What in the actual fuck...

It was a grueling crawl from the time we lined up on Silica road at 5:30 PM to the time I finally got to our campsite....at 4:45 AM. Yes, 11+ hours. Which we did not even suffer the worst of it. Many of the die hard Griz and Subtronics fans that had traveled from several states away sat in line for 13-14 hours.

Pulsing the line? They never heard of it. Information on HOW long it was gonna take? All delivered from scattered sources on Redditt and Facebook/Instagram or the endless group chats that were bubbling as we sweltered in the Gorge sun.

The lineup was also blocking locals from getting to their property and there was no reprieve for them. Some went into the opposite lane of traffic to get to their turn offs, only to be pulled over and ticketed for driving in the wrong lane by the Sheriff. One poor soul that was directly in front of me in line had to wait for 8 hours to get to his turn off.

It was not the staffs fault....

They were keeping us safe and making sure there were no firearms brought onto the premises. I appreciate this. But... when you are moving through cars at a snails pace, with the line stretching for 5 miles back to I-90, adjustments need to be made, and lines need to be expedited.

Many of the workers I spoke with at 3 am had been working since 11 am.. the day before. None of them had worked at the Gorge before. They were stressed and being frankly abused for their labor. Live Nation failed its employees, the customers, and the community. The only benefit the overworked employees were offered was a measly $1.50 extra an hour.

A note to the out of towners

I want to formally apologize. This is not the Gorge I know and love. Talking to some of you who traveled from many states over to come to our 8th wonder of the world I had sinking feeling of guilt that my states greatest amphitheater was letting you down. I applaud you for sticking out the line and making it through the weekend. I hope the sunset on Saturday showed you why we would go through this trial and tribulation to attend shows at this venue.

Would I do it again? Yes. After I heal from the Linetronics disaster.

-Petey the undisputed beer pong champion of The Gorge