The show itself was easily 5 stars, but they need to work on their organization getting into the…read morestadium for General Admission.
I had GA tickets, so I got to the stadium very early to line up for zone 1 wristbands (ie, closest to the stage) This also helped avoid traffic and made parking easier. So far so good.
But when I walked up to the security guards at the main gate, and asked where the line started, they had no clue. They called their supervisor, and he had no idea. The website said the west entrance, but there was nobody there. Finally after walking completely around the stadium twice and asking 5 guards, I found someone in the vendor area that said the line was forming a block away from the stadium, past the swimming center. Huh?
Yes, they had us sit on the sidewalk on a busy street way away from the stadium. After being in a specific order for hours, they then walked us over to the stadium to get into a new line for another 2 hours in the sun. There, even though the website said we could bring in medium sized backpacks with things like towels, sunblock, and other things you might need for a 12 hour concert in the sun, the security people decided that any backpack over 18" was too big, and told some of us to take them back to our cars, our they wouldn't let us in. Ugh. That wasn't on the website.
Luckily the people by me in line agreed to save my place, so I ran everything pack to the car, and had to make due with whatever would fit in my pockets. Now the real chaos started.
Rather than bring us in through the gates and hand out wristbands as you enter, they decided to have some people come out to the line to check tickets and handout wristbands. This created a sea of people crowding and pushing, and the line we had all been in for hours was out the window. People had been camping out overnight to be first, and now it was just a mob. Other people who had just shown up hours later just jumped into the sea of people. Many people were understandably really mad.
They had us inside a fenced area, and people could barely move. It was a major fire hazard. But did they recognize their mistake and fix it? No. They left us standing in the sun in this fenced off area for over an hour. People were getting severely overheated and clausterphobic, and one person passed out and had the ambulance come to get them. The security guards still wouldn't move people. Unbelievable.
Finally, 30 minutes later, and 30 minutes later than they were supposed to, they finally let us in.
The website said you could bring your own water bottles, and there would be re-filling stations on the field. But there wasn't. Just booths selling bottles for $3 each. I bought 3 bottles (since we weren't allowed to bring in our own). The website also said there would be food booths on the stadium floor for GA people, but they were all outside the stadium. This is the first time they've done this festival though, so maybe they just need to work out the kinks.
All the hassles paid off though as I got a front row spot right on the barricade near center stage! The security guards up here were WAY better and even handed out free bottles of water and sprayed the crowd with water periodically to keep people from overheating. Nice touch.
All the acts were very good, although Lauryn Hill seemed to be a little off, and somewhat out of place amongst the other 'hard' acts.
Rage headlined, since they invented this festival after all, and they were as good as advertised. I didn't realize they haven't headlined a concert in LA since 1999 (according to the band's website), and you could tell they were eager to get in front of the LA fans again as they hit the stage with intense energy. I think they are WAY better live than they are just listening to a album. The fans were crazy as usual moshing and pushing people up and over the crowd.
Muse was almost as crazy. Their music is fantastic, but their live stage show is just sick. This was my 3rd time seeing them, and even though this wasn't their full stage setup that they use when headlining their own tour, it was still a massively impressive show. One of the best I've ever seen.
As one of the reviewers stated, they almost border on over the top. At a politically charged event like this one, most of the bands just performed in front of a black curtain and had a simple setup, and basically preached from the stage. But that's just not Muse's style. They want to blow away all of your senses, not just your ears. Plus, they are incredible showmen. They did some freestyling and ad-libs, throwing in the Star Spangled Banner, a classic Animals song, some AC/DC riffs, and a drum/bass solo that that you could feel in your chest as much as hear. They don't just come out and play their hits, they put on a show, and you get your money's worth every time.
If you've never seen these guys live, it needs to be on your bucket list.