BEHIND the SCENES Look Of The BILLS New STADIUM: Five Takeaways From Touring HIGHMARK STADIUM

Summary

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Podcast Summary: Buffalo Plus – Inside the New Bills Stadium

Episode Title: BEHIND the SCENES Look Of The BILLS New STADIUM: Five Takeaways From Touring HIGHMARK STADIUM
Date: March 26, 2026
Hosts: Jenna Cottrell & Dan Fetes

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Overview

In this special episode, Jenna Cottrell and Dan Fetes (with Mike Catalana on vacation) take listeners behind the scenes of the nearly completed new Buffalo Bills stadium in Orchard Park, sharing exclusive insights from their guided construction tour. The discussion covers their top five takeaways, what fans can expect on game days, standout stadium features, design philosophy, accessibility, and some personal first impressions.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. First Impressions: Size, Spectacle, and Fan Impact

• Sheer Size and Presence

  • The new stadium dwarfs the old Highmark, making it feel like "a varsity football field next to a professional football stadium" (05:42 - Dan).
  • Walking in yields a dramatic moment—“you walk in and it just opened up to see the field. I just remember as a kid… you walk in and then you just see like green grass... that was kind of my first impression.” (06:57 – Dan)

• Visual Mockups vs. Reality

  • Photos don't do it justice, as converting 3D design to 2D images loses the true sense of space and atmosphere. (05:11 – Jenna)

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2. Seating: Intimacy Meets Immensity

• Stacked Seating Design

  • Seats are stacked “up” rather than “back,” creating a more intimate experience with improved sightlines, even from the highest sections (08:07 – Jenna).
  • “It feels like an NBA arena... so that even the 300, the 400, you’re going to feel a whole lot closer.” (08:43 – Dan)

• Acoustic Engineering for Loudness

  • Stadium architecture and seating pitch promise to “amplify even more the already strong home field advantage... it’s going to be so loud.” (09:06 – Jenna)

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3. Design Philosophy: Built for Bills Football

• Not Built for the Super Bowl

  • “This stadium wasn’t built for a Super Bowl. It was built for the Bills and it was built for football.” (09:59 – Dan, paraphrasing designer)

• Inspired by Tottenham (UK)

  • Designed with a nod to Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, “it does have that soccer field stadium feel... an elevated design for sure.” (11:34– Jenna)

• Open-Air Element

  • Despite an overhang covering 60% of seats, it’s visually much more open than expected—retaining the feel of an open-air Buffalo stadium (12:31– Dan).
  • “Standing there on the sidelines, it didn’t feel like there was a roof at all.” (13:30 – Dan)

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4. Wind, Weather, and Comfort

• Wind Mitigation

  • A much-reduced field wind compared to the swirling “ecosystem” of the old stadium; design aims to keep the open-air feel but control wind better (14:14– Jenna; 14:41– Dan).
  • “We’re standing on the field and there was a light breeze. But compared to what we were outside, it was wild.” (14:41– Jenna)

• Unfinished Details, but On Schedule

  • Stadium is 93% finished, with the remaining work focused on interiors and last touches. "Everything is scheduled... what you guys are seeing... that'll be done by the end of the week." (18:34– Dan, quoting construction lead John Polka)

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5. Premium Fan Experiences

• Field Club Level
  • A more exclusive, high-energy area with a bar, DJ, local art, and field-level access to where players walk to the field. “This is sick... this is really high end... if you can, it’s pretty sick.” (23:26– Dan)
  • Press conference room with fan viewing: “Through panes of glass you’ll be able to see the players being interviewed... something I’ve never heard of, never seen.” (24:27 – Dan)
• Suites & Concourses
  • Suites are more numerous but not enormous; “long and narrow, but great sightlines” (17:31– Jenna).
  • Concourse designed for clear views of the field, wider walkways, and strategic heating throughout.

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6. Accessibility & Amenities

• Fully ADA-compliant with accessible ramps, elevators, and more consideration for people with disabilities—“really had that in mind when planning.” (27:12– Jenna)

• Lingering Concerns:

  • Jenna: “I didn’t see the bathrooms, and I was very curious...” (26:14 – Jenna)
  • Initial concern about possibly narrow sidelines, but “felt more comfortable” on inspection (27:12 – Jenna).

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7. Character, Criticism, and Community

• Debates Over Stadium “Character”

  • Responding to criticism that the new stadium lacks “character”:
    • “You know when there’s going to be a lot of character? When Josh runs a 30-yard touchdown and throws that football into the 400 section. That’s when it’ll have character.” (31:12 – Dan)
  • Stadium “bones are good”—the true sense of place will come when fans fill it and games begin.

• Big Bison Statues

  • A 27-foot bison family (bull, cow, calf) will greet fans at the entrance: “They’re gonna light up. They’re gonna have smoke come out of their nose. ...Again, let it be done. That’s... yeah, I know people wanted big ass buffaloes. Bison. You’re getting big ass bison.” (34:34– Dan)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “It’s the stadium that fans deserve, what Bill’s fans have been deserving for a long time.” (04:28– Dan)
• “It’s huge, but it also feels like an intimate stadium... that’s how it is.” (08:07– Jenna)
• “The wind in the field... was a massive difference.” (17:24– Dan)
• “When you’re walking through the concourse, you’ll be able to see the game. ...It’s like every stadium should have that in place.” (19:55– Dan)
• “Bills fans deserve this is what I was thinking.” (24:03 – Jenna)
• “It’s updating... making it a stadium that, like, fans want to go to and I think it’ll be really cool.” (25:38 – Jenna)
• “For everybody that says, like, there’s no character, it’s like, yeah, there’s nobody in it. Number one; and two, it’s not done. ...Wait until all the T’s are crossed and the I’s are dotted, then this place is going to have a ton of character.” (31:12 – Dan)

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Timestamps for Major Segments

• [03:13] – Stadium construction status and soft launch plans
• [05:42] – Initial impressions: entering the new stadium
• [08:07] – Seating design and intimacy
• [09:59] – Design inspiration and NOT built for a Super Bowl
• [12:31] – Open-air vs. covered design; overhang observations
• [14:14] – Wind and weather control vs. old stadium
• [17:31] – Suites, concourse, and field club level
• [21:37] – Field club: player walkout, press room, fan access
• [26:14] – Accessibility, bathroom concerns
• [31:12] – Addressing stadium criticism and “character”
• [34:22] – Giant bison statue family out front

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Closing Tone

The episode blends enthusiastic fan perspective, practical reporting, and playful banter (including debates about bathroom design and color-matching outfits). Both hosts are bullish on the new stadium's trajectory, see it as a leap forward for Bills fans, but urge viewers to withhold final judgment until it’s filled with fans, noise, and real football.

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For more visuals from their tour, check the Buffalo Plus YouTube channel.

Transcript

[A]

Okay, so a little something different today. As you can tell by our ppe, we're doing a stadium tour for the Bill's new stadium here in Orchard Park. You're an idiot.

[B]

Now from the Connors and Ferris podcast studio. Studio, this is the Buffalo plus podcast.

[A]

All right, welcome back to the Buffalo plus podcast. Mike Catalana, still on a tropical island enjoying his vacation. That is Dan Fates. I am Jenna Cottrell. Please be sure to, like, comment, subscribe, and share. We did the.

[B]

Can I do something?

[A]

What?

[B]

I've seen some videos. They say, like, we're gonna take five seconds right now, and that'll give you the opportunity to, like, comment, subscribe.

[A]

Oh, okay.

[B]

So we're take five seconds right now. Jenna thought I was, like, startling her with some, like, breaking news already, so.

[A]

So, like, now comment in about what we're going to talk about and subscribe. Okay, so pretty straightforward episode. Yeah. So today we're going to do our top five takeaways from. We got to do the stadium tour. It was a lot of fun. Just what we saw. How we think it'll translate for fans, how we think it'll translate for the game day experience. Some of the things we really like, some of the things we might have a couple of concerns about. And we can also get into the very large buffaloes that will be out front of the stadium as well. So it was a fun day. Dan, I just want to start with you. So we got to put on the. The hard hat. I feel like I actually have, like, hard hat hair.

[B]

Your hair looked a lot better like you were on camera afterwards. Mine was rough, but I like. I will say I like the helmets.

[A]

Yeah. The safety vest, but we got to go and walk around and just see what this build has been like.

[B]

Jenna did say that blue collar looks good on me. She goes, I think maybe your blue collar. I was like, I. I appreciate that also.

[A]

I kind of take back. Yeah, yeah, it was a.

[B]

It was a fleeting moment.

[A]

Yes.

[B]

A poor compliment, but, yeah, it was again. I just thought it was really cool. We've been trying to get into the stadium for quite some time to get a tour. And I know. I didn't know what you were expecting, Jenna, but I think we got exactly what I was expecting to see. We did not see the locker rooms. We did not see the visiting locker rooms. We didn't see the press conference room, really, any. Anything like that. What the best part, I think the team is saving as. As they should. It's. It's their baby. It's their present and they're going to unveil it when the time comes. I think we've seen a lot of the drone shots and all of that stuff, which has been very cool to see again for a lot of fans that are, you know, watching here. Like, you've been thinking and told and teased about a new stadium for such a long time. And to actually see it, as they said, 93, 93% done. They're still on schedule. That's what they're saying. They. They then they will shift from construction to substantial.

[A]

So substantial completion is still on schedule to be in June. Then the Bills plan on doing some soft launch events in the summer earlier on. But I think the Bills are really looking at that return of the red and blue scrimmage as like a way to kind of get bands back into the stadium. And then obviously for preseason games and then the home opener, which will be super exciting. But getting to go in there and you're right, like, we really have been trying to get in there for a tour and, and it's so funny. You drive by and so much, and we've seen so many cranes and like the building, many cranes in the exterior, and you're like, what's going on in there? And to be. Be able to get to go inside and just see the sight lines that we've seen so many mockups of and, and getting to see what it'll be like for fans and just the level up that it is like Highmark Stadium, so many memories. The old one, like, you know, I think about that final game and the Google Dolls playing and people with tears in their eyes and, like, just saying goodbye to that stadium. But now we're about to. To turn the page and start the new chapter in a new home. And I just think for so many Bills fans, they're going to love what they see because it's so. It's beautiful.

[B]

It really is beautiful. It's the stadium that fans deserve, what Bill's fans have been deserving for a long time. And I will say this for everybody that watches the audio or listens to the audio podcast, this will probably be one that you'll want to check out on the YouTube channel, because we are going to put in the video to kind of give you a taste of what we saw. And that being said, some of that still doesn't do it justice.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

You know what I'm saying?

[A]

Like, absolutely. I tweeted out like, oh, my gosh, the new Bill stadium is beautiful on Twitter. And can you imagine that people were rude and mean and said, I need to grow up.

[B]

I was going to say that we will. I want to address some of the comments at the end of people being like, it's a big, bland, boring stadium. I'll.

[A]

I'll.

[B]

I'll save that to the end because I don't want that to. To ruin anything. Because I. I guess I can understand the troll, like comments, but I think there's a reason and I think we'll get to that and explaining more why towards the end. But.

[A]

Well, my thing is too, like, the photos, it's tough because you're taking a 3D image and making it 2D when you look at a photo and you can't really capture the essence of the building. So trolls aside, I think people are going to love it. We can start off with just first walking into the stadium.

[B]

Yeah. First thing I like, the first thing I wrote down here on was just the. Our five takeaways as we kind of go take you guys through the tour that we got to go on was Jen, to me was the sheer size of the building. And that's something we've talked about. Like, when you drive by on was it 219 and terrific at roads. Yeah. But, like, you see, like, the. That the old High Mark stadium looks like a varsity football field next to. Now what is a professional football stadium? Like, the sheer footprint that it is is massive. And it's. It's kind of funny because the building is so big. And then you entered and, like, the field looks small because of the building being so big. And that. To me, the coolest part was we walked in, and again, there'll be more than one gate that people will arrive in. But the gate that they had us come in, you walked right in and it just opened up to see the field. And I just remember as a kid, like, your first few times going to, like, a baseball stadium or you go to something like that and you walk in and then you just see, like, green grass. And it was like, right then and there you stopped and had that moment. That was kind of what was my first impression of, like, oh, wow. Like, here it is.

[A]

Yeah. Because it is. First of all, you see, like, the untouched grass, and you're like, wow.

[B]

And there is grass.

[A]

There is grass. Yes, there's grass. There is turf on, like, the sidelines, but there is grass. And the grass looks impeccable.

[B]

Lush.

[A]

Impeccable.

[B]

Yeah, lush.

[A]

But no, I agree. I think for fans, that's gonna be the first thing you're gonna do. You're gonna. Which Also a note I thought this was kind of cool, is that you go through security first and then ticketing later. So it's not the same experience. There's a little bit of a buffer in between, and I think that might help in making things a little bit more streamlined. Walking into the stadium just to have that little bit of separation, but, like walking out and just getting to see a. How. Like, how. And one of this is one of my takeaways is like, the seating. And we've heard so much about how stacked the seating is, but actually getting to see it with your eyes and just seeing how close it's going to feel for almost every seat to feel to the action. And you can't really sense that when you look at pictures, but being in the building, you're like, whoa, it just. It's huge, but it also feels like an intimate stadium. If that makes. It doesn't make sense. But I'm telling you, that's how it is.

[B]

No, it does, because I feel like for the longest time, people, like, stadiums were built. And I use my experience of Turner Field, which was built for the Olympics in 1995 for the. Where the Braves played, and they. It seated 80,000 people because he wanted to see. You don't get 80,000 people on a regular basis. Every stadium is getting smaller so that you feel more closer to the action. And that stacking that you're talking about, Jenna, instead of the seats going like a bowl, it goes up.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

And what that reminded me a lot of. And I know some other people commented as well when we were going through the tour. It feels like an NBA arena.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

It feels like where you'd watch an NHL game, where the seats go up instead of back, so that even the 300, the 400, like, you're going to feel a whole lot closer. Because the way that.

[A]

Yeah, because of math. You are math.

[B]

Like.

[A]

Like just literally going out, they go up.

[B]

So you're literally closer. Your distance to the field is closer.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

That's why you guys come here for Buffalo. Plus, God, astronomy and genetics.

[A]

Genetics. That's wild. No, I thought it was really cool. And I think that's going to be something that really does strike people right off the top. And going off of that. I think one of the other things that my takeaway was is because of how the stadium is situated and with the. The pitch of the. The stands, I think it's going to be so loud. And they have talked about how with this setup and it feeling more intimate, and you could definitely get that Sense about how that will amplify even more the already strong home field advantage in western New York. But I think that's going to be something that. It's already loud at high mark. We know that. But I think with just the dynamics, also the sound system in general, but just with the fans and how they're situated, it's going to be that much more energy, which seems crazy to even say.

[B]

One of the designers that was talking about the stadium and the layout and all these things. Did you catch this when he said it? He said that, like, this stadium wasn't built for a Super Bowl. Yeah. It was built for the Bills and it was built for football.

[A]

It was built for Bills football.

[B]

And so that, to me, kind of struck chord. And they talked about the state of the art music, that sound system that they're going to have. Whereas they had four panels before, now they have 25.

[A]

I thought it was 32.

[B]

It was a. It's a lot.

[A]

It's a substantial number.

[B]

It's a lot more. And they talked about how they can now have music playing and sound on one side of the stadium to the other side of the stadium. So you think about the Bills and the songs and all of that stuff will kind of be able to reverberate throughout the stadium, which I think is just a really cool touch. And I wanted to bring it up because you more than anybody, I've always thought. And it's not just my impression, it's what they model it after was they modeled it a lot after Tottenham. And, like, even the outside of the building, to me visually, has always looked like a European soccer field.

[A]

Yes.

[B]

Okay. That's the feel that they have on the outside. And then to walk on the field and we'll get to where we walked on the field from. They were saying that they were taken back by what Tottenham was and when they stood at midfield and how it felt. And the guy was saying that John Polka, who is the head of, like, the construction on the site and VP of stadium development. Thank you. He's like, I still feel like that is. Now you've been at Tottenham.

[A]

Yes.

[B]

You've been at Sofi. Like, you've been at some of these modern stadiums. I've never been to Tottenham. I haven't been to Sofi. Did it feel like that to you?

[A]

No, I mean, it definitely did. It. It does have that, like, soccer field stadium feel, which obviously they modeled it after Tottenham. And it's a beautiful stadium. And going. And being in Orchard park yesterday, like, you definitely get that Sense. And it is like an elevated design for sure. It's, it's, it wants to bring like the aesthetics also to a stadium build. It's not just like how it was at Highmark where it's like, here are your bleachers, here's the field, there it is. And because of that, you, you sense that how intentional they were about the design. One of the things that did surprise me, and I don't want to speak for you, but for me, you know, we've heard so much about the roof and I feel like at Tottenham it was more substantially over the fans. Whereas I believe they say 60% of the stadium is covered. But visually when you are looking at it, it looks more open than I think I was originally expecting.

[B]

That was my biggest takeaway by far. Seeing all of the drone shots that we have gotten to see throughout the last year. Plus as the roof has kind of been. Or the overhang I believe is what they're calling it. You're like, man, it's, it's almost, I wonder what it's going to feel like inside. I almost thought like it would feel like a dome because from above it just looks like it covers so much. Standing there on the sidelines, it didn't feel like there was a roof at all. Like it, you didn't even notice the overhang like by any way where it still felt like very much like the old High Mark stadium. Like a very open, Somebody's at my house. That to me was the most impressive and most surprising thing to me where I was like, I wonder how much you're going to feel that overhang. I didn't feel it at all. Like, it just felt like an open air stadium through and through. Where that to me was cool because you didn't build a dome, so don't have it feel like a dome. And I thought that was really surprising.

[A]

I thought it was a nice cross section. It wasn't what I was expecting, but I do think it was a nice way to have like a lot of the, like the fans. There's a lot of fan seating that is covered. Like, even if you're not up top, there's, it's being covered by other, other things. Like other.

[B]

The way that stacked.

[A]

The way that it is stacked. So I'm like, that's great for fans, but when you're on the field, you're like, oh yeah, you can look right up. Like it, it does have that feel of like, okay. I thought it would feel more enclosed. Like you're talking about.

[B]

I really Did.

[A]

But I know that they wanted to keep that home field advantage. Buffalo, western New York, the weather, a piece of it. And I think they did a nice job of blending that. But that also brings me to my next point of. We went, yeah, it was a windy day.

[B]

This is wild.

[A]

And so I was genuinely concerned because you go to the old high mark and there's an ecosystem within that stadium. Like, it's a swirling breeze that comes through there, and we know how much wind has affected teams being in there. And so it was a windy day. I'm like, that's one of the things I want to check out. We're standing on the field and there was a. There was a light breeze.

[B]

Yes.

[A]

But compared to what we were outside, it was wild. The difference in the best way.

[B]

And I didn't notice it as much because it was still cold. It was like 30 something degrees when we took the tour. But then it was walking out.

[A]

Yeah. I was like, wow. I didn't re. I didn't even realize how windy it was.

[B]

That was. Yeah, that was where it hit. And John Polka was talking about that, that they're not. All of the panels are fully in yet. The wind system that they have engineered isn't fully complete yet. They have done. They have done some data analysis on it. They are pleased with what they have seen so far. They need a bigger sample size. But I think a lot of people saw that it was. Was it on Hard Knocks when Josh asked about the wind?

[A]

Yes, I think it was.

[B]

I think it may have been Hard Knocks. When he was asked about it, he's

[A]

like, maybe it was an embedded. I can't remember.

[B]

It was one of those. But again, I was like, oh, it's cold in here. That's probably what, like, I'm feeling. And then to walk out to, like, the parking lot to go back to our cars, and I was like, oh, it's a. It's a pretty windy day. Just like it is. Do you want to hear a fun fact?

[A]

What?

[B]

So at Fredonia, it's very windy.

[A]

Really? I don't. I know that.

[B]

Right by Lake Erie.

[A]

Okay.

[B]

Okay. There's a building, and it's called Maidum hall, and it's like a half moon entry building. Okay. It's. If you see pictures of, like, Fredonia and like their promos, it's like the building they show, and it was built to funnel wind out of the campus.

[A]

Oh, okay. That's cool.

[B]

They built it backwards and it funnels all the air through the campus. So you could have.

[A]

I Feel like that's not a ringing endorsement for Fredonia.

[B]

Hey, hey. Most bars per capita or whatever it is, like, but I just think of that. So like even so that's why I guess, I guess I still a little bit had my guard up where it's like, hey, we have this plan. This is what the wind's going to do. And it's like, yeah, I don't. I've heard about these plans about controlling wind and you mess one thing up and you're. You got a wind tunnel again. So it was. That was a massive difference noticing and I think it's also because of the way that the air is going to flow through the stadium. There's different tunnels. It's not just the one like four tunnels. So yeah, to me the wind and the feeling of it not being as enclosed as what the dome, the drone shots have shown us, those were the two things. And again I'm gonna put in some of the video that we took from this tour in this video on YouTube. So if you're watching on YouTube, make sure to like comment, subscribe. If you're watching on the audio, listening on the audio side, be sure to check it out because we'll definitely have some clips in. But that to me was the wind and those things really stood out.

[A]

Seating wind, how loud it's expected to be. You're right. Then the coverage of the roof or lack thereof.

[B]

Yeah, we got to see a suite. The suite was pretty cool.

[A]

Yeah. I mean the.

[B]

It wasn't the biggest suite. I think that's also because they want to have so many of them. So there maybe not be the biggest ones.

[A]

It was narrow like it was like long and narrow.

[B]

Yes. Great sight lines to see the game. Beautiful. And then they have this convection induction. Induction induction stone stone where they said that they could have food, that each portion can be temperature controlled things cold and hot things. So you could have wings next to you know, shrimp cocktail.

[A]

Which I was like that sounds good.

[B]

I was like, so like you didn't bring any of that though on the tour.

[A]

But I said that was me up.

[B]

It's where they thought of everything. And. And that kind of leads us to. They talked about the concourse. We didn't. None of that stuff seems really finished. They talked about how like there were places that we saw that like didn't have drywall up. And they were like, hey, by the way, from seeing what this is where you guys are seeing like the bare bones to what like the other parts that you have seen that are mostly done. He Goes, it'll take like, four days.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Like, that's how many crews we have in here. He's like, so you guys see this and think, like, oh, this needs to be done. They're like, yeah, this will be done by the end of the week. And you're like, what? And like I said, there were people working when we were there. Like, everything was. We were in a construction site.

[A]

It felt like a. A beehive. Like, there was, like, different parts where people were. There were a ton of people working. You know, the loud machinery. They were testing the fire alarm while we were there. You know, there were people. Well, like, there was everything still going on as we're walking through. But, yeah, you're like, ooh, I hope they're going to be able to get done. But you're right. John Polka was like, that'll be done in four days. You're like, wow. The. The manpower and the stuff they said that.

[B]

They're like, we did something. We didn't like the way that it looked. We're fixing it. Like, all of those, like, intricate details again, it's. Everything is scheduled. I know people are expecting to be like, they're behind. They're behind. The grass isn't in. Like, they haven't planted the seat. Like, stop.

[A]

Grass looks great. I get it. And it is one of those things, too, where there's so much to be done that, I mean, it's a huge undertaking. So it's. It's. I feel like it's. How do I say this? There's so much. He was talking about. John Polka was talking about how, like, there's, like, essentially the last little bit to do, and that's where it really all comes together. But this is like, the hardest part is because you're really, like, making sure that everything is how it's supposed to be.

[B]

Nobody's celebrating. They always talk about the last. Like, you know. You know, 20 is the. Is the most to get done. So all of that goes into it. They talked about. It was funny. And again, they're also selling it. But they talked about the concourse. And, you know, they're like. By the way, like, when you're walking through the concourse, you'll be able to see the game. Unlike where old. The old High Mark Stadium. And it's like. It's like every arena, like. Like, it was just funny. Like, that is so different that if you're going to go up and, you know, the defense is on the field, you're like, I'm going to go grab a beer. You. You'll be able to see the game when you're walking through as compared to at high mark where you left the. The stands and you are now blind from the game. So that was just one of those funny things where it was like. Yeah, it's. It's like every stadium should have that in place.

[A]

They were wider too. It's actually like shocking when you want walk went through the old high mark how like narrow the concourses were. But it's a lot bigger and they had heaters everywhere. Yeah. Which I love. I, you know me, I would love that if I were going to a game I would. That's where I would be.

[B]

And they talked about all the different things they can host there of events and like the atriums and lobbies. Like they said that the one spot that they had for like suites could hold like 750 people. They can do whatever events they would want to do there. And it's about the size of what the Keybank center atrium is. Like that's. There is no space like that at Highmark.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Like at the old one, like you walked in, they were your vendors, they were your concourse and like the stadium, like that's all there was. Like the amount of extra room, like that's where I talked like the footprint, the layout of what this building is, is massive compared to the actual playing surface which seems small in this massive building.

[A]

Yeah. One of my favorite parts, and I think this will be really cool for fans is we went down a flight of stairs so we were like field level and it's going to be called the field Club. Now I do think they talked about this as being a more like premium experience.

[B]

Yes.

[A]

So I don't know how much this will be, but there was a really cool bar, there was gonna be. There's gonna be a dj I guess there's gonna be food down there and local art.

[B]

Like.

[A]

Yes.

[B]

I mean it's a whole vibe.

[A]

Yeah. Yeah. It's a really cool spot. And then you can also see like the players walking out onto the field. And I think for fans that's. And look, this is, this is something you see a lot of other places.

[B]

And that's why sometimes like not to say that the tour like didn't blow me away, but we have been like in the bones of a lot of stadiums. Like when we're walking to media rooms and like we're a lot of times like we can't walk during certain times because like players are coming on and off the field. Like all of that stuff happens like behind the scenes that you don't see like at High Mark Stadium. The players, the media, the refs, the Gatorades, like all of that came out of one tunnel, but now that's kind of all hidden. But like you've seen it at Dallas and you see it at Kansas City. You've seen those shots of Travis Kelce like walking off the field like through the fans of like a bar. And it really had like a club. Club like feel like they wanted to be energy. They want people to feel like you're close there. So again, their seats were 100 level seats and it was called something along lines of the field, club level. But you could go underneath. You have access through the playing field as well as through an escalator that went down. The bar was designed in the. What the Bill's emblem is.

[A]

Oh yeah, it's all red.

[B]

Everything was. But like the detail that went into all of that.

[A]

Yes.

[B]

Was very thought of. And then when the Bills are going to walk through to get on the field for warmups, it's open. Like there's a, a half wall, but they're not putting up any glass. Like you're going to be able to see here. Yeah, I imagine a couple high fives. Like if you have that level access, like that is really cool. There's LED screens that are along the way that are state of the art. Like that to me was like that was the first time when I walked, when we walked down where I was like, this is sick. Yeah, this is, this is really high end. Again, not every fan is going to experience that, but if you can, it's pretty sick.

[A]

Yeah, it reminded me of Dallas a lot where it's like, wow, the fans are right here. It's really cool setup with the bar. You talk about the energy and just having more access to the players in a way that that hasn't been the case before. And I think they, they really had the fan experience in mind when they were building that aspect of it. I thought it was really cool. I was like, this is nice. Like this, like Bill's fans deserve. This is what I was thinking.

[B]

And then the other cool thing that that is in that field, club level bar there. We're still working on it. DJ booth, like you were saying, screens, all that stuff through like a couple of dividers is where the post game interview room is. So through these panes of glass you'll be able to see the players being interviewed. You won't be able to hear them. And then from the press conference room there Will be a tempered glass or a mirror glass. Like, Josh won't get distracted looking out, but to be able to see in is something that I've never heard of, never seen. To give fans access to see the postgame media interviews, I thought was really kind of a neat touch in the way that they go. It was something we thought about and then the design just worked. And you're looking over there like, that's pretty sick. That, like, also, it looks so big and open.

[A]

Yeah. The post game press conference room, which is ideal because there's obviously a ton of media. It made me nervous. I was like, I don't need more witnesses.

[B]

Correct. You won't be able to see them.

[A]

They could be like 50 US.

[B]

Correct. But there could be like 15 deep and Jenna won't notice it.

[A]

Yeah, I guess that's fair. No, I did think that that was. That was cool, though. And, yeah, I just think it's. It's updating. It's making it a stadium that, like, fans want to go to, and I think it'll be really cool. Did you have any concerns? No, I had. I had a couple. I had. I had two things that I was concerned about. One, and this could not be a concern, but I didn't see the bathrooms, and I was very curious about the bathrooms because as a woman, I always get annoyed when a place only has, like, a couple bathrooms. I'm assuming they're going to have that covered. But realistically, I just want to see the bathrooms.

[B]

Worried about troughs.

[A]

Not the troughs, but, like, is this

[B]

what this is about?

[A]

Sometimes, like, the rest stops on the thruway, they redid it great. They look nice, but they, like, took away a bunch of stalls. So as a woman, you're like, I have to wait because Instead of having 25 stalls, now there's only eight because they look cooler. Okay. You don't think again.

[B]

We also have to stop frequently.

[A]

Yeah, I have. Yeah, I have to pee all the time. It's whatever. I'm hydrated. Either way, it could not be a concern. I just. I always want to see.

[B]

I don't think.

[A]

And I know there's other people that agree. If you agree with me and you feel the same way, let me know in the comments because I know that that, that is something that is a part of a stadium experience.

[B]

I don't think that they've designed this stadium to the level that what we have seen. And thinking about air and snow removal and they were like, the bathrooms. We forgot to have enough bathrooms.

[A]

I just wanted to See what they were like. I just wanted to see. I think there's other people. Oh, this is something that I think is important. They were very cognizant of, like, ADA stuff. Making sure there's, like, great. Making sure there's enough ramps for, like, people who are disabled or have wheelchairs, plenty of, like, elevator access. I really think that was top of mind when they were building the stadium as well. So I feel like there's a lot more options and more, like, accessibility for people, which I think is great, because the last, like, high mark was not really conducive. So this is. I think they had that in mind when they were planning some of the other portions of the stadium. But my other concern. My other concern. And it wasn't as much when we got onto the fields, but from above, I was like, ooh, the sidelines look kind of narrow. And that was one thing that stuck out to me because we are on the sidelines for games, and there's a ton of Bills players that are on the sidelines. There's personnel on the sidelines. There's obviously a lot of media as well. So it can feel really cramped really quickly. And so when we walked out originally, I'm like, ooh, the sidelines look kind of smaller. So that was something that I was concerned about. But then when we were actually physically on the sidelines, I was like, okay, I. I felt a little bit more comfortable.

[B]

Yeah, I don't think anything's going to be more narrow than what high mark. The old high mark was like, especially because you have the. The trolley camera that goes up and down the sidelines like it is. It is very narrow. And pretty much every other stadium we go to on the road, there's more space. And especially when they said you not only talk about the Bills players, but you're talking about all of when there's Thursday night games and Sunday night games and Monday night games. Like, there's so many extra people, especially Thursday night games. Right. So all of that gets factoring. You know, they have places already set aside for where, you know, Amazon set will be and where the visiting media can do shots and all of that stuff. Like, they've really thought that through. I thought the legends end at the one side of the field that's, like, right now it just kind of looks like stone, but that seems like more of, like, the party deck kind of feel. I thought that was cool. The video monitors up. I thought all that looked really sharp and clean.

[A]

Yeah, no, I did. I did like that as well. I Just. I just saw it and was like, ooh, I'm curious how that will go. We're being on NFL regular season will kick off Wednesday, September 9th at 8:20 in Seattle with the super bowl champion Seahawks. Wednesday says Wednesday, September 9th. It says the San Francisco 49ers will face the Los Angeles Rams in the first ever NFL regular season game in Melbourne, Australia on Thursday, September 10th at approximately 8:35.

[B]

Man, they're milking. They're milking all of it. They're gonna get a whole week.

[A]

Yeah, that's pretty wild.

[B]

That's wild. Opening night should be Thursday.

[A]

Yeah, I agree. But now it's Wednesday, so I want to make sure I read that right.

[B]

Yeah, they did.

[A]

It's Wednesday, September 9th, Lumen Field. Okay.

[B]

Okay.

[A]

Did you have any concerns?

[B]

No, not really any concerns. And my one thing, you know, as we kind of wrap this up, there's videos on Tick Tock and Instagram and YouTube shorts and our Twitter pages and all that stuff. But it was also just the fact of. I know people were saying, because some of my comments were, boy, this stadium has no character. A stadium that has no character is MetLife Stadium. Like 2:18. And whether you want to be critical of what the outside looks like, like, I think about what Allegiant Field. Like, it just is a. It's a big black building. Like, that's, that's the appeal of it. And so I thought of. We were driving back and I was seeing some of the comments, like, no character. I was like, well, it's a lot of empty walls and, and there's nobody in it. Like, how many times do we walk into a stadium that even is. I think of the Raven Stadium and I think of the Bengals. Both have cool atmospheres. When we're there five hours before kickoff, I'm not like, look at all this character. And I even think about when you're building a house. And I know some people have built or remodeled or gutted houses and then you kind of put them back together. You don't walk in when there's still studs showing. Being like, this has got so much charm and character. Like, give it a second. You know? You know when there's going to be a lot of character? When Josh runs a 30 yard touchdown and throws that football into the 400 section. Okay? Like, that's when it'll have character. So like, even when you're. You're going to look at a house and it's staged, it doesn't mean it may not have the charm. But when Your stuff's in it, and you wake up in the morning and your family's in it. You're like, this house is perfect. So for everybody that says, like, there's no character. It's like, yeah, there's. There's nobody in it. Like, number one and two, it's not done. So, yeah, just pump the brakes. Like, the lack of no character. Like, wait until everything. All the T's are crossed and the eyes are dotted. Like, then I think this place is going to have a ton of character, because that is the Bill's way. Like, high mark. Well, you want to say high mark had character because it was old and. But you had memories there, so.

[A]

No, I hear you. It's. I agree. It's. It's an empty house right now. It's got great bones. The bones are good. You just got to go in. And that's what they're doing. And that's just. We're just not there yet in the process of it.

[B]

Right.

[A]

But. Yeah, I hear you. I mean, I agree. I think going in, it's like, oh, this. You're. You're picturing what it will be like on game day.

[B]

That's exactly it.

[A]

I think that's.

[B]

And we weren't there on a game day.

[A]

No, we.

[B]

We were there in a construction site

[A]

when it was March and, like, gray and cold. Yeah.

[B]

So that's where I was just like, push back. And I. I get it. There are the trolls that are just going to say. And I'm sure they were some Ravens fans, and.

[A]

And I had some Chiefs fans.

[B]

I don't. I just thought it was very cool. Some of the things that they thought about the design was what it's going to be. But there's still, like, very few things have been completely buttoned up. Like, John Polka was saying that, like, this hasn't even been handed over to us yet to do the furniture package and to do all these things. Like, when you start to see that stuff come in, I think, you know, when we get to May and June and July, like, then all of a sudden, when we get to see the locker room, when you get to see the Bills players walk out of that tunnel for the first time, and you're going to see all those videos, then I think you're gonna be like, that's a really cool element that they put into that stadium when they run out of the tunnel. And it's not just the couple of buffaloes that they wheeled out of the tunnel. I think there's going to be an actual Display and a presentation for when the Bills now enter the field on a night game or a one o' clock game. All of that will give it the character. Just pump the brakes before you piss all over it.

[A]

Yeah, well, yeah, people love doing that. But I do think it's important to know you're right. Like the furniture, packages and stuff like that still have yet to be done. But John Polka was talking about when you're a fan walking into the stadium, when you do walk into the stadium, it. That stuff's all gonna be done. The stuff that's like still left to be done is not going to be to the normal fan. You're not going to realize that or see that.

[B]

Yeah. Also big ass buffaloes.

[A]

How many?

[B]

Yeah, they're like 27ft. It's a bull.

[A]

A cow.

[B]

A cow. Thank you. A bull. A cow and a calf family.

[A]

I think that's cute.

[B]

I like that.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

And they said that the bull, the dad is 27ft. So it's like four and a half times Josh Allen's height. I loved how they compared it to Josh Allen's height. They're gonna light up. They're gonna have smoke come out of their nose. They'll light up different colors. That to me, I think is going to be where they called it like the family center for family circle. Like I thought all of that's cool. Like, yeah, again, let it be done. Like that's was. Yeah, yeah, I know people wanted big ass buffaloes. Bison. You're getting big ass bison.

[A]

Yeah. I want to see what they look like when they're done.

[B]

They're renderings right now.

[A]

Yes.

[B]

They're going to be big ass buffalo. Bison. Damn it.

[A]

I think you just want to keep saying that.

[B]

Yeah, I just like for these cutaways. Big ass bison.

[A]

I'm proud of you. Okay, anything else to touch on before we do have a couple? One. We have one thing that we need to address.

[B]

Size. Walking in. Super nice. These are my notes.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Concourse, sweets, field club level, wind. That's it.

[A]

Okay. So in the last podcast, if you watched, I thought preclude was a word. It is not a word. I learned something. It's preclude.

[B]

See how they treat me.

[A]

I didn't know that was a word. I like perclude better. Just for the record.

[B]

Also, Jenna doesn't look as much like a giant.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

I. Dan and I think our audio levels are better.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Again, we're doing this by ourselves. Like we don't have any producer back there behind the cameras. So when I started listening to it, and I went. The other day that I listened to the audio side, I was like, jenna's real quiet, and I'm yelling. I am yelling.

[A]

I mean, truth be told, that's probably how people would experience us.

[B]

Yes.

[A]

Normally. Yeah. Thank you to Dan for moving around the furniture as well. I picked a shirt that's not the same as the couch.

[B]

What was the best comment?

[A]

Oh, my God, the comment. I literally.

[B]

I shout out to this comment.

[A]

I know I clipped it. I was laughing so hard. It's from Ken Wozate. 4, 3, 6. Jenna looks like she's wearing the couch. It was so good.

[B]

I've done that, too. One of the times I was doing Uncle Dan's Best Bets in, my sweater was the exact color of the couch, and I started to do it, and I was on a losing streak, and I was like, and I look like the couch. I was like, I look like the couch. But the fact that he said, you're wearing the chair was so good.

[A]

It was phenomenal. So shout out, Ken. That made me laugh so hard. So thank you. But, yeah, so it's preclude. Preclude, Preclude.

[B]

It's the opposite of conclude what I imagine it is.

[A]

The preclude means prevent from happening. Make impossible.

[B]

This is my charm, as Marty Baran would say.

[A]

Yeah, well, I had to own it. I was wrong. I don't have a mug, but. Oh, I have the. Jenna is always right. We're gonna have to make your mug around, but yes. Okay. I think that's. I mean.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Yeah, that was perfect.

[B]

Let us know your thoughts on the stadium from what you've seen. What your. What your. What your concern is, what you think you like.

[A]

What, are you excited some people are gonna agree with me with the bathrooms. I'm not saying they're not going to be. I'm not saying they're going to be bad. I'm just saying I would have liked to have seen them.

[B]

I was gonna say something I probably shouldn't.

[A]

Okay, then don't.

[B]

I was gonna say, like, in the men's room, it'd be nice if they had, like, the TV's above the urinals. Yeah, you women probably don't have that.

[A]

Probably not, but we're right like that.

[B]

Again, thoughts going through my head. Because, guys, you know when you go to that bar and there's the TVs, like, you're watching March Madness, and the. There's the mini TV over the urinal? That's elite. That's elite.

[A]

No, that's that's, that's cool.

[B]

Some.

[A]

I wonder what happened to the trough. Didn't they try to sell it?

[B]

Yeah. Part of my take. I know. I was trying to buy it. I think there's more than one trough.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Time troughs are older now than they were before.

[A]

Okay, coming in. Yes. What you think of the videos, what you have, what you're really liking. If you have any concerns, I think Bill's fans are going to be really excited. It's gonna be really cool and I'm excited for Buffalo to have a state of the arts stadium.

[B]

Yes.

[A]

That is going to be amazing.

[B]

The house that Josh built.

[A]

Absolutely. All right. For Dan Fates and my kind of Catalana. Who's. Or I can say that. Right. Okay, whatever. I'm Jenna. Thanks for watching. Please be sure to like comment, subscribe and share. We'll catch you next time here on the Buffalo plus podcast.

[B]

Buffalo plus.