HAPPY WEDNESDAY Y’ALL! I am back on the blog with my review of my first ever socially distanced music festival! Last week I attended an incredibly innovative, socially distanced music festival in North Austin. Superstars Snoop Dogg and Nelly headlined and, let me just say this, they did amazing!
The Nueva Latina Event Rating 7/10.
Obviously, one of the biggest questions I have received about my experience was about the COVID-19 related precautions during the concert. Upon entering the concert, we were asked to sign a waiver acknowledging that any and all risks were on us. We were to keep our masks on at all time when not in our perspective “pod” (more on that below). They also took our temperature at the door before we were allowed in.
The event organizers had “pods” setup. The pods were 8 FT X 8 FT and could fit up to 6 people per pod with chairs you could rent or chairs you brought on your own. Each pod was spaced out by about 8 FT in between each pod. The more “VIP” pods also included a table to put your personal possessions, food, or drinks on.
I know it sounds weird, but it’s only because this is the new normal and we aren’t used to it. Pros of these pods included: 1) having your own space without people pushing you 2) getting to bring your own lawn chair 3) having room to dance and move around. Cons…not really any cons to the pods themselves. Once Snoop Dogg appeared on stage though, people in the pods that were farther back did start to get impatient and started trying to come to the front.
The main reason that I rated this festival a 7/10 was the food and beverage situation. Granted, this was the first time that I have seen anything like this. Taking that into consideration the event organizers did amazing. Walking into the festival was pretty much the same. There were food and beverage tents set up on both sides of the festival lawn. Porta Potties also were available on either side along with several hand washing stations setup.
The only difference here was that you weren’t allowed to go up to the tents to order your food or beverage. The event attendees had to download an app called Roovy. Each pod was numbered with a row letter and seat number. I was sitting in LL33. Attendees were told to download the app, setup an account, add payment information, and then they would be able to order food and drinks directly brought to their pod by a runner.
The drinks, honestly, were delivered QUUUUICK. Haha. I was surprised because it was almost immediate. The food, on the other hand, was a whole mess. The thing with the app was that it relies on an internet connection. At one point during the event the people running the tents lost connection and weren’t receiving orders. By the time the connection came back they were way behind. I was able to get my brisket sandwich (which was honestly FREAKEN DELICIOUS) and chips it had been 3 hours since I ordered.
What really saved this music festival was the amazing job they did on being able to bring these iconic artists to the stage. I was able to witness Stoney LaRue, Nelly, and Snoop Dogg live. During the breaks we were shown the livestream from the other cities having a Hometown Heroes Concert at the same time. I was able to catch the full Pat Green livestream and, as always, it was amazing.
All of the artists were AMAZING. I don’t know if I just missed live music THAT much or if they were all really that good. But, either way, I had an amazing time. I met and spoke with Stoney LaRue once in OKC at a bar with my parents. I sat there talking to him and his wife for a good while. After that I became a fan because he is so humble but at the same time a greta musician.
Nelly. IT GOT HOT IN THEEEEER Y’ALL! Nelly may be in his mid-40s…but…damn. Hahaha. Nelly brought the energy that I knew he would bring. He connected with the country music crown by performing some of his favorite country songs. Then he shared a few new songs of his new album which is a blend of country, hip hop, and rock. He performed all this older favorites and had the crown up out of their seats dancing. I would definitely see him in concert again.
SNOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOP. Y’all. I can’t. Even put this into words. The main reason I wanted to cover this concert was for SNOOP-D-O-Double G. His performance was everything I could have asked for and more. He had not 1, not 2, but 4 poles on stage and brought out dancers for a few of his songs. He had a money gun at one point that shot out money with Snoop’s face on it. We took a whole “smoke break” and we vibed the whole time y’all! Snoop just go ahead and take all my money. I will FOR SURE pay to see you live again.
Overall I had an amazing time and am extremely grateful to the event organizers. If Hometown Heroes makes it’s way back to Austin you can bet that I will be right there in the front row.
You can see all my favorite shots from that night on the The Nueva Facebook Page here: Hometown Heroes Concert – Austin – September 2020.
Stay in love and just listen,
P.s. TEXAS! It’s grind time y’all! The deadline to get regitered to vote in Texas is October 5th! She Could Be Next has everything you need to register, check your voting status and educate you on your rights at the polls. Spread the word: https://thenuevalatina.com/links/.
