Five stars for the amazing show (Guster) and the experience of being in the zoo at night, which was kind of cool and creepy.
Three stars for LP Zoo's management of this event.
My friends and I were super excited to go see Guster, since the zoo show is the only Chicago stop on their tour. A few hours before the show I saw it was sold out, and thought "cool."
We strolled up a little after 7, right before the opening act started. Grabbed some beer (a can of Bud Light will set you back $5), and made our way over to the concert area.
Now, should we have arrived earlier if we wanted a nice spot on the grass with a good view of the stage? Yes, absolutely. That's our fault. But we managed to find a decent spot at the top of the hill along the sidewalk.
As the night wore on, it got completely packed. Like, so packed I honestly thought to myself, "if something goes wrong, people are going to get hurt."
The Zoo clearly oversold tickets for the show, and you could barely walk through the crowd. I felt bad for people with strollers (but not really, because bringing your stroller to a concert is just DUMB) and if you were in a wheelchair, forget it. When we first arrived there was security a few feet down from us barking at people to keep the sidewalk clear, and eventually he gave up because people had nowhere else to go.
We ended up standing on the benches to get a better view of the stage. Behind us there was a grassy area that was barricaded off. Towards the end of the show people jumped the barricade, and I can't say I blame them. Moving the barricade back 5 feet would have alleviated a lot of the congestion and allowed people to actually move along the sidewalk.
But hey, their porta potties had toilet paper and didn't smell. So, there's that.
Despite the crowd issues, I had an absolute blast. The band was amazing, the crowd was amazing, the weather could not have been more perfect, and I left a sweaty mess with a smile on my face. That's a sign of a good night.
I can't say I'd go out of my way to do this again, unless it was a band I love making their only Chicago stop here. Otherwise, it's a fun thing everyone should try once. But get there early and stake out a spot on the grass with a blanket or chair, and it might make your experience even better. read more