You may want to hit the (Thunder) road early if you’re planning to catch one of Bruce Springsteen’s shows at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough later this week.

The Boss returns to the Bay State for the first time since 2016, playing shows on Thursday, Aug. 24 and Saturday, Aug. 26.

Springsteen, 73, hit the road with his legendary E-Street Band for their first extended outing in nearly seven years earlier this year. Sets on the tour have typically stretched to three hours, revisiting almost every chapter of Springsteen’s sprawling catalogue. Fans looking to see this epic show can shop for tickets online using StubHub or VividSeats.

Here’s what you need to know about travel times, parking, tickets, and more for the shows.

Travel times, doors and gates: Parking lots at Gillette are slated to open at 3:30 p.m. on the afternoon of each show, according to a statement released by the New England Patriots’ media relations office. Gates open at 5:30 p.m., with show time starting at 7:30 p.m.

Be warned, there is no opening act. So if you get there late, you risk missing some of the music pumped out by the 17-member strong E Street Band.

Stadium officials are warning ticket holders to build in plenty of travel time to get to Foxborough. That’s particularly critical for Thursday’s set, which will coincide with the usual rush hour madness.

Another caveat: Traffic restrictions will be in place on local roads before and after each show. Fans should plan to use Interstate 95, Interstate 495, or Route 140 to access Route 1 and the stadium, according to the media office’s statement.

Parking: As noted above, stadium lots open at 3:30 p.m. on the afternoon before each show. General parking is located is located on the opposite side of Route 1 from the stadium and is included in the price of the event ticket. A parking pass is not required for general parking. But if you want to park on the stadium side of Route 1, prepaid passes will set you back $50.

“In order to purchase a prepaid parking pass, ticketholders must use the same email address that their event tickets are associated with. Ticketholders may only purchase one prepaid parking pass per account per event,” the media office noted in its statement, further warning that “prepaid parking passes are limited and are subject to availability.”

Parking for oversized vehicles is located in “Lot 52, accessible from P10 North and P10 South from the north and south respectively, and is included in the price of the event ticket. ADA parking will be accessible from P1 when traveling from the north and P7 when traveling from the south,” according to the media office’s statement.

For more parking information, visit gillettestadium.com/parking/.

Entrances: Gates will open at 5:30 p.m. And fans can enter the stadium through its Bank of America, CVS Health and Ticketmaster Gates.

Fans with field seats or field general admission should enter via the Enel Plaza (Ticketmaster field gate) only.

ADA entry is available through the Ticketmaster Gate on the east and Bank of America Gate on the west.

According to the release, Gillette Stadium has two dedicated ADA elevators for concertgoers who need additional accommodations. Elevator access is available on the east side of the stadium at the Ticketmaster Gate and the west side of the stadium at the W1 entrance. Club and suite ticketholders should enter via the E1, E2, W1, W2, W3 or W4 entrances.

A full stadium map and seating chart is available at here.

Clear Bag Policy: Officials are fine with fans reliving their, well, Glory Days, but do insist they do it safely. Bags larger than a small wristlet or handheld wallet are strictly forbidden, so pack lightly.

If you must bring a bag with you, there are three options:

1. A one-gallon clear plastic freezer bag that does not exceed 11″ x 11″

2. A clear plastic vinyl or PVC bag that does not exceed 12″ x 12″ x 6″

3. A small wristlet or handheld wallet not exceeding 6.5″ x 4.5.″

Purses, shoulder bags, and backpacks are also off-limits. And you’re better off leaving them in your car, since they won’t be held or stored by the venue if you do bring one with you, according to the statement.

You can find more information here.

Also Off-Limits: GoPro/video cameras, tripods/monopods, professional cameras and cameras with detachable lenses, selfie sticks, strollers, backpacks, lasers, umbrellas, outside food and beverage, balloons, beach balls, noisemakers and any items that stadium management deem dangerous and/or inappropriate.

Portable phone chargers are fine. So are Polaroid cameras -- if you’re parachuting in from, like, 1979 or something.

Also, you can bring signs, but they can’t be any larger by 11x17.

Tickets: Tickets are digital and available via mobile device. You can download the Gillette Stadium App on the Apple App Store or the Google Play Store. You’re encouraged to add them to your Apple wallet or Google pay before arrival.

Ticketmaster is the ticket vendor for all stadium events.

Special Event Train Service: The MBTA Commuter Rail and Keolis are providing round-trip, special event train service from Boston for the Thursday, Aug. 24 show, and from both Boston and Providence for the Aug. 26 show.

From the release:

“Tickets for the Aug. 24 special event train from Boston are sold out, but a limited number of $20 round-trip tickets for the Aug. 26 Boston and Providence special event trains are on sale now exclusively via the mTicket app. Tickets for each special event train are sold separately and need to be purchased for the correct corresponding date and station of origin (Boston or Providence).

“Tickets must be purchased prior to boarding the event train. All passengers, including children 11 and under, must have a ticket to board the train. Please note: These are special event trains and ticket sales will be stopped once the maximum capacity is reached. Regular Commuter Rail tickets and passes are not valid for special event trains.

“Guests choosing to travel to Gillette Stadium for the Thursday, Aug. 24 show via the Foxboro Station weekday Commuter Rail service will not be able to return to Boston following the conclusion of the show via the special event train without a corresponding special event train ticket. The last Foxboro Station weekday Commuter Rail train departs for Boston at 10:20 p.m., while the special event train will depart 30 minutes following the conclusion of the concert,” according to the release.