First time to Northerly Island was an interesting experience

I've been to other DMB shows in Chicago, but first timer at Northerly Island. Brought my wife and two kids (18, 21) with seats in 205 on the aisle. There are some things I really liked. First, the Uber driver was able to get us all the way to the planetarium, so the walk to the venue itself was quite easy. Also enjoyed how many vendors and bathrooms there were near our section, although once the show starts, I almost never step away. My wife and daughter are on the shorter side, but because the stage was higher than normal, they had a great view of the band, which is not usually the case out our main venue Deer Creek, so this was a major bonus. The walk back was not my favorite part of the evening, but it was nice out, so it's hard to complain. I can't imagine how hot it would have been with that asphalt ground had it been a more typical summer temp.

My least favorite part of the evening was the people, surprisingly. I don't want to generalize the entire crowd, it could just be an unlucky experience around us, but in my immediate area it was less than ideal. Nearly everyone around us was talking through the entire show. Two guys near us were even engaged in a heated debate. Then there were the sneaky sneaks. Since we were two rows behind the Pit, almost centered to the stage, the view was good. There was a constant stream of people coming from somewhere behind us to either cram in next to us to pretend that they are supposed to be there, or stand in front of us entirely. At one point, a hammered guy stepped on my wife's foot, and at another point, some woman was basically on top of my daughter, making her uncomfortable. I put my arm between the two of them and physically moved this person a few inches off of my daughter, and in response I received a passive-aggressive apology-shriek and was scream-called a "Dick" as she shuffled back to wherever she came from. I could rattle off many more examples, but I think you get the picture. The level of shameless entitlement was unreal. I guess their strategy was to buy cheaper seats, then just work their way up to the front? Spatial awareness be damned. I'm sure this isn't that uncommon, but not something I've experienced much at other venues.

I'm glad we went, but will definitely be skipping Northerly in the future.