Last night, we drove from St. Louis to Indianapolis for the Garth Brooks concert at Gainbridge…read moreFieldhouse, and overall, I really enjoyed the arena and the experience.
One of the biggest bonuses was the location. It was an easy walk from our hotel, and if the weather is warm, you can actually walk through the convention center, which is air-conditioned. That was a huge plus! There were also plenty of bars and restaurants along the way, so you have lots of options if you want to grab dinner or drinks before the event.
As soon as we arrived, there were Fever signs and decorations everywhere. My girls are huge Indiana Fever fans, so of course I had to take approximately a million pictures for them! Even though Gainbridge is home to the Fever, I really appreciated that they didn't make the arena feel like it was only about the home team. There were plenty of photo opportunities and decorations specifically for the Garth Brooks concert, along with promotions for upcoming events featuring other artists and teams. It made the arena feel very welcoming to everyone, regardless of what brought you there.
Every staff member we encountered, from the people outside to those inside the arena, was incredibly friendly and helpful. And they have a Chick-fil-A inside, which is always a win in my book!
Our seats were up in the 200 level, which is definitely getting into nosebleed territory. The stairs were extremely steep, there wasn't a ton of legroom, and as a larger person, the seats felt a little tight. Once we got up there, though, we basically decided we weren't leaving until the concert was over because getting back up and down those stairs was an adventure!
Thankfully, the concert itself was fantastic, so we didn't mind staying put.
One of my favorite little details was the staff name tags. Under their name, they had the word "Drafted" along with the year they started working at the arena. I thought that was such a fun and unique connection to the team and a really clever way to make the staff feel like part of the organization.
Overall, I really liked Gainbridge Fieldhouse. The location was convenient, the staff was fantastic, there were plenty of places to eat nearby, and I loved how they incorporated both the Fever and the Garth Brooks event throughout the arena. My only real complaint was the seating in the 200 level--especially the steep stairs, limited legroom, and tight seats.
But the concert was amazing, the atmosphere was great, and we had an awesome night. I'd definitely come back to Gainbridge Fieldhouse; next time, though, I might try to get seats a little closer to the action!
