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Lot of really short sets early in the day. Headliners are unopposed. No major conflicts for me.
The app map shows a smaller VIP section than the old one. Looks like they've been listening to feedback. GA now extends into the parking lot and isn't all the way back to 8th street like before. And the main stage isn't all the way at the other end of the block, it's closer to the middle. It looks like GA will be about 2-3 parking lot rows from the stage, which isn't terrible. If you look at satellite view, it's a very small block so I don't think the VIP thing is gonna be a major issue, though it will suck for the bands playing earlier in the day who won't have a good crowd close to the stage.
They removed VIP sections from the second stage - totally GA now.
Another cool thing is that they partnered with CATS to sell a 3-day unlimited CATS pass for $9 (if bought before 4/30). You'll see it at the bottom of the CATS app home page.
And they changed "reusable cups" to "reusable tumblers and bottles".
Honestly was not expecting them to change the size of the VIP area, so kudos to them for listening there.
Happy with the schedule. Will be interesting to see if there are crowd control issues with one show ending and another starting at the same time on the other side of the venue. Doubt the local artist stage will be providing a strong counter programming presence.
Still a little worried about the overall logistics. Hoping they reverse course on hydration packs as well, but overall though I am excited for this!
Couple lineup changes I noticed looking at the app this morning:
They added a new act, The Bygones, on Sunday afternoon. Just gave them a listen and I like them a lot. 70s folky vibes. There are still a few TBA spots on the Northwood stage so we should expect more announcements.
They changed the Avett Bros to a 90 minute set starting at 6:30 Sunday. Now it makes sense the way they were specifically billed on the poster as “featuring a full set from…”
All I need now is the food vendor lineup and I’ll be a happy camper
Ok so, now that the app is out with the map that lets you pinpoint your location relative to features on the festival map, I was in the area tonight and decided to do some boots on the ground research.
The two secondary stages have killer locations. The QC local stage is perfectly situated in the grassy part of the park where all the food vendors will be. The park also has a splash pad which, if it's turned on, could be a cool feature to have at the festival. And the Northwood stage is in the corner of a parking lot that has a perfect gentle grade downwards toward the stage which will provide great sight lines for everyone. The parking lot will get hot but hey, nothing an 8 oz cup of water can't fix.
The main stage, however, looks like it's going to be a sh*tshow. I was optimistic when they reduced the size of VIP but it's still absolutely massive. No chance they have any respectable level of crowd density for anyone but the headliners. The front of GA appears to be about 150 feet from the stage. Not the worst thing in the world, I've certainly watched concerts from a lot farther. The thing that concerns me though, is that there is so very little real estate with sight lines to the stage. If 20-30k people are there to see Stevie Nicks, there's just nowhere to fit everyone so that they all can see. Sight lines are good in the parking lot, up the little hill, and on the sidewalk and grass before the curb on 8th and Brevard Streets. Once you step down from the curb though, you won't be able to see the stage over the people standing in front of you. On the other side of the street, you have the grassy lot. The majority of it is in a depression where you'll be so low that you can't see the stage over the people standing on the street and sidewalks. On 3 sides, it has steep hills with a narrow flat area on top where people will have good sight lines but be very far away. But with the hills being too steep to actually be comfortable to stand on, the narrow strips at the top of the inclines are about the only real estate in the grassy lot that'll be viable for watching the stage.
So, I just don't know how this is supposed to work and I really hope that my assessment is wrong. There's still a lot to enjoy and I'm going to go and have a good time but from what I've seen at this point I have a hard time being optimistic about the main stage setup.
Edit: and another thing. The grass lot is fenced in on the back side, so foot traffic can’t actually move through the field from one stage to the other. This means that, because of the shape of the festival, all of the traffic moving towards Northwood will be funneled through 2 narrow choke points on either side of that block. And it’s made worse by the fact that they made the schedule with no overlap between the 2 main stages so the entire population is moving the same way at once each time a set ends. I’ve been a defender of this fest since day one but the closer we get the less optimistic I feel about the decisions they’ve made.
Lots of great points. If you look at the map there are also bars directly to the left and right of the sound-booth which may take away from GA sight lines as well.
One of the reasons we haven’t had a major fest yet is that there is not an ideal venue for an event this size. Hoping the event logistics aren’t a train wreck that will make it harder for future events to get traction.
In a vacuum I’m still excited for this. Partly due to the novelty of having a fest down the street, but I’m also looking forward to many of the acts themselves.
I visited the site yesterday while they were setting up. Main stage is massive and elevated a good deal off the ground. I think the sight line issue won’t be as bad as I thought. About half the field on the Brevard st side and around the edges will have good sight lines. They removed a couple of sections of that fence at the back of the field so there won’t be the issue with the choke points. Food options look great too. Chance of rain Sat and Sun but hey that’s showbiz. I’m excited and looking forward to this fest.
11/19: Caribou 11/22: Ranger Trucco 11/29: Armand Van Helden* 1/16: L'Impératrice 1/30: Jamie xx 2/1: DJ Seinfeld 2/7: Mild Minds* 3/1: Father John Misty* 3/19: Confidence Man 3/23: DARKSIDE 5/8: Rüfüs Du Sol
11/19: Caribou 11/22: Ranger Trucco 11/29: Armand Van Helden* 1/16: L'Impératrice 1/30: Jamie xx 2/1: DJ Seinfeld 2/7: Mild Minds* 3/1: Father John Misty* 3/19: Confidence Man 3/23: DARKSIDE 5/8: Rüfüs Du Sol
Just got back. Honestly today was fantastic. The VIP area is indeed ridiculous but there are still plenty of good spots to see the main stage. In particular we gravitated to the base of the hill on the right. Great sight lines and plenty of space to dance. Sitting on the hills themselves offered great views as well.
The logistics overall were surprisingly solid. Sound was incredible, plenty of bathrooms, and the venue flowed better than I was expecting. There are some bottlenecks at areas around the secondary stage. It was a mistake putting the Chainsmokers on the that stage as there was way too many people for that space. We checked it out and immediately gave up as it felt a little dangerous. Not enough food vendors but we used the 45 min gap before Post to go to 7th street market before heading back in. Will definitely be doing that again tomorrow.
Post Malone. Wow. That was genuinely one the best headlining sets I’ve ever seen. Incredible sound, production, and performance. The first half was pretty much perfect. There was a weird moment during the midpoint where someone had a sign that said “let me play stay” and Post took them up on it. Unfortunately they clearly didn’t expect to go on the stage as they barely sang and it was super awkward in general. The momentum was never really the same after that and that kept this show from potentially being the best headlining set I’ve seen. Do NOT miss him at Bonnaroo.
Jessie Murph was the highlight of the rest of the music. The girl has PIPES and I enjoyed the production. Dashboard and Dominic Fike were fine. David Kushner sounded great but he may have been using a lot of backing track.
They announced next years fest already. I really hope with the blowback on social media they will adjust the vip area. Also really hope they allow hydration packs next year, it was weird not having one. I’ve been skeptical of this fest but I have to say it works. Hopefully they improve on some of the shortfalls as it could definitely be better.
Weather is looking tough tomorrow. Hoping we avoid the thunderstorms or else we could be looking at a cancellation.
The rain held off until the very end of Stevie’s set. She started to sing Free Fallin and I shit you not it started pouring. Top 5 all time moment dancing in the rain with my friends as she closed with Landslide. Truly a special moment that made you take stock of the (sometimes) beautiful ride that is life.
The entire day was one for the books, but the only other thing I’ll call out for now is the incredible drone show in between Maggie and Stevie. I’ve honestly never seen anything like that in person. Crazy how many different formations that there were.
The rain held off until the very end of Stevie’s set. She started to sing Free Fallin and I shit you not it started pouring. Top 5 all time moment dancing in the rain with my friends as she closed with Landslide. Truly a special moment that made you take stock of the (sometimes) beautiful ride that is life.
The entire day was one for the books, but the only other thing I’ll call out for now is the incredible drone show in between Maggie and Stevie. I’ve honestly never seen anything like that in person. Crazy how many different formations that there were.
Did you see Petey Pablo? Also glad y’all have been having a great time! Glad the weather is holding up so far.
Post by goyourownways on May 6, 2024 9:28:30 GMT -5
Just now leaving charlotte and I will give this a 8/10 for an inaugural year. Ended up paying $178 (w fees) to upgrade to main stage VIP yesterday and was kind of annoyed to see they were advertising the same upgrade for $100 in person when I went to go pick up the bands but that’s not a huge issue. They definitely could have spaced the stages differently because the non main stage overlapped into the bar area and you would get mixed into the bar lines depending how far back you went. VIP didn’t have to be THAT big l didn’t realize how closed off GA was until I got down there- they could have honestly pulled it up at least 10 feet and then super vip also didn’t need that much of space tbh. Only had food in one area that didn’t really have service so depending on the day you were waiting for at least an hour. I saw at least two people drop and have seizures next to me and handful of people pass out, they 100% need more water stations next year. Also the water misters they advertised were only in like the vip areas lol. Appreciated it wasn’t a shit show to leave every day because the local transit was right there. Depending on the 2025 lineup I would 85% come back and invest in VIP
The rain held off until the very end of Stevie’s set. She started to sing Free Fallin and I shit you not it started pouring. Top 5 all time moment dancing in the rain with my friends as she closed with Landslide. Truly a special moment that made you take stock of the (sometimes) beautiful ride that is life.
The entire day was one for the books, but the only other thing I’ll call out for now is the incredible drone show in between Maggie and Stevie. I’ve honestly never seen anything like that in person. Crazy how many different formations that there were.
Did you see Petey Pablo? Also glad y’all have been having a great time! Glad the weather is holding up so far.
We caught the first half and then left to get food. He brought some great energy for how few shows he has played over the last 10 years. Felt like he really appreciated performing for what was essentially a local show for him.
What a great weekend of music. So happy that Charlotte is finally on the festival map. Gotta give credit where credit is due, but the promoters did a fantastic job of putting this on. If interested, you can find my full review here: Click Here.
Will almost certainly be attending this next year. Early prediction: SZA, RHCP, Hozier
incinnati Ohio babeyyyy
