Allstate Arena — Attraction in Maine Township

Serious Safety and Planning Issues at Allstate Arena

I recently attended J-Hope’s Hope On The Stage concert at Allstate Arena and was deeply disturbed by the venue’s lack of planning and safety. Similar issues occurred during Suga’s D-Day Tour, making it clear that these are ongoing problems. Fans should be aware of the serious risks when attending large-scale events at this venue.

When my mother and I arrived, there was zero visible signage—not even to confirm this was the location of the concert. We saw several long lines, but no staff or volunteers to provide directions. Hundreds of attendees had unknowingly waited for hours in the wrong line, which turned out to be the merch line. As a result, many fans missed part of the concert despite arriving early. This is absolutely unacceptable given how expensive these tickets are.

Even when we found what we believed to be the correct line, no one could confirm it. I asked multiple people, and everyone was equally confused and worried. We waited nearly an hour in line without seeing a single staff member. The panic and frustration were intense. This lack of support created chaos and was a huge safety concern.

Inside the arena, things only got worse. The venue was dangerously overcrowded. Fans were packed shoulder to shoulder and chest to back, making it nearly impossible to move. The corridors were gridlocked with people entering, lining up for restrooms, and trying to buy merch from the few indoors stands available. We had no time to use the restroom or buy water before heading to our seats as the massive crowding prohibited our movements, making what should've been a 2 minute walk a 25 minute one. The only way through was to shove, or else you were stuck at standstill.

Security was scarce. There were no walk-through metal detectors, just handheld wands used by impassive, rude staff. Once past security, we were funneled into an unmanageable crowd. If there had been any kind of emergency, evacuation would have been impossible.

With gun violence being a real issue in the U.S., it’s important to note how dangerous this setup was. A single loud noise could have sparked mass panic. At the 2025 NCA Cheer Nationals in Dallas, a false alarm led to a stampede and injuries. That same situation could have easily happened here. But in such a tightly packed venue with limited exits and zero breathing room, the results would’ve been catastrophic.

For comparison, I attended Permission to Dance in Las Vegas in 2022 with over 50,000 attendees, and it felt far safer and more organized than this concert with less than half that number. Allstate Arena is not equipped to safely host events of this scale.

The merch situation was equally unacceptable. There was only one outdoor booth (the main merch stand), many fans waited 8 to 10 hours, only to find everything sold out. While this falls on HYBE, the venue should have flagged the safety risks. The indoor merch lines for tinier stands clogged already severely congested walkways and worsened traffic flow. Fans reported this same issue happened during D-Day, showing nothing was learned from past mistakes.

All in all, the lack of signage, staff presence, clear communication, and crowd management made this event incredibly dangerous. Fans were scared and confused. It felt like a disaster waiting to happen, and the venue showed no signs of being prepared to handle it.

Unless major improvements are made, I would not recommend attending any large concert here. This venue is not safe for high-capacity events, and organizers should seriously reconsider booking it...

This is the greatest place to go and see stuff. I've been going here since I was a little kid to see the Chicago wolves I also want to see them with my dad who's a Shriner him and his friends would always get a first student bus to drive us out to Allstate arena it was a huge traditionally used to do until the pandemic hit I am a boy scout and I remember going to see monster jam with my dad my cousin and my cousin's friend which was done through boy Scouts from selling popcorn and in I also remember coming here with my mom and stepdad to see the Chicago wolves and also I remember it was me my dad and my two older step Brothers came to see the wolves as well they had never been to a wolves game that was their first time in 2021 my stepdad and mom took me to my first-ever concert to see Trans-Siberian and once again they took me just before Christmas to see Trans-Siberian orchestra again cuz I loved it so much and just yesterday 2/15/23 I am in this program at my school called school where they take you and show you the ropes and skills you need to understand the the way it works in the working community and we do these field trips to see through the eyes of these companies that we've gone and seen what it's like to be in the employment but anyways we took a field trip to see Chicago wolves there was a whole bunch of other schools they're as well to see the wolves we went into a room across the street and we talk to the president of the Chicago wolves Courtney Mahoney and he explained their base of and what it's like through The eyes of running the Chicago wolves and one of the guys there who's in charge of setting up all the entertainment and stuff that the wolves provide his name is Tim he was there passing out Chicago wolves hats the way it worked was every question someone answered Tim would give you a hat afterwards we went across the street into Allstate to watch the game and let me be honest after sitting there for those hours and actually be able to be like oh this is what Courtney was talking about was so cool to see but anyways as you can see Allstate holds a special place in my heart always has and always will Allstate arena is the greatest type of arena even though the arena dates back to the 70s it is still one of the...

Went here to see IVE for their Show What I Have Tour. Huge fan of the group and have been since their debut. Was super excited and waited 100+ days for this show but was hugely disappointed by how BAD this arena was. First of all, located in a trashy area, pushed back behind a target and parking is a nightmare (25$???) and they WILL tow you if you try to park by the target if you don’t want to pay the parking fee. Saw like 20 cars get towed. Obviously it didn’t help that it was a TERRIBLE day, not their fault, but it was like 45 mph wind speeds. Can’t even begin to describe how cold and miserable it was. The staff didn’t even let us inside!!! We were just to make a line outside and freeze to death. Merch was a disaster. Unfriendly staff that kept yelling at us, disorganized lines, basically calling us idiots for not being able to line up right. Lady with the red braid even started arguing with customers. After the soundcheck I was literally kicked out rudely by the staff like 2 seconds after it was over. “I told you to get out!” I remember her saying. Lady with brown hair and red shirt. And if you’ve been to United Center for another kpop concert and thought it was disorganizes, LORD, are you in for a wakeup. Inside there was jist SO many people packed imto WAY too small an area. Not big enough halls, extremely cramped, having to push around to get anywhere. This person telling me to line up here another person telling me to line up somewhere else. Like I’m just trying to find one person who knows what they’re talking about. Some of the staff were nice though. Old Guy by the curtains scanning the tickets was very nice. Lady at the check in booth was funny and pleasant. Only two kind staff i met though. I bought VIP for this show but I feel like a Very Idiotic Person according to how I was treated. Although, enough negative, the show was great. I made a few friends from my seat, had cup holders, seats were a good size but might be a bit cramped if you’re a larger person. Kind of like your average arena seats. Show went super smooth, no tech issues, sound was pretty good. Overall loved the show, the IVE girls did wonderful, but the staff were SO unpleasant that it makes me want to never see another concert in...