Illinois State Fair Grandstand — Attraction in Springfield

Went to Def Leppard last night. The concert itself was amazing. The sound was great, the seats were not uncomfortable. There was someone there signing the concert, which i appreciate. I am hearing but have family in the non-hearing community. Problem one we experienced was the disorganized entry to the venue. They had random lines coming from all directions that later merged with another line, after snaking around, then further merging with yet another line that appeared out of nowhere. All stemming from mass amounts of simultaneous cutting. 45 minutes of the show was missed despite getting in the "entry line" 40 minutes before start time. Problem 2 was the hassle to obtain a water. Wait in a line to obtain a drink ticket, to then go wait in a longer line to use the ticket to obtain a water. They need to take a queue from every other concert venue. Have a line for people that want to purchase adult beverages to obtain a wrist band and sale beverages...

Parking easy to get in and out. Cheap too. But if you're going to see an event there,

Went to see Def Leppard. Only three entrance points for over 10,000 people. Took forever to get in. Most people missed opening act because of this. Multiple "lines" for each gate caused even bigger lines because they just messed together. Very limited bathrooms in grandstand area. Didn't see a single porta-potty. It was 96 degrees and no cooling areas or fans there. With a closed in area like the grandstand, they seriously need industrial fans from the ceilings for air flow.

Plus they make you pour out any beverage into cups for entry into concert venue. But once inside, you can get beverages and pay twice as much.

Overall just not a great experience there....

Went to see Brooks and Dunn at the Grandstand during the Illinois State Fair 2022. Always like seeing concerts here. Sound is usually real good (but for me, always a bit loud - but if you want to see a live concert, you have to expect the music to be loud). We sat in the grandstand, bleacher seats with backs. Most seats aren't too bad, but many of the backs are bent forward (probably from people sitting behind, putting their feet on them) so when you sit back, it pokes you in the back, making it pretty uncomfortable. Would be nice if they spent some time fixing the seats. However, we still had a very good time and the concert...