I'm not sure what the actual cause of all of it is - but it's a very common refrain: these one or two day pop up festivals simply aren't worth it.

I didn't go to the picnic but I did watch some online - and what was clear was the scheduling was really bad. I mean, The Roots and Mary did about an hour total which is super disappointing if you paid the money for a co-headlining type set. I saw a lot of people complaining about sound - which has been SUCH a huge issue that I can't believe we're still dealing with in 2022. (And hell, not to mention that there was a ton of talk about huge lines for food, etc)

I went to Smokin Grooves and Once Upon A Time in LA here in LA - and both had serious issues. Once Upon a Time had an absolute SHITSHOW of an entrance process and INSANELY long lines for food/drinks/merch. That really shouldn't ever happen. Oh, and then Drakeo was murdered because the security was beyond shit - causing Snoop, 50 Cent, and YG to not perform. Understandable, of course - but absolutely preventable issues.

Smokin Grooves had the absolute WORST sound on the main stage I've heard at one of these festivals in many years. Hell, it was easier and better to watch the show from BEHIND the stage and check it out on the monitors than it was to watch the show from where you were supposed to. They corrected the issues of the lines - that part was great - but sound HAS to be a priority at these things. Then Erykah Badu's headlining set got cut off because of curfew - which, again, TOTALLY preventable.

I'm not sure if it's labor force or what, but I just have a hard time thinking these festivals are worthwhile - even if it is an opportunity to see so many artists in such a short amount of time. These are pop up events at the end of the day - and when you bring in ALL these vendors...things are bound to be messy.

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17x NBA Champions