Frustrated fans vented to news outlets after many were unable to make it inside Chris Brown’s Breezy Bowl XX at Carter-Finley Stadium in Raleigh on time or at all due to severe traffic congestion and parking chaos.
A night meant for music and excitement quickly transformed into hours-long gridlock, leaving many stranded outside the venue. Some concertgoers said they missed most of the highly anticipated show despite leaving hours early.
One fan told ABC 11, “You shouldn’t have to take a day off work just to make it to a 7 PM concert. We gave ourselves hours, only to be told parking was oversold.”
Another attendee told the news outlet that they drove from Burlington and only made it inside with 20 minutes left in the performance.
Others described even more frustrating experiences. One fan told NBC 17 News that she ended up walking a mile in boots to reach the stadium after spending five hours stuck in traffic.
Some attendees abandoned their cars altogether, leaving them on exit ramps or along the roadside, and chose to walk the rest of the way just to catch part of the show.
In response to the backlash, North Carolina State University officials said they had a “complex operations plan” in place in coordination with law enforcement and parking vendors. Parking lots reportedly opened five hours early, but the volume of vehicles still overwhelmed the system.
NC State added that a “comprehensive review” is now underway to ensure a smoother experience at future events.
One X user, who goes by the username NiceLook_Nikko, tweeted, “Driving to Raleigh to see Chris Brown and not being able to get to the show because of traffic is crazy. Hope they refund y’all.”
Another X user who goes by the username BlasianGoddessx had a different response, tweeting:
“I’m so tired of seeing people complain about the concert like if you missed Chris Brown in Raleigh then it was literally your fault for not having proper time management everybody tried to leave at the same time and got stuck on the same exit.”
Traffic concerns aren’t likely to ease soon, as Billie Eilish performed yesterday and is set to perform on Friday at the nearby Lenovo Center. While that venue seats about 20,000 compared to Carter-Finley’s 57,000, officials warn that with the NC State Fair, which began this week on October 16th, drivers should brace for similarly heavy congestion.
