SHREDnews

By: Jess Grenier

What could be better than a concert at an amusement park? Well, nothing really, especially when it’s Six Flags New England located in Agawam, Massachusetts. Six Flags is filled with roller coasters ranging from The Superman to the Flashback to The Mind Eraser. When I went to my first concert at Six Flags in 2008 for the mtvU VMA Tour that featured Bamboo Shoots, Tyga and All Time Low, I had no idea what to expect. This year, I was lucky enough to go to the mtvU VMA Tour again with The White Tie Affair and All Time Low. Luckily, this year they changed some things from the year before that was for the better.

To get access to a concert at Six Flags it comes free with your ticket or seasons pass. Sometimes it the ticket situation gets confusing because Six Flags sells V.I.P wristbands the day of the show. Even going there for a second time, I still got confused on how to get a wristband. I’m pretty sure on the day of the concert you buy your ticket day of the show online to get the wristband. When you get to the park, you pick up the wristband at the candy shop. It gets a little confusing because when the wristbands are sold out, they put out a sign saying so. Some people end up thinking that the actual show itself is sold out.

Two very important things everyone should know about going to a concert at Six Flags. One, bring enough money to last you through the day. Parking at Six Flags unfortunately isn’t free; it costs fifteen dollars for the day. The food and drinks aren’t exactly cheap either. Two, if you don’t have a V.I.P wristband get there early. If you get there early, you can get a closer parking spot and get to ride on some rides before all the lines.

The thing that bothers me the most is that if you don’t have a wristband but you still want to get a decent spot, go straight to the line for the show. The people who have wristbands get to go to the middle of the stage, blocked off for only people who have a wristband. For those who don’t have one, the nest best spots are the right side of the stage or the barricade behind the V.I.P area. The only down side of waiting in line early is that there isn’t any time for rides.

Another thing that becomes a pain is if you do wait in line, the wait is from three to four hours on your feet. Then of course, you get to be on your feet through all of the sets that are playing. When I first went to the mtvU Tour in 2008, the show started late which was a real pain. This year the held the Best Breakout Local Artist, which three local bands played and All Time Low were celebrity judges along with another judge. After those bands played, three more bands played including The White Tie Affair and All Time Low. Then after being on your feet all day you get to walk from the concert area all the way back to the parking area. Not fun at all.

One thing to be taken note of is that if you’re near the front of the line, it ends up getting clustered with fans. It got bad this year and someone ended up knocking over a trash can. The most wretched smell came from that trash and liquids were pouring down the pathway. Some people were in sandals and others lost their sandals. It was probably the worse smell I’ve ever smelled. So, please be considerate and don’t knock over the trash cans!

The stage itself is outside in a big field. On each side of the field, there are tents with picnic tables for parents and or anyone who is tired. The left side of the field before tent with the tables is the merchandise tent. In this area, they do have places where you can purchase drinks. Depending on which event you go to at Six Flags, like the mtvU Tour, depends on what is also in the field. At the mtvU Tour, they had different tents with contests.

At the end of the day, concerts at Six Flags are still exciting. Even with having some downsides, the bands that play there make it worth every penny. These type of concerts are the ones that you’ll never forget.