What Went Wrong at Hard's Day of the Dead?

Categories: EDM

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Timothy Norris
Lots of people enjoyed themselves at Hard's Day of the Dead concert, held at Los Angeles State Historic Park on November 3, and featuring Justice, Diplo and others. Our reviewer certainly did, even giving "kudos to the promoters for reorganizing the layout" to accommodate some 35,000 people, about 10,000 more than last year. And organizers subsequently called it the "most successful" event yet for Hard, a five-year-old L.A.-based organization known for EDM parties that was purchased by Live Nation in June.

But many complaints have since been levied at the party's organizers. One girl called it "the scariest experience" she's ever endured. Other concertgoers described being "cramped in a panicked, angry mob with riot police staring us down" "for two plus hours, not able to get in or out," with people "passing out" around them. Furious attendees have inundated Hard's Facebook page with horror stories, admonishments, and complaints alleging they weren't able to catch the artists they paid to see. Some have demanded refunds for tickets, which ran from $85 to $135.

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Timothy Norris
Hard founder and organizer Gary Richards has not directly responded to questions about the conditions at the concert, although afterward Richards (who performs as DJ Destructo and who has promoted electronic events for more than 20 years) posted an apology on the Hard Presents Facebook page:

For those of our guests that experienced a longer wait than anticipated to gain entry to HARD Day Of The Dead we would like to apologize.

Its very unfortunate that a select few people decided to remove the bike rack barricades we had in place to keep lines in order and throw them around, greatly disrupting the flow of entry.

Due to this we had to reset everything and create a further delay.

We've already begun the process on how to improve entry to the event.

Sincerely,
Gary Richards and the HARD team

There are plenty of festival-goers who are not satisfied with this mea culpa, however. A Long Beach attendee named James Dolan wrote to the Weekly about his experience:


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15 comments
jamie.gunmanent
jamie.gunmanent

I have worked at many previous insomniac events and NOBODY knows how to stay in a line and follow simple commands of wait in line so it can move smoother. They assume if they push their way tot he front creating irritable people whom they are knocking over and rudely pushing aside because they are selfish ignorant kids who are on too many drugs and want to party even harder. NEWS FLASH, the crowd is what causes the problem. Same thing happened at Electric Daisy Carnival and its the same groups of shirtless guys with sunglasses on whos parents bought them their tickets. What this does? The people that purchased their tickets and are patiently waiting in line to get in, get screwed over in the long run. There have been so many times where i have experienced the same thing at every electronic dance music festival over the past 4 years. YOU GUYS ARE WHAT SCREW IT UP, you push and try to get to the front of everything because you are selfish and think you are better than, creating animosity and irritability thru the crowd.

 

 

SO THANK YOU TO THOSE THAT SCREW UP THESE EVENTS.. YOU ARE THE REASON WHY I DO NOT VJ FOR INSOMNIAC EVENTS ANYMORE!!!

QueerRant
QueerRant

Looks like they is high on drugs to me. 

 

So where's my dealer?

djmachineart
djmachineart

If customers have to pay for the VIP just to get in that is ridiculous. Most people can't afford VIP access and should not have to purchase it just to see their favorite deejays. I haven't been to a rave in a while due to issues like this and it looks like people in the crowd are just crushed without any space to dance. A rave is meant to have fun and dance not stare at the deejays like zombies.

ILVJKBTS
ILVJKBTS

I did go to HARD Day of The Dead.  I've been to a few EDM events. 3 EDC , 1 HARD Summer, 1 HARD Presents and now this one.  I have to mention that I am twice the age of most of the attendees at these events. I run and this is the music  I listen to when I'm running at home or in a race. With that being said.  This event was going to be my last one that I would be attending.  My ultimate favorite, Jack Beats, were playing, I've seen them 3X prior, and Crookers whom I've never seen before. This was a great way to end it.  Well, I, like many many others, was stuck in that mob of a line.  We arrived early , got great parking, took the metro and arrived to the event with plenty of enough time to be there for Jack Beats.   So we thought.  Ended up being in the entrance herd of people for the ENTIRE Jack Beats set. Actually we were there before the set started and still there until after it ended.  And still we were there.  So disappointed beyond explanation. I would have to agree with the person that said if you want a quick no problems entrance then VIP is the way to go.  As for myself, VIP is the only way I would ever go again. A lot of people drive quite some distance to come to these events.  Gas, lodging, food, tickets.  It is really a big event for a lot of people and for issues like this to happen.  Shouldn't even be an issue.  Should be on the "Top Priorities" list. This is the type of thing that gives these events a bad name.  I'm serious.  You get pissed off people standing at the entrance with no explanation and then some bone heads will get rowdy and try to push and shove causing chaos. The police have to be called in with there riot gear and canisters of tear gas and then who gets looked at bad.  First, the attendees look like maniacs to the media and the rest of the world and then the event itself is made to look like some sort of melting pot of psychoness.  When in fact they really are far from that.  Get organized with the entry.  That's it.  Please get it organized and  don't take advantage of the attendees. We pay for this!   Thank you~

John Calderon
John Calderon

This has always been a problem with Gary Richards' events--at least at their version of massives (what a mess HARD Halloween at the Shrine was a couple years back), I have noticed they do well with the smaller shows like HARD presents..., or with a show like Holy Ship--yet I still can't understand how they can't get this crowd control thing down

Berto Magas
Berto Magas

ya they have a crappy entrance for general tickets, if u want a quick no problems entrance I think VIP would be the way to go.

Cisco R Ocks
Cisco R Ocks

The only thing lingering in the air that night was herb smoke and dust from the fields.

LA Weekly
LA Weekly

"The afterthought was still lingering in the air." Someone has a gift for the poetic!

Alex Starski
Alex Starski

This should have been written last week when the afterthought was still lingering in the air.

Cisco R Ocks
Cisco R Ocks

Yes, for a while there was a delay getting in because of some kids getting a little rowdy at the entrance which disrupted the flow. It took maybe an hour to get in, and yes being bunched in with hundreds of people was a bit uncomfortable. I witnessed a lot of people taking the time get to know each other while others pushed their way to the front. Was the front was reached (id check and pass swipe), it was nothing but a great time. All the sets that I caught were good, the beer garden wasn't packed aka no long lines, and lots of T & A. It was a great time, Live Nation needs to work on a better entrance plan, and Gary/Destructo made a lit of people happy.

John Calderon
John Calderon

This is why HARD Summer was the straw that broke the camel's back for me for their land-based events--at least Holy Ship was f'ckn epic!!!

Nick Capertina
Nick Capertina

What the fuck happened at HARD Day of The Dead INDEED! >=|

Nick Capertina
Nick Capertina

HARD Day of the Dead made me realize how much I take for granted at Insomniac Events parties, like multiple Water Refill Stations with space for more than 1 person at a time at a fucking water fountain, or lines that don't keep me crammed in like a jew in a train car on the way to Auschwitz, and terrain that I'm not fucking tripping in every step of the way because of potholes and unkept ground. We stood in line for 2 fucking hours just see that we had to go through another fucking line, and then when we went to guest services to get 2 maps, one of me and one for my girlfriend, the lady said we could only have 1 per party. I spent money to drive out of town to go to HARD, I spent money on hotel to go to HARD, food and water and gas and my ticket as well, I got to party for literally 4 hours because of a 2 hour cluster fuck of a line. This years HARD Haunted was my first and LAST HARD event, ever. Fuck HARD and everything they stand for. Insomniac all day every day!

Myke Dodge Weiskopf
Myke Dodge Weiskopf

I gave up on HARD after the ludicrous Forum fiasco a few years back. Handled poorly by everyone involved.

Michael Lujan
Michael Lujan

Gotta blame the event staff primarily. Hard Promotions should get rid of whoever they were and get some professionals.

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