Panic At The Disco and Bastille headline the eighteenth annual 97X Next Big Thing, concert series. The lineup also includes Foster The People, Young The Giant, Chvrches, AJR, Andrew McMahon in the Wilderness, Elle King, Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats, Grandson, LANY and other acts.
I was a bit shocked when we pulled up to the Amp and the lady said it was $20 to park. I'm a frequent patron here and have never paid to park prior to any event here. The funny thing is, my friends who came a little after us, the woman told them it was $45 to park. Hmmmm a wee bit fishy since they parked in the same area as us. Even Jimmy Buffet, who is a major headliner didn't have "paid" parking, you just couldn't get into the parking lot without proof of having a ticket.
The musicians all put on great acts. Bastille was definitely my favourite of tonight's artists. The Coordinators of the event did a great job ensuring that plenty of vendors kept the crowd entertained. Each tent had company spokeswoman/spokesman that interacted with the crowd and gave the typical concert/event freebies, koozies, bottle openers, ponchos and carabiners. They made sure to stagger the drawings for prizes (each had stipulated that you must be present to win). If you were interested in a particular prize, you knew exactly what time to be present at the booth. The way they were set up meant you would miss seeing 1/2 of the lineup if you were trying to be present at drawings.
We all had a good time, and I was very intrigued that they let you "upgrade" your tickets free by patrons giving them your ticketed seat and they gave you a better ticket. Very smart on their part since the event wasn't sold out. read more