On Friday, June 14th, 2024, the annual Lyrical Lemonade Summer Smash music festival began with concertgoers rushing in as the gates opened. Thousands of fans had waited outside for hours fueled, with the excitement of being the first to the stages, art installations, and vendor displays. The curious Summer Smashers were immediately greeted with monster trucks, gigantic, inflated Minions from “Despicable Me,” and music video set replicas in giant lemonade cartons created by Lyrical Lemonade. Without any hesitation they diffused throughout the sprawling festival area filled with tons of attractions, and observant eyes were quick to notice the billboard that read, “Are you preparing to meet Sosa?” standing along Harlem Avenue just passed the gargantuan Lyrical Lemonade Stage.
The festivalgoers ran in every direction, covering tons of ground within the first few minutes. Some went straight to the main stage to hold a spot all night. Others, carrying cans of Lyrical Lemonade and merchandise, made their way to the Drink Lyrical Tent where the first performance of the day occurred. The festival started with a bang as fans cheered and moshed for hits played by Elija Wallace.
Hot artists weren’t the only famous people at Summer Smash. Notable YouTubers Badlands Chugs and Airsoftfatty also joined the fray on stage with F1lthy. Both ended up walking around the festival grounds, meeting fans, taking selfies, and signing autographs. Famous journalist/YouTuber Nardwuar was also in attendance just as he was last year. He interviewed artists throughout the festival, both behind the stage and in his private suite.
The SPKRBX Stage inside the Stadium was home to many of the highest received performances of the day. Two of the artists that stuck out the most were Flo Milli and That Mexican OT. Flo Milli unexpectedly jumped offstage mid-performance, taking photos and videos with fans and signing t-shirts. The crowd went wild throughout her performance, cheering whenever she made her way near them. The Mexican OT similarly fired up the crowd with an animated set that had thousands of people dancing and shouting.
However, it was the headliners of the Lyrical Lemonade Stage that truly took the crowd by surprise. The turnout for Big Sean was massive. The crowd went wild as special effects of smoke and fire shot from the stage as he performed the hits that brought him to fame in the 2010s. After a short delay, the final act of the night sent the crowd into a frenzy. An instrumental track played for a few minutes before the set began to hype up the crowd, and cheering drowned out everything once the first member of Cactus Jack took the stage. The roaring led up to unforgettable performances of “FE!N,” “After Party,” and many more songs by Sheck Wes, SoFaygo, Chase B, Don Toliver, and the man that topped it all off, Travis Scott. Fans got to see mini sets from each artist as they played their hits, plus the five-man group performed together live for the first time ever.
On top of the fun brought by the live entertainment, fans were delighted to see the large number of options for food and beverages. Accompanying Lyrical Lemonade were McDonalds, Portillos, Crumbl Cookie, and many more. Free samples of frozen Fanta drinks were even being given out to those passing by the stand.
Festivalgoers left day one extremely satisfied, as Cactus Jack’s performance ended the night on a stunning note. Summer Smash and SeatGeek Stadium provided everything fans needed for a fantastic experience and more.
