Patriots’ Gillette Stadium dealing with power outages ahead of Monday Night Football

The New England Patriots will play their first primetime game of the season on Monday night, hosting the Chicago Bears at Gillette Stadium. They have to hope that their performance will be more consistent than that of the arena’s power system.

According to reporters on site, including Pats Pulpit’s own Brian Hines, the Patriots’ stadium is dealing with some power outages with only a couple of hours left to go until the scheduled 8:15 p.m. ET kickoff. The power went out twice in the late afternoon, leaving parts of the Gillette Stadium bowl without lighting.

Michael Hurley of WBZ Boston captured video of the second of those power drops:

It remains to be seen whether or not the power outages will be an issue heading into the Monday Night Football matchup. Both were over relatively quickly, though.

Originally opened in 2002 and the home of the Patriots ever since, Gillette Stadium is currently undergoing a massive renovation project. The north end zone — the open end of the stadium that used to feature its iconic lighthouse — will be completely remodeled by the start of the 2023 season.

The upgrades, which will add a new video board and rebuilt lighthouse, are estimated to cost a total of $225 million.