June Fest 2015

Want to see washed up 80s bands relive their glory days while caterwauling on a temporary outdoor stage? Then June Fest is for you! I can’t complain because I was treated to comp VIP tickets by the casino so that meant I had close up seats and free food and booze, but I’m not sure the «rack rate» ticket prices would be worth it. There are two seating areas: in fold out chairs closer to the stage and then a grassy «lawn» area in back. The actual seating area seats were expensive so most of them went empty. Next year the organizers might want to consider making the lawn area bigger and remove a lot of those empty chairs.
The lineup was fun and was touted as a Salute to the 80s. John Waite, Berlin, and the Romantics all played pretty sad sets as none of them were really that good anymore. At least it was fun to sing along to their hits. The best part of the lineup was the legendary (fresh off her Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction) Joan Jett! This lady is still ROCKING, people! She came out on stage in a badass silver sequined jumpsuit and her voice sounded great. She blasted out a crazy setlist of all of her biggest hits as well as songs from her days in the Runaways.
The stage was small but fine and the plastic chair reserved seating did the job. There were plenty of bars around for booze. I ordered a margarita from 3 different bars and each bar was out of some crucial ingredient. One didn’t have tequila, one didn’t have limes and another didn’t have sour mix. Huh? What is up with that? A bar without basic ingredients for one of the world’s most popular drinks? I finally gave up and just drank Diet Pepsi.
The food booths had very long lines because of inefficient food prep procedures, but the food was pretty tasty considering the limited outdoor cooking areas. Food was pricey as you’d expect. The hotel kept the pool open during the concert so you could go for a swim if you wanted. You couldn’t see the stage from the pool but you could hear the bands just fine (the sound system was sort of quiet which was nice, no busted eardrums here and no earplugs were necessary).
I’d go to this event again, especially if it was comped!