The second annual HARD Summer music festival was a hype-machine dream come true, with a bill that featured such heavy hitting acts as Chromeo, Tiga, Crookers, and Underworld. What’s a shame though, is that none of these fine acts got to actually play. Whether overselling, over speculating, or just being unorganized is to blame, this year’s event was a complete failure.
The first red flag came when the event opened its doors and attendees came to terms with the fact that some of them would have to sit down in the bleachers of The Forum. Really though, who wants to sit down at an event like this? The floor was packed and every stairwell in each direction was gridlocked with people attempting to reach the main stage. The real trouble began shortly thereafter, as the crowd began to make the jump from upstairs to downstairs, going so far as to risk injury just for the chance to join the growing crowd below. That may be extreme for an event like this, but cut them some slack, the kids just wanted to dance.
The acts that did get to play did an alright job of warming up a crowd that was ultimately going to be disappointed. Crystal Castles played the last full set of the night, during which lead “singer” Alice Glass bounced about the stage with a flashing strobe light, getting so in to it that she took a fall and bumped her head against the drum set. After CC, Chromeo was set to take the stage, but as their equipment was being arranged, the fire marshall intervened. So many people were packing the floor that it broke code, and the event was put on hold until the crowd could be controlled.
Over an hour went by, as Chromeo waited idle on the side of the stage. P-thug himself insisted that if they were to ever go on, they would still play a full show. To kill time Steve Aoki and CC’s Ethan Kath posed for pictures and fraternized with fans stuck in front. Meanwhile, crowd control was absent, the only guidance provided by a lone organizer repeating “you guys are awesome, just back up three rows” from the stage.
Shortly before midnight, word backstage was that the event was canned. The second stage was already in the process of being disassembled as Chromeo and others were escorted out of the Forum, equipment and all. The
crowd caught on and many began to leave before an anticipated riot ensued; outside The Forum, a barricade of cops with riot gear were poised and ready. We received reports that later, when the crowds hadn’t fully dissipated, the CHP released the tear gas.
This of course isn’t the first mishap HARD has endured: recall the stage scheduling and sound issues at their first New Year’s Eve event at the end of 2007, the bum-rush incident at Hard Haunted Mansion that nearly cost them their event permit, or even the dwindling crowd at last year’s summer event after N*E*R*D finished their set. Still, for the thousands in attendance who dropped money on tickets (and $20+ on parking) just to catch some of their favorite musicians, it was perhaps the biggest disappointment.
Early on Sunday morning the following was posted on the HARD website:
Dear Los Angeles,
We are terribly sorry. Inglewood PD made the decision to shut down the event tonight much to our astonishment and yours. There are many questions to answer; rest assured you will be receiving your refunds. Please check back soon for more details. The show must go on…
But the comments on HARD organizer Gary Richards’ Facebook page during and after the event weren’t so forgiving:
i hope you have funds for all the lawsuits :) Saw a girl get tazered 3 times by the pigs!! Another girl was tear gassed right in the face. and who ever was on the mic cursing at the crowd is a big bald idiot.
HARDBROKEN!!!!!:((((((( STILL GOT YOUR BACK!!!!!
Hard fucken sucked! I want my money back asap! Who wants to sit at a rave? Wayyyyyyy too many people.
worst event evaaaaarr! sucked HARD!
what is going on??? HARD is not so hard..chromeo should of been on hours ago..
Whether or not it’s possible for event organizers to redeem themselves and the credibility of future HARD events, we may not know for a while, but for the time being there are plenty of frustrated ravers and scenestars who want their sixty bucks back.
Photos by David Bond
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