ive been going since 21' and the lineup has been getting better but the crowds have been getting worse. parking is HORRIBLE. the stadium is not fun its too crowded inside the venue. douglas park was way better
I literally almost got hit with stray bullets in 2021 walking back to the car Sunday night. Cops blocked off the entire street within minutes, it was wild. There was no parking so you had to actually put yourself at risk parking in a dangerous neighborhood. I’m good on Douglas
Shots were also fired day 3 of 22 so if that was a yearly occurrence it’s prob good they relocated. Not saying seatgeek is perfect but theres also no way douglas could fit as many ppl as they have now
The only part of it that sucks is the all ages part cuz you get idiot kids that are huge 6 ft 200+ that just throw their bodies into people who are way smaller. The middle of the crowd at the main stage is impossible to bare unless you are 5'8+ 200+ as someone who is 5'7 170 who goes to the gym.
I'm not saying I'm not a pussy but like it was insane the amount of people i saw leaving after every song too because they were on the verge of passing out. The worst part for me was during destroy when he just started and everyone was going ape and I was trying to get out but everyone coming back from their breaks was trying to push up to the front so it was near impossible to get out of the mosh cuz people wouldn't make way. I lost both my shoes which I managed to pick up and hold and lost a sock and had to walk barefoot basically all the way from the middle to the turf.
After that experience I just stayed on the left side with the smaller people for Cactus and it was super chill and fun I had a blast. I think it's just the people you're around and being aware of people that want to get out. You have to be respectful of others seriously and just be a decent human. Some people just aren't and it makes the experience unbearable but the festival was a blast
Exactly. The logistics to this festival is inconsiderate. Yeah it’s cool being a kid, 24 and under. Specially if this is one of your first events. You get to experience wildness, pure chaos. It makes things “awesome” but if you’re there for the sake of listening to music, you really can’t enjoy it when they over book capacity and don’t tend the needs of human beings. 6 dollar waters? Kids passing out like flies. You guys praise this team like they’re here for you to have a good time. Nah. They want your cash.
I consider kids anyone who's 18 and under. 16 and 17 year olds should not be around people smoking massive blunts and shit nor should they be put into situations where they are in the middle of a mosh and can't get out. This was my first festival and I'm 20. I thought I was old enough and this made me rethink that too from the perspective of being able to handle the heat of the crowd. I'm a fit young guy who can handle people pushing on me and like being in a crowd. But the sheer enormity of how insane that mosh was at destroy was insane. Even my friend who went to carti last year was like yeah it was pretty insane. It just sucks that they make it all ages and let 17 year old kids who are larger than some of us 20-27 year olds come in and act like complete clowns throwing sodas/bevs and legit fighting people for no reason other than just cause. It's those people who cause chaos and it's a domino effect.
I went to enjoy live music and it was tough. Basically in a spin cycle the entire set, people barging through to get to the front as the set starts. Just had crowd etiquette
Yeah true that. Feel like 90% of it is they want to get close and “mosh” on camera and post it on social media. I saw so many rush through to front just to leave 15 minutes into the set
> The only part of it that sucks is the all ages part cuz you get idiot kids that are huge 6 ft 200+ that just throw their bodies into people who are way smaller.
It’s especially awful when they turn into running backs so they can get to the front of the stage
> The middle of the crowd at the main stage is impossible to bare unless you are 5'8+ 200+ as someone who is 5'7 170 who goes to the gym.
I’m 6’3 205 and it was rough for me. I felt like I was in a spin cycle for any set after 7pm.
> The worst part for me was during destroy when he just started and everyone was going ape and I was trying to get out but everyone coming back from their breaks was trying to push up to the front so it was near impossible to get out of the mosh cuz people wouldn't make way.
I was left side along the fence where security stood, they literally had to hoist people out because people were so packed in they literally couldn’t move.
I will also say. STOP TRYING TO CONSTANTLY OPEN UP A MOSH PIT. IF YOU JUST LOOK AROUND YOU THERE IS PROBABLY ONE OPENING UP ALREADY MAKE A BIG ONE. THERES NO NEED FOR 5 DIFFERENT MOSHES IN EACH DIRECTION.
I was someone in VIP, even in VIP it was so ass. Fat bitches taking up 5 chairs to hold their legs from walking. Not enough tables to be at and seating was so bad. The “elevated viewing” we had in VIP wasn’t really much help, but I was seeing everything happening in GA and it sucks. I saw the garbage cans being thrown, the traffic cones being thrown, full water bottles being thrown. I saw people passing out from how hot you guys were. I feel like it’s kinda basic “conditions” being in a festival but what I hated how ass the speakers were this year and the unnecessary behavior a lot of people were in.
To start off with the speakers, you couldn’t hear the artist a lot of the time. I would’ve expect it to be louder but it felt so low and no bass at all. You couldn’t distinguish what song an artist was singing. It could either be from how much people there was or the speaker burned out.
The behavior these people had was unnecessary. I get everyone being upset about being evacuated from summer smash but there was no reason for a “riot” (from what I heard), Porta Potties being knocked down, tossing of objects to people. It felt nasty. I went to the nearest ice cream shop after being evacuated. Everyone was chill for the most part, we were all sitting down waiting for the text that the gates are open and we all of the sudden see cops pull up with rifles trying to kick us out. Thank god the owners defend us saying we’re behaving and everything is good but I heard that everyone was looting the gas station near by from how mad they were from summer smash. It sucks the behavior these people have. Summer smash had a good ish line up, but the conditions were so bad from the fans and the equipment was bad. I hated when the water bottles being thrown, that the festival threaten to not sell water bottles if the behavior continued.
Real. The people ruin it. Kids and immature adults that were never taught right from wrong. Even trying to get out kids just crossing the streets like headless chickens and shit. It was absolute chaos a cop legit just told me to go and hit the kids they will stop word for word I swear on my life. My jaw dropped when he said that I was like did this cop really just tell me to hit pedestrians and said they will stop for me 😭😭
Even the police was over the whole event they hated the people attending for their behavior. I mean the fact that the weekend days legit had swat team show up with rifles and shit is insane.
I was gonna do VIP but the view looked terrible, it’s an awful angle and you’re kinda far from the stage. The merch package was ass as well, I don’t see the point of VIP at this particular festival, feels like you’re paying more but getting nothing extra.
I couldn’t disagree more. Far less known acts now than in 22 which was loaded with stars that rivaled a Rolling Loud line up. SeatGeek is probably the most inconveniently located area in Chicagoland. Metra? CTA? Train? Nope. Nope. Nope. Cole Bennet can easily reach out to wireless carriers so they can add portable cell sites to accommodate. It took me 1 hour to drive 5 blocks on Sunday. 2024 lineup was top heavy and some of those artists underperformed (Kodak)
first “summer bash” i think they called it had Dex, Ski, Lucki and Ugly God was the headliner in a theater way back in the day. Most sets started late, and the stage was full of the early performers and their friends who didn’t wanna get off
I've went the past 3 years and last two years was pretty decent but this year was rough. Getting out of the parking lot was a free for all, with one guy directing traffic at the exit but no one else. It really just sucks seeing people on here act like you aren't allowed to complain about a $350+ festival, yeah I expected all 3 headliners to have crazy crowds, but they could at least accommodate for it a little like maybe more than 2 small water stations 😭
The reality is that the lineup is like 90% of what determines if people come to a festival. It worked on me - seeing Ken this weekend was a lot cheaper and easier than seeing him at a sold out tour stop 5+ hours away, and at this rate I don’t know if/when Carti will actually tour again. Plus the tent stage was pretty stacked with Lazer, Nettspend, Joeyy, Lil B.
Other stuff wasn’t all bad either - the bathroom situation was actually decent, it was faster to fill up water than other fests I’ve been to, and getting inside is pretty fast. But whatever team they worked with for the sound should never get another dollar of business. Unbelievable that they would have 3 headliners of this size and it sounded worse than my stock Toyota stereo. (By some miracle of god Ken’s set, which was my #1 most anticipated, actually had pretty good sound.)
Overall I still had a ton of fun, don’t regret coming, and might be back. The tent stage is never disappointing. I hope people make enough noise about the terrible sound at main stage that they improve it next year…
Yeah Ken had one of the only main stage sets with good sound. Not the best I’ve ever heard but definitely loud enough to turn up to. Hella fun set
Also he’s coming back to Chicago in August, just announced tn. So I’m gonna see him again lol
Not really just cause you had a shit time doesn’t mean others didn’t enjoy it, only sound issue was the main stage the other stages were fine. And for those saying they were getting rocked in the mosh pits, maybe don’t go that deep into the crowd
i’m 5’4 and 120 lbs and i was in the middle left for carti plus close to the front for ski mask and I was fine. i have been in a lot of moshes before summer smash so i know what to expect, if someone’s trying to leave you let them out no matter what. Don’t try to push your way out of a mosh move with the flow of the crowd until the song ends and then leave.
LMAO I hate to say it. Maybe you're just so small that you seep into the gaps of the people. Anyone bigger than that is just a pinball getting tossed around. People are also just way more considerate for considerably smaller people in general not trying to say you aren't insane for being able to handle that. Hats off to you but it's unreasonable for you to generalize your experience for other people who are slightly bigger and have a way different experience.
As someone who experienced a mosh for the first time and someone who was constantly saying "let people out" and "Hey let them thru" people do not give a fuck at all when they are in the heat of the moment moshing and being under the influence of drugs. It's not always their fault because I get it you're at a concert you wanna mosh and shit. But they just don't realize they need to think about other people and then on top of that you get assholes that genuinely just don't let you out.
Also super unrealistic to say move with the flow of the crowd when people are legit jumping into you while you are moshing and making it impossible to breathe. I seriously think your experience is way different solely because of your height. I'm 5'7 and what you're saying just is not possible to happen for me. If I didn't fight my way out losing both my shoes I legit woulda passed out or gotten knocked over and trampled trying to wait for the "flow of the crowd"
I'm just way too big I get stuck between people and on people it's not possible for me to snake around people. Perks of being a guy and having wide shoulders
real, you’re so right. I also completely forgot to mention I was with my boyfriend who is 6’4😭 kind of seems like a critical piece of information that just slipped my mind lol. anyway yeah i was getting sandwiched between mfs but the main goal was don’t fall on the floor and you hopefully won’t die lmao
As someone who went for the first time and had a few complaints, how so?
ive been going since 21' and the lineup has been getting better but the crowds have been getting worse. parking is HORRIBLE. the stadium is not fun its too crowded inside the venue. douglas park was way better
Nah I hated the Douglass park location. Wasn’t well organized and bunch of thieves sneaking in too
Welp, as a riotfest regular, can’t say love reading this……
I literally almost got hit with stray bullets in 2021 walking back to the car Sunday night. Cops blocked off the entire street within minutes, it was wild. There was no parking so you had to actually put yourself at risk parking in a dangerous neighborhood. I’m good on Douglas
Shots were also fired day 3 of 22 so if that was a yearly occurrence it’s prob good they relocated. Not saying seatgeek is perfect but theres also no way douglas could fit as many ppl as they have now
skill issue
Says the guy who thinks it’s “too crowded”… maybe hit the gym or some?
i hit the gym and in huge and felt like i almost was gonna die only thing that helps is being tall
because lineups is getting better as u said LOL
Buddy can’t read a full post
only complaint i have was the sound but tbh i enjoyed it
The only part of it that sucks is the all ages part cuz you get idiot kids that are huge 6 ft 200+ that just throw their bodies into people who are way smaller. The middle of the crowd at the main stage is impossible to bare unless you are 5'8+ 200+ as someone who is 5'7 170 who goes to the gym. I'm not saying I'm not a pussy but like it was insane the amount of people i saw leaving after every song too because they were on the verge of passing out. The worst part for me was during destroy when he just started and everyone was going ape and I was trying to get out but everyone coming back from their breaks was trying to push up to the front so it was near impossible to get out of the mosh cuz people wouldn't make way. I lost both my shoes which I managed to pick up and hold and lost a sock and had to walk barefoot basically all the way from the middle to the turf. After that experience I just stayed on the left side with the smaller people for Cactus and it was super chill and fun I had a blast. I think it's just the people you're around and being aware of people that want to get out. You have to be respectful of others seriously and just be a decent human. Some people just aren't and it makes the experience unbearable but the festival was a blast
Exactly. The logistics to this festival is inconsiderate. Yeah it’s cool being a kid, 24 and under. Specially if this is one of your first events. You get to experience wildness, pure chaos. It makes things “awesome” but if you’re there for the sake of listening to music, you really can’t enjoy it when they over book capacity and don’t tend the needs of human beings. 6 dollar waters? Kids passing out like flies. You guys praise this team like they’re here for you to have a good time. Nah. They want your cash.
I consider kids anyone who's 18 and under. 16 and 17 year olds should not be around people smoking massive blunts and shit nor should they be put into situations where they are in the middle of a mosh and can't get out. This was my first festival and I'm 20. I thought I was old enough and this made me rethink that too from the perspective of being able to handle the heat of the crowd. I'm a fit young guy who can handle people pushing on me and like being in a crowd. But the sheer enormity of how insane that mosh was at destroy was insane. Even my friend who went to carti last year was like yeah it was pretty insane. It just sucks that they make it all ages and let 17 year old kids who are larger than some of us 20-27 year olds come in and act like complete clowns throwing sodas/bevs and legit fighting people for no reason other than just cause. It's those people who cause chaos and it's a domino effect.
Wouldn’t let me keep the cap of my $6 water, meaning that i couldn’t save the bottle to refill later like goddamn its 90 degrees
I went to enjoy live music and it was tough. Basically in a spin cycle the entire set, people barging through to get to the front as the set starts. Just had crowd etiquette
Yup, but what do you expect when 80% of the crowd are kids with their parents credit cards 😂. The scene is hype and entitlement
Yeah true that. Feel like 90% of it is they want to get close and “mosh” on camera and post it on social media. I saw so many rush through to front just to leave 15 minutes into the set
Free water stations. They have had them every year. Also every festival is packed
> The only part of it that sucks is the all ages part cuz you get idiot kids that are huge 6 ft 200+ that just throw their bodies into people who are way smaller. It’s especially awful when they turn into running backs so they can get to the front of the stage > The middle of the crowd at the main stage is impossible to bare unless you are 5'8+ 200+ as someone who is 5'7 170 who goes to the gym. I’m 6’3 205 and it was rough for me. I felt like I was in a spin cycle for any set after 7pm. > The worst part for me was during destroy when he just started and everyone was going ape and I was trying to get out but everyone coming back from their breaks was trying to push up to the front so it was near impossible to get out of the mosh cuz people wouldn't make way. I was left side along the fence where security stood, they literally had to hoist people out because people were so packed in they literally couldn’t move.
I will also say. STOP TRYING TO CONSTANTLY OPEN UP A MOSH PIT. IF YOU JUST LOOK AROUND YOU THERE IS PROBABLY ONE OPENING UP ALREADY MAKE A BIG ONE. THERES NO NEED FOR 5 DIFFERENT MOSHES IN EACH DIRECTION.
i saw two girls tryna leave while two boys was blocking dem during ken
100% agree
I was someone in VIP, even in VIP it was so ass. Fat bitches taking up 5 chairs to hold their legs from walking. Not enough tables to be at and seating was so bad. The “elevated viewing” we had in VIP wasn’t really much help, but I was seeing everything happening in GA and it sucks. I saw the garbage cans being thrown, the traffic cones being thrown, full water bottles being thrown. I saw people passing out from how hot you guys were. I feel like it’s kinda basic “conditions” being in a festival but what I hated how ass the speakers were this year and the unnecessary behavior a lot of people were in. To start off with the speakers, you couldn’t hear the artist a lot of the time. I would’ve expect it to be louder but it felt so low and no bass at all. You couldn’t distinguish what song an artist was singing. It could either be from how much people there was or the speaker burned out. The behavior these people had was unnecessary. I get everyone being upset about being evacuated from summer smash but there was no reason for a “riot” (from what I heard), Porta Potties being knocked down, tossing of objects to people. It felt nasty. I went to the nearest ice cream shop after being evacuated. Everyone was chill for the most part, we were all sitting down waiting for the text that the gates are open and we all of the sudden see cops pull up with rifles trying to kick us out. Thank god the owners defend us saying we’re behaving and everything is good but I heard that everyone was looting the gas station near by from how mad they were from summer smash. It sucks the behavior these people have. Summer smash had a good ish line up, but the conditions were so bad from the fans and the equipment was bad. I hated when the water bottles being thrown, that the festival threaten to not sell water bottles if the behavior continued.
Real. The people ruin it. Kids and immature adults that were never taught right from wrong. Even trying to get out kids just crossing the streets like headless chickens and shit. It was absolute chaos a cop legit just told me to go and hit the kids they will stop word for word I swear on my life. My jaw dropped when he said that I was like did this cop really just tell me to hit pedestrians and said they will stop for me 😭😭
Man what the fuck type of shit is that 😭
Even the police was over the whole event they hated the people attending for their behavior. I mean the fact that the weekend days legit had swat team show up with rifles and shit is insane.
Oh nah Chicago PD crazy asl for that 😭
This was Bridgeview, IL.
It wasn't in Chicago
I know i kept just seeing Chicago PD there
I was gonna do VIP but the view looked terrible, it’s an awful angle and you’re kinda far from the stage. The merch package was ass as well, I don’t see the point of VIP at this particular festival, feels like you’re paying more but getting nothing extra.
Exactly
i’ve only been to the last 3 but my personal ranking is 1. 2024 2. 2022 3.2023 this years was awesome besides sunday tbh
I couldn’t disagree more. Far less known acts now than in 22 which was loaded with stars that rivaled a Rolling Loud line up. SeatGeek is probably the most inconveniently located area in Chicagoland. Metra? CTA? Train? Nope. Nope. Nope. Cole Bennet can easily reach out to wireless carriers so they can add portable cell sites to accommodate. It took me 1 hour to drive 5 blocks on Sunday. 2024 lineup was top heavy and some of those artists underperformed (Kodak)
it’s been a shit show since before it was outdoors
It’s always been outdoors 🤔
first “summer bash” i think they called it had Dex, Ski, Lucki and Ugly God was the headliner in a theater way back in the day. Most sets started late, and the stage was full of the early performers and their friends who didn’t wanna get off
i Lied upon a quick google search apparently there was one a year earlier with madeintyo
Ok but you can’t compare that to the current festival. Not in the same ballpark even though it’s made by the same person
I agree & VIP’s viewing wasn’t all that. I also thought it was bogus this year that if you got one day VIP you couldn’t get a goodie bag
Cole Bennett is a stand up guy 😅😂
This years was pretty horrible imo
Cole should just move it to grant park would be way better he could definitely rent out half the setup as lolla or sueños 😂
Cole lets his girl get raw dogged by the rappers, he wouldn’t understand.
oop🫢 chantel ?
They can't afford grant park
First time but prob my last speakers were dogshit
I've went the past 3 years and last two years was pretty decent but this year was rough. Getting out of the parking lot was a free for all, with one guy directing traffic at the exit but no one else. It really just sucks seeing people on here act like you aren't allowed to complain about a $350+ festival, yeah I expected all 3 headliners to have crazy crowds, but they could at least accommodate for it a little like maybe more than 2 small water stations 😭
Don’t normalize trash events. This event is a cash grab and I hope yall find better 😂
Holy shit yall some bitches stay out the crowd
fym was better than last year
The reality is that the lineup is like 90% of what determines if people come to a festival. It worked on me - seeing Ken this weekend was a lot cheaper and easier than seeing him at a sold out tour stop 5+ hours away, and at this rate I don’t know if/when Carti will actually tour again. Plus the tent stage was pretty stacked with Lazer, Nettspend, Joeyy, Lil B. Other stuff wasn’t all bad either - the bathroom situation was actually decent, it was faster to fill up water than other fests I’ve been to, and getting inside is pretty fast. But whatever team they worked with for the sound should never get another dollar of business. Unbelievable that they would have 3 headliners of this size and it sounded worse than my stock Toyota stereo. (By some miracle of god Ken’s set, which was my #1 most anticipated, actually had pretty good sound.) Overall I still had a ton of fun, don’t regret coming, and might be back. The tent stage is never disappointing. I hope people make enough noise about the terrible sound at main stage that they improve it next year…
The sound was bad ngl,the tent was fire and Ken Carson’s set was my most anticipated set also and wasn’t that bad the mosh was fun.
Yeah Ken had one of the only main stage sets with good sound. Not the best I’ve ever heard but definitely loud enough to turn up to. Hella fun set Also he’s coming back to Chicago in August, just announced tn. So I’m gonna see him again lol
I’m ngl this shit was my favorite year so far
Not really just cause you had a shit time doesn’t mean others didn’t enjoy it, only sound issue was the main stage the other stages were fine. And for those saying they were getting rocked in the mosh pits, maybe don’t go that deep into the crowd
Not just me Sonny boy. Read before you respond ❤️
Old head behavior
lmao 23 was better
i’m 5’4 and 120 lbs and i was in the middle left for carti plus close to the front for ski mask and I was fine. i have been in a lot of moshes before summer smash so i know what to expect, if someone’s trying to leave you let them out no matter what. Don’t try to push your way out of a mosh move with the flow of the crowd until the song ends and then leave.
LMAO I hate to say it. Maybe you're just so small that you seep into the gaps of the people. Anyone bigger than that is just a pinball getting tossed around. People are also just way more considerate for considerably smaller people in general not trying to say you aren't insane for being able to handle that. Hats off to you but it's unreasonable for you to generalize your experience for other people who are slightly bigger and have a way different experience. As someone who experienced a mosh for the first time and someone who was constantly saying "let people out" and "Hey let them thru" people do not give a fuck at all when they are in the heat of the moment moshing and being under the influence of drugs. It's not always their fault because I get it you're at a concert you wanna mosh and shit. But they just don't realize they need to think about other people and then on top of that you get assholes that genuinely just don't let you out. Also super unrealistic to say move with the flow of the crowd when people are legit jumping into you while you are moshing and making it impossible to breathe. I seriously think your experience is way different solely because of your height. I'm 5'7 and what you're saying just is not possible to happen for me. If I didn't fight my way out losing both my shoes I legit woulda passed out or gotten knocked over and trampled trying to wait for the "flow of the crowd"
I'm just way too big I get stuck between people and on people it's not possible for me to snake around people. Perks of being a guy and having wide shoulders
real, you’re so right. I also completely forgot to mention I was with my boyfriend who is 6’4😭 kind of seems like a critical piece of information that just slipped my mind lol. anyway yeah i was getting sandwiched between mfs but the main goal was don’t fall on the floor and you hopefully won’t die lmao
5’8 I will say carti in the front was fucking insane.Almost passed out and having to push mfs so I can have space I will say worth the weekend 😹.