Sun Bowl — Attraction in El Paso

Concert – Coldplay at Sun Bowl Stadium, El Paso

I came with high hopes for an unforgettable night with Coldplay at the Sun Bowl Stadium, but unfortunately, the venue and management turned it into an absolute nightmare. This was hands-down the worst concert experience I’ve ever had.

From the get-go, the situation was pure chaos. There were no signs, no visible staff, and no clear direction. Lines were forming randomly without any indication of where they were headed. After waiting in a queue for over 30 minutes, we were abruptly told it was closed and to “just join another line”—still with no guidance. The result? We missed all of the opening acts while wandering around, trying to figure out how to even get in.

When we finally ended up in what seemed like the “right” line, we were met with a maze of unorganized crowds, with multiple queues haphazardly merging. The real kicker? Only five ticket scanners were operating—for a crowd of over 50,000. The bottleneck that caused was unbearable.

To make matters worse, temperatures soared past 100°F, and despite the dangerous heat, we were forced to throw away our water bottles at the gates. No alternatives, no accommodations—just more negligence layered on top of the disorganization.

It’s infuriating to think how easily this could’ve been avoided with a competent management team. The lack of planning, communication, and basic crowd control was inexcusable. No concert, no matter how iconic the band, is worth that kind of mess. Coldplay didn't deserve this.

I’ll never attend another event at this...

If I could give half a review, I would.

The concert itself, Coldplay, was absolutely amazing—so amazing in face that for a little while, you could forget just how chaotic everything around it was. The energy, the music, the atmosphere during the show were incredible. But everything before and after the actual performance was honestly a mess.

Getting into the venue was a disaster. There was barely any police or staff to help guide people, and almost no signs to explain where to go. There were a bunch of different lines, but no one seemed to know what they were for. Bags weren’t checked—just a metal detector—and there was no separation between people with bags and those without, which only made the wait worse.

The entry was also covered in trash—bottles and litter were everywhere, especially near the entrance. And one thing that really made it hard to enjoy the show for some of us was how close the port-a-potties were. The smell was awful if you were sitting in that area, and it definitely could’ve been better thought out.

Leaving was just as bad. There was no traffic flow, no one directing cars or people, and everyone was just kind of stuck trying to figure it out on their own. It felt really unsafe and frustrating.

We’ve been to a lot of concerts and venues over the years, and this was by far the worst in terms of organization and crowd control. Safe to say we will not be coming to El Paso for concerts anymore. It’s such a shame, because the actual concert deserved a much better experience...

I wish I could give this place zero stars. I bought ADA seating-semi ambulatory and was kicked out after an hour. I sat for 40 mins in my seat with the lady in front of me laying in my lap at the monster truck rally. So even trying to angle my legs so they were in the isle people were bumping me and hurting me. I asked her (the lady in front of me) a couple of times- politely I may add that it was causing me pain and if she'd mind moving forward a little bit. After that long trying to keep a brave face i couldn't handle the pain, I asked one of the security guards a lady if I could move to the other ada section. (Shes a saint for that even grabbed my ortho pillow for me) She seen the lady legitimately lay down as soon as I moved so she was kind enough to get me a chair I was with my children and one stayed with dad while the other came with me. They needed to use the bathroom 5 mins later so decided to switch children with my partner as I'm recovering still from the events of being bumped and layed on so I have my youngest who's 1 in my lap so my partner can take my 4 year old to the bathroom. As soon as the male security guard sees this says the space is for ada only and tells me to leave the venue. When, I can hardly move and ended up throwing up outside. I've never been more...