STEPH JUDGEMENT: One of the best outdoor music festivals I've been to, even with the hellish heat!
I have friends who've been going for years and I've been wanting to join them forevah! Well 2017 was finally my year, and the bf and I had a fantastic time. It was the festival's first time at the new Las Vegas Events Center (aka the big lot by the Golden Nugget), but everything went off without a hitch. First of all, there's only one stage, which makes this a very manageable festival. Second of all, there were lots of great vendors--special kudos for having several good veggie choices in the food area, including a vegan tent that was serving up some seriously delicious eats. Finally, everyone was just very chill and there to have fun; the only really annoying people were the drunk bro-punks (what a surprise). There were a lot of great acts this year, with age-old favorites like Iggy Pop and Bad Religion, but also some cool up and comers like Plague Vendor and Mobina Galore.
While the crowd was sizable, it wasn't unbearably packed, and the staff, especially the security, were all very professional. Crowd surfers who made it to the front were gently plucked and released, and were not hassled unless they were clearly drunk and belligerent (see reference to bro-punks above). It did get REALLY hot, however, and it would've been nice if they could've set up some more shade areas, but since the shows started at like 3pm I supposed it's not too many hours of the sun being out. They did have some misting fans set up in the bar area, so even non-VIP peons like me could get some relief from the heat. But seriously, the real stars were the bathrooms! They were the luxe trailer-style toilets with flushing toilets, running sinks, and AC. As the night wore on, there were quite a few people just hanging out in the bathrooms to escape the heat. All in all, a great weekend of music, booze and sweat. I can't wait for next year!