The Xfinity Center — Attraction in Mansfield

careful where you sit, big chunks of hanging paint, the ceiling looks super sketchy. they sell Liquid Death water by the can, there's no alcohol in it so don't be turned off by the name. they also have lots of adult beverages. the chicken nuggets tasted like saw dust, actually I think saw dust might be better. I parked in green lot which is a paid area that's easier to get out of, well the signage on the way in through the main parking area is lousy. I didn't see a single sign saying green lot this way until we asked 3 people to direct us to it. the acoustics are great. I saw Phish there and unfortunately a lot of people smoke weed at fish concerts and there was so much weed in there. that was just a haze across the entire amphitheater part and it got actually a little overwhelming so we had to go walk around to get some fresh air and I talked to some of the staff there asking if we could relocate to seats that were further back than what we had paid for that were already vacant and they said no we couldn't do that and I was talking about 15-20 rows further back just so that we could have some breathable air so that kind of aggravated me and we found one place to stand and they told us we couldn't stand there that we had to stand against the wall. so at that point I want to say we were about 30 rows back standing and that was where we could get fresh air so that kind of sucked. but I understand it was fish. people smoke a lot of weed eh? there was a lot of edibles being passed around. everyone was in a good mood. everyone was very upbeat the staff. they had a tremendous amount of staff of all different varieties whether they were concession stand or whether they were monitoring for safety cuz I had cops and stuff and directing people to their seats. I mean there was just staff everywhere so that was nice but it would have been nicer if you know they were a little more understanding about their inability to police all the weed and someone who doesn't want to be around it asking to be able to move further back. not asking for an upgrade asking for an actual downgrade and getting some actual consideration so it ended up being so bad that we left about an hour before the concert got over. I've been waiting to see fish for years. we left an hour early because there was so much pot.in the air kind of...

I went to two concerts in the summer of 2023 (Boy George and Foreigner). In general- it's a very good venue for live concerts. It's okay to drive almost an hour from Boston, to be able to go to concerts at reasonable prices. Although it's only enjoyable in good weather since large seating areas are open to the sky.

The place is well organized and maintained, good staff, free parking in very large lots with attendants, clean restrooms, free water fountains, fun atmosphere. High quality stage, lighting, sound and special effects.

Yet there are several significant downsides:

The food and beverages are very overpriced, as stated in other reviews, maybe because they have big expenses due to overstaffing.

The music volume is way too high, it leaves your ears ringing. Prolonged exposure to such high decibels causes irreversible hearing loss, and it's needless. People can hear well and enjoy good music at much lower volumes. Maybe they should spread some speakers closer to the rear to distribute the sound to the lawn area, instead of blasting from near the stage. In the second concert I used high-fidelity earplugs, which helped a lot but somewhat compromised the sound clarity.

Another reason to leave my good seat and go far back, was the clouds of smoke, as people were vaping, smoking weed and cigarettes (even the singer commented on that). This venue seems to attract a lot of inconsiderate people, and the staff turns a blind eye. The rear lawn offers better fresh air and pretty good views, also thanks to the large screens.

And then after the concert, it took me about 45 minutes (!) to get from parking lot #11 out to the main street. Hundreds of cars were sitting in long traffic jams, idling and polluting the air, as if all the smoke inside the venue wasn't enough. Both before and after the concert, there were guys walking around the parking lots and drive lanes, selling T-shirts, which worsened delays and traffic jams.

Bottom line: it's a good venue for live music, we enjoyed and will probably return in the future. Try to get there early, like an hour before the first concert starts, to get a spot in the parking lots that are closer to the main street. Have a good dinner before getting there, bring high-fidelity...

I’m so glad that because I’m an adult I can decide to never come here again. Read along for my recounting of last night. During entry every staff member was rude and pushy, yelling at us to form correct lines and repeatedly yelling at a woman in front of us that umbrellas weren’t allowed in the venue. I was asked not to open my water bottle yet even after I had my bag checked and went through metal detectors. If you have social anxiety, entry is a nightmare. It felt worse than going to the airport and everyone around us was on edge and annoyed by the way we were being treated. There’s a very limited selection of food and it’s reminiscent of what you’d find at a state fair; fried dough, french fries, chicken fingers, cold nachos. Mixed cocktails are $38. We had covered seats due to rain and when it’s a full crowd, it is packed. We watched a group of people several rows in front of us almost get into a fist fight because they were standing/blocking the view of people behind them. It took another concert goer to stand up and break it up before it got physical and during this entire exchange which lasted several minutes, there was no security in sight. However, I saw an old woman stand in the stairway to take a picture and she was immediately asked by staff not to block the stairway. It was raining all day and after it stopped we went onto the lawn to meet up with friends where watched over ten people slide and fall next to us on the steep muddy grass. Other venues use rubber mats in situations like this so people aren’t falling and further ruining the lawn. The picture I attached is of the ceiling inside the venue. Honestly driving to Tanglewood is so worth it compared to here. Everyone is so relaxed and happy to have you there, and you can bring your own drinks and food. There are other better options rather than coming to Xfinity. Save your time, money and sanity and go somewhere else next...