my trips to Gillette stadium. Plus You shook me all night long and thunderstruck.

 

[Rick Burlesons Yam Bag]

OK, you have a point -- they play "Thunderstruck" way too much. (Shit, that's not even a good AC/DC song.)

But I think there's a larger point there about the suburban (almost exurban) location drawing a crowd that's older and whiter than it would be if the Pats played in Boston -- which probably leads to a quieter crowd, and might explain why the Pats are the only Boston-area pro sports team with a reputation for (relatively) quiet crowds.

Yes, you are correct. I think that most all of the other points I made in my post are bigger factors than the one we are discussing, but between the price of tickets and distance from the city it is a tough draw for a young, angry and loud crowd.

Unlike Philadelphia which has conveniently put bars next to every major SEPTA stop so that young drunken assholes can leave downtown 45 minutes before the game and be in their seat for kickoff........

 

[Rick Burlesons Yam Bag]

That made me laugh.
Terrible stadium music is a great topic, though. It's as if Rock 'N Jock Jams were still a thing.

See, and here is the thing....no stadium crushes it. It is not like at the Linc they are spinning DJ AM-esque mixes to which all get down and funky, but you will get maybe 50 percent same old-same old, 25% rap, 25% stuff that is very very mildly eclectic. Even the Rocky song ("Gonna Fly Now") gets played once before kickoff (always, along with the full montage. I won't lie.....it's cheesy as shit but after about 4 beers you are ready to go into a freezer and punch some frozen beef.....or a person wearing another team's jersey. Whatever.) and no more than one time again during the game.

But Gillette - which I think has some of the best sight lines you could ever want, a great atmosphere and a bunch of other wildly positive attributes - sucks so bad on the music front that it hurts.

 

[TheoShmeo]

The biggest point is the upper bowl, which is somewhere between the lower bowl and Kansas City.

I don't agree with the Foxboro location being much of a factor. Pats crowds were pretty damned loud at the prior stadium.

 

[ifmanis5]

See, and here is the thing....no stadium crushes it. It is not like at the Linc they are spinning DJ AM-esque mixes to which all get down and funky, but you will get maybe 50 percent same old-same old, 25% rap, 25% stuff that is very very mildly eclectic. Even the Rocky song ("Gonna Fly Now") gets played once before kickoff (always, along with the full montage. I won't lie.....it's cheesy as shit but after about 4 beers you are ready to go into a freezer and punch some frozen beef.....or a person wearing another team's jersey. Whatever.) and no more than one time again during the game.

But Gillette - which I think has some of the best sight lines you could ever want, a great atmosphere and a bunch of other wildly positive attributes - sucks so bad on the music front that it hurts.

Totally agreed.
Most venues in all sports play the same 20 songs but Gillette is probably the worst offender. At some point this changes, right? Are we stuck with this forever?

 

[Rick Burlesons Yam Bag]

Totally agreed.
Most venues in all sports play the same 20 songs but Gillette is probably the worst offender. At some point this changes, right? Are we stuck with this forever?

I first made this observation when I went to Gillette to see the Brett Favre-led Jets beat the Patriots in Overtime after Moss made that amazing catch in the end zone. At that time people commented that the music had always been terrible (after the fourth round of the Thunderstruck intro). I went a few years back and the problem was still the same.

Your grandchildren may be sitting there with their kids complaining about the Crazy Train riff being teed up for the 4th time.

 

[genoasalami]

Every football fan should attend an SEC football game. I've been to many FSU and UF games and the first thing that came to mind? "I'm not in New England anymore." It's loud and raucous - and to be honest it is exactly the football experience every fan should want and expect. The scene at Foxborough will never mirror the football scene in Gainesville or Tallahassee. It's college football vs the NFL. A different crowd and more importantly a completely different culture.

The Pats are a victim of their own success. I guarantee you if the Patriots were coming off years of futility and making their first run at the playoffs in a long time the joint would be absolutely jumping. Year after year of success and a Sunday night game against Seattle is pretty much just another game. Been there. Done that.

 

[Marciano490]

I'd love it if US stadiums got in on the European singing and chanting thing. Love when that goes on in soccer or when euros are fighting and their fans tee it up.

 

[Rick Burlesons Yam Bag]

I don't agree with the Foxboro location being much of a factor. Pats crowds were pretty damned loud at the prior stadium.

The composition of the people sitting in the lower bowl has changed dramatically.

Also......you are kind of romanticizing that one a bit.

 

[Rick Burlesons Yam Bag]

I'd love it if US stadiums got in on the European singing and chanting thing. Love when that goes on in soccer or when euros are fighting and their fans tee it up.

Agreed.

 

[NortheasternPJ]

I'd love it if US stadiums got in on the European singing and chanting thing. Love when that goes on in soccer or when euros are fighting and their fans tee it up.

Plus you can gamble in stadium at games. Bring that to the NFL and now we're talking.

 

[Ralphwiggum]

Wait, so are you telling me I should delete the "Gillette Stadium Playlist" off my phone?

 

[Ralphwiggum]

The biggest point is the upper bowl, which is somewhere between the lower bowl and Kansas City.

I don't agree with the Foxboro location being much of a factor. Pats crowds were pretty damned loud at the prior stadium.

I'm not sure this was true.

 

[Sox and Rocks]

I just want to point out how ironic it is that some are pointing to Denver's stadium as an ideal place for noise. When the new mile high replaced the old mile high 15 years ago, the common complaint was that the new stadium was way quieter than the old one, negating part of the home field advantage.

 

[southshoresoxfan]

Love that Carroll pointed out how Gillette is not "nuts" during games.

Been saying since I went to the Indy and Denver road games last year that the Gillette crowds don't come remotely close to what other NFL stadium crowds deliver on game day. And it's not because of the stadium.

Nice humblebrag.

 

[southshoresoxfan]

Guys, do you think if that that arrogant greedy CHEAP owner Mr Kraft would just lower beer prices the fans could get drunker hence increasing crowd noise?

Im frankly disgusted by the Pats. Always cheaping out and its costing them big time here.

 

[kelpapa]

I just want to point out how ironic it is that some are pointing to Denver's stadium as an ideal place for noise. When the new mile high replaced the old mile high 15 years ago, the common complaint was that the new stadium was way quieter than the old one, negating part of the home field advantage.

I have heard this as well from locals. I never went to the old stadium, but I can't imagine it being louder than Sports Authority Field.

I think it's a combination of a couple of things. (1) People were upset when they changed the name from Mile High. (2) The Broncos teams in the late 90s had a great run. There were a lot of important games there that the crowd got up for. (3) Get off my lawn.

 

[singaporesoxfan]

I've never been to Gillette but the bad music mix really is noticeable even on TV… from a DJ perspective you can't just keep playing songs at the same level of intensity, otherwise you won't be able to pump up the crowd when you want to.

 

[genoasalami]

I have heard this as well from locals. I never went to the old stadium, but I can't imagine it being louder than Sports Authority Field.

I think it's a combination of a couple of things. (1) People were upset when they changed the name from Mile High. (2) The Broncos teams in the late 90s had a great run. There were a lot of important games there that the crowd got up for. (3) Get off my lawn.

You actually think that people were not cheering as loud because during the game they were consciously thinking about the name of the stadium? Hey you....keep it down. Crappy stadium name...

 

[southshoresoxfan]

You guys thinks its a coincidence that the crowd was at its quietest right after Question 4 passed? Hmm. Hmm.

 

[PseuFighter]

I mean, yeah, I share a lot of what's already been said in here. Atmosphere at Gillette generally sucks, minus playoffs and some really meaningful marquee games. I also think it's going to clear right out as soon as the team strings together two lousy seasons and Brady / Belichick are gone.

 

[Sox and Rocks]

I have heard this as well from locals. I never went to the old stadium, but I can't imagine it being louder than Sports Authority Field.

I think it's a combination of a couple of things. (1) People were upset when they changed the name from Mile High. (2) The Broncos teams in the late 90s had a great run. There were a lot of important games there that the crowd got up for. (3) Get off my lawn.

The old stadium was not as structurally stable and had metal floorboards, so much of the noise came from people stomping their feet. However, it was also partially open on the south side which allowed more sound to escape than the new one.

The main difference was probably the crowds. There was some complacency after the Elway era ended with back to back super bowls. Remember that Denver went 15 years without a Super Bowl appearance until 2 years ago. It seems like pats fans might be complacent, too (I haven't been to Gillette) and who can blame them?

 

[RG33]

I think the Gilette crowd always has been kind of blah -- mostly because of the shape of the stadium. However, I'm not sure it matters. Do people here think it matters -- like tangibly -- would the Patriots have won more home games the last 15 years if the crowd was better? Or are we purely talking about the fan experience? By my count on Football reference, the Patriots are 108-21 at home during the Billenium. I'm fine with saying our crowd kinda sucks, I just don't think it really matters outside of people that want to wear "12" shirts or whatever.

 

[kelpapa]

You actually think that people were not cheering as loud because during the game they were consciously thinking about the name of the stadium? Hey you....keep it down. Crappy stadium name...

No. People reminisce and romanticize the old Mile High Stadium, instead of the corporate Invesco, or Sports Authority field. It's not really as loud as they remember.

 

[kelpapa]

The old stadium was not as structurally stable and had metal floorboards, so much of the noise came from people stomping their feet. However, it was also partially open on the south side which allowed more sound to escape than the new one.

The main difference was probably the crowds. There was some complacency after the Elway era ended with back to back super bowls. Remember that Denver went 15 years without a Super Bowl appearance until 2 years ago. It seems like pats fans might be complacent, too (I haven't been to Gillette) and who can blame them?

From Wikipedia, "the new stadium was built with steel floors to preserve the unique acoustic."
Although, I found this article, which is probably what you are referencing that said "It's hard to reproduce what was essentially a design flaw, but in an attempt to assuage fans who were angry and upset about razing Mile High, the Broncos tried. They built the stands on metal risers to reproduce some of the noise. But because they were set in concrete, not on the hydraulics, there was no way the stadium could shake the same way."

Maybe it is true. I don't know. I've never been to a stadium in any sport as loud as that one (admittedly, I haven't been to many football games in other stadiums). My brother was at the AFC title game last year, and he said it was louder to any of the other games that I had gone to with him. I can't really imagine it being louder than that, or being able to make a discernible difference several years apart from going to games.

ETA: My brother made the same discernible difference several years apart from the game I went to with him and last year's AFC title game. I guess that cuts both ways.