Lauderdale Live 2015

7:40pm on Sunday. 85 Degrees. Sparse crowd in the park. I police car deployed.

Lauderdale Live 2015 Sunday Evening

There was ABSOLUTELY no reason to block off Las Olas for this. Dear City of Fort Lauderdale: if these guys choose to lose their money again next year, please don't block Las Olas.

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I swung by at 5PM Saturday. The Park is dead empty. A handful of people at Will Call.

Lauderdale LIve 5pm Saturday

They didn't set up the gates for the long line this year. It looks like they also didn't put the shades on the fence so I think you can see in from outside the fence. So it looks like the arrogance level is kicked down a notch this year. I've mentioned this to a few people and nobody even knows about it.

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Lauderdale LIve is back this weekend, so make sure you remember that Las Olas Blvd is CLOSED at Huizenga Park. It's amazing to me that the people who organize this didn't learn a single thing from the debacle last year. There are still VIP tickets for sale as of 2pm on Friday; last year the VIP party sold out early. $99.50 plus ticketmaster fees for a concert and hors d'oeurves on a yacht. Probably prepared by a yacht chef.

I wouldn't pay to see any of the artists playing this year. I might go to see Sister Hazel for free, but it if was free there would be 200K people there and I wouldn't want to go.

This has to be the dumbest thing that the City of Fort Lauderdale allows. Why don't they put the food trucks on SE 1st Street next to the park so they don't have to block Las Olas?

Weather: 90's and Sunny. Bring your Camel.

How Much does it Cost?

General Admission Tickets are $39.50 for a 1 day pass and $69.50 for a 2 day pass, down from $59 and $89 last year.

Saturday Lineups

Phillip Phillips
Ben Rector
Drew Holcolm
Kris Allen
Emily Kopp

Sunday June 21

O.A.R.
Sister Hazel
Dumpstahunk
Luke Wade
Beverly McClellen

Map

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Tickets

They have a Groupon running for $35, claiming that the regular price of a 1 day pass is $74.85. Don't be fooled. The regular price is $39.50. Chances are they'll be lowering the prices as the concert dates approach. Based on last year's "crowds".

Lauderdale Live 2014

The second day of the big festival has arrived; at 2pm on a beautiful Sunday, it looks like just friends and family of the band in the park.

Lauderdale LIve. Sunday @ 2pm

Did they REALLY block off Las Olas for this?

First (and hopefully last) Lauderdale LIve

The first "annual" Lauderdale Live event starts today. The two day festival will be held at Huizenga Park starting at 12PM on Saturday and ending around 9pm on Sunday. Featured artists are Huey Lewis and the News, Lyle Lovett and The Indigo Girls. Everything else is just filler. Woodstock it is not.

They advertise this as "3 days of music", but that's only if you lay out $379 for the sold-out Captain's Pass, which includes a private party on Friday night on a yacht.

Something unexpected is that they've shut down Las Olas Blvd downtown; usually these park events are contained in the actual park. They've extended this across the street, which means that you won't be able to buy anything from the food trucks if you're not inside.

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They've even put masks on the fence so you can't see inside. A real first class community event.

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Backstage is totally raucous.

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This is hardly like May Fest back at college; where people would get up early for a prime spot on the lawn for a day of music and drinking. Of course the food and drink (and music) were free. There's much to be said about the elasticity of demand. On St Patrick's day you can't get into the park all day; but for $59 people go to the beach.

How Much Does it Cost?

The price tag? $89 for a general admission 2 day pass, or $59 for a one day pass for Saturday or Sunday. Pre-sales are closed, and you can buy tickets at the door. It's not clear what the price is; the people at the gate didn't know. As you can see there was massive demand at 2PM on a perfect Saturday afternoon.

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The VIP tickets, priced at $199, seem like a total ruse to me. You'll have access to a "cash" bar and an exclusive viewing area that's arguably further from the stage than much of the general admission. The only selling point to me is the separate bathrooms. Hardly worth an extra $110. There's no one-day VIP of course.

What's Included?

You get to listen to the music. Of course you can listen to the music sitting across the street at the museum also. No food. No drinks included. Even the VIP has a cash bar.

Band/Music Schedule

Saturday

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Sunday

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For me, there's no interest in Sunday at all. If it's a nice day on Saturday and they're selling tickets at the door, maybe I'll go on Saturday to check it out. Or maybe I won't. I certainly won't pay in advance, because if it rains, you're scroogled.