If you’ve bought concert tickets lately, you no doubt have paid the price. Scalpers and fees aside, costs have climbed 19% post-pandemic. Fans keep showing up—even waiting in uberlong online queues to boot—but when shelling out for live music, they expect the show to be worth it.
That vibe, though, is only as good as the audience. As a former Raleigh venue employee, I’ve witnessed firsthand how the crowd absolutely makes or breaks a show for everyone: fans, artists and staff.
So as the first shows of concert/fest season kick off at Raleigh’s biggest outdoor venues this month with big names like Tyler Childers, Pearl Jam and The Kooks, we all want the most for our money. For a crash course on what not to do, we rehash behavior gone bad across a host of local/viral incidents.
Do’s and Don’ts of Live Music
Red Flag
Artist
Avg. Ticket
Venue
Basis for Blame
Fans filming entire show on an iPad held overhead
Stevie Nicks
$45–$146
Lenovo Center
Those behind you don’t want to watch the show through your grainy screen.
Audience hurling water bottles—prompting a bottle-cap ban
Snoop Dogg
$110–$400
Coastal Credit Union at Walnut Creek
Would you want to get hit in the head by a flying object?
From accessible art to ’Grammable backdrops for a ’fit check, Raleigh is brimming with postworthy murals to explore.
Raleigh is a city for creatives. And not just those who know how to use a paintbrush, but folks who appreciate art in its myriad forms. The City of Oaks is splashed with murals of all shapes, sizes and colors by local artists who see blank spaces as canvases for expressive opportunities. Read: Transforming Raleigh into a more diverse (and colorful!) place to live. Here, we delve into recent murals (plus a longtime fave) sure to draw a crowd.
Irregardless Cafe
And that’s a rap! Artist Dare Coulter depicts Busta Rhymes and his son in a celebration of the beauty of Black fatherhood around the corner of the cafe. The acclaimed artist emphasizes the importance of Black families and a father’s role in their children’s life journey with the quote, “The world is yours, young king. In the end, I hope you only turn out better than me.” (*Pause for the ”aws.’”*) … Go on, ~Busta~ move and check it out!
Raleigh’s Smallest Park
Small park, big energy (!). ICYMI, Dix Park—aka Raleigh’s largest urban park—debuted Raleigh’s smallest park in June, with a mural by local artist Gabriel Eng-Goetz painted in September 2022 serving as the park’s main focal point. For an opportune photo op, take a seat on one of the mushroom seats by installation artist, photographer and Art Director Katie Stewart amid the kitschy-colored plants + patterns. It’s giving Alice in Wonderland vibes—in the best way.
Do Good
Inspo to do a little bit of good found. Painted in partnership with 100+ volunteers, this Downtown mural reads “Do Good”—and practices what it preaches. The colorful East Martin Street canvas was brought to life by visual storyteller Okirah Harris with support from Activate Good, Raleigh Murals Project and PNC.
Raleigh Iron Works’ public arts program—in collaboration with The Collision Project—is off to a great st(art). Two initial works from Triangle-based artists feature murals amplifying the industrial history of the property—from interdisciplinary artist Gabriel Eng-Goetz’s commemoration of the property with a seven-story mural of a female iron welder to Morgan Cook’s mural merging shape, color and movement by showcasing the association of graffiti with railway systems. Next to join the lineup this fall is a piece by Raleigh native Taylor White set to highlight the male and female workers of the Peden Steel Company. That is so metal!
Celebs—they’re just like us. Dreamville stars were spotted in the wild during the oh-so-dreamy Dreamville Fest weekend.
Guess who’s back… back again? Dreamville—and we’ll be running it back in 2024, answering the call for Raleighites and hip-hop fans far and wide who traveled from 23 countries and four continents (!) for the fest to fill Dix Park with 100,000 people over two days. Also answering the call for city leaders—“We’d like to see Dreamville be a long-term part of Raleigh,” says Downtown Raleigh Alliance President & CEO Bill King. Dreamville is a boon for Raleigh—expected to generate ~$8 million. Beyond the economic impact, the stars are here to support local too—and were spotted aplenty around town….
Whatever you did post-Dreamville, we bet it wasn’t as cool as J. Cole and crew’s afterparty at Vidrio on Sunday (or their Friday pregame party before the big fest). The Glenwood South hot spot was transformed into a nightclub-esque environment with space for dancing, a DJ booth, LED/lasers, and a VIP area on the stage with custom Dreamville visuals—NTM a signature drink menu with the Dreamville liquor sponsors. “It was a spectacular event,” said LM Restaurants’ Marianne Stokes. “Lots of happy guests, and they were wonderful to work with.”
Look who’s here… Ushering over to Chapel Hill, Usher made an appearance at low-key classic college bar He’s Not Here with his bud Johntá Austin—who just happens to be a UNC-Chapel grad. Sounds like the Hills were indeed alive this weekend.
Looks like Big Ush loves brunch too—he was spotted in a Dreamville tee greeting fans and shooting snaps with the resto crew at beloved City Market brekky spot Big Ed’s for a late brunch.
It really is all fun and games? Capping off the weekend, J. Cole hit up Cary’s Dave & Buster’s with Summer Walker, Jessie Reyez, Waka Flocka Flame and others in tow for some hoop dreams (had to) and tabletop air hockey.
Brian Burnett, founder of Glenwood South Tailor, kept J. Cole lookin’ fresh before and during his set on Sunday night. … I think we can all agree that the ’fit was 🔥.
Bonus: Who run the world at Dreamville? Not Beyoncé, as it would turn out. In an epic and out of pocket April Fools’ hoax, Usher pranked the crowd with a warm welcome to queen Bey—but instead we were met with not a single… lady. Womp womp. But there’s always next year?
From the lineup to the surprise appearances to the cool activations and ops (we got the honor of chatting up a few of the big names!), Dreamville was indeed a dream.
Another, ahem, dreamyDreamville Festival has come and gone in the City of Oaks—some would say the most epic fest to date. The two-day fest saw some of the most iconic names in hip-hop take to the Rise and Shine stages at Dix Park (Drake! Usher! Sean Paul!), bringing in ~50,000 visitors per day from all over the state, country and world.
“To see the festival at this magnitude each year—it’s phenomenal,” said day one performer Lute in a sit-down chat with Raleigh Magazine in the artists’ lounge at the festival. “I saw that 15% of people at the festival are from [Raleigh], and the rest are from somewhere else. So I think it’s kinda fire that all these people are coming here.” (He’s not wrong—that’s 50 states and 23 countries to be exact (!)) … As J. Cole’s brainchild keeps getting dreamier and dreamier, we’re thrilled to have front-row seats. Having attended every Dreamville since its inception, here’s our hot take.
Best
Surprise Appearances
As if the planned lineup wasn’t star-studded enough, Dreamville Fest really pulled out all the stops with its surprise performers. Screams could not be contained as the likes of Lil Wayne, Lil Uzi Vert and 21 Savage appeared onstage. Now… how will they top it next year?!
The Artists’ Lounge
Raleigh Magazine got the cool op to hang in the Artists’ Lounge to meet and interview a few of the artists, including Lute, Waka Flocka Flame and Mario. When asked about his performance, Waka said: “I didn’t know what I was gonna do, I just went up there and performed. I be up there just fucking partying.” Naturally, festival attendees partied right there with him. “I love North Carolina,” he added. “In the future I’m gonna do a lot in Raleigh.” And we’re ready for it
Local Biz Spotlights
The Dreamville Fest team made sure to spotlight a handful of local businesses in its Raleigh City Guide (think Oro, Five Star, Foundation, Bittersweet and Black Friday Market, to name but a few), spreading the love throughout the city—and showcasing just how amazing Raleigh really is.
Worst
Usher’s April Fools’ Joke
Usher’s performance was epic. Period. NTM the instant gif born of him pouring water over his abs. And Big Ush’s got jokes. And the internet is mad about it. During his performance, Usher paused to intro a surprise appearance from Beyoncé—after which you could hear a pin drop as the insane crowd waited to greet their queen. After what felt like an eternity Usher yelled “April Fools.” (“There’s some things you just shouldn’t joke about”)…
No Bars
Despite the Dreamville Fest team’s efforts to provide better service this year, attendees still struggled to use their phones. Those poor Instagram feeds! NTM attendees’ safety. It was a struggle to get a call or text out—so in the event of an emergency you’d be, well, screwed. Word on the grounds was Verizon users had the worst luck using their phones. … So next year, bring a portable charger!
Uber Crash
Apparently, the Uber app crashed on Saturday night (!), leaving many festivalgoers scrambling to get out of Dix Park. It reportedly got so bad that a bus had to come out and escort people Downtown so they’d at least get off the grounds. Pro tip for next year: Walk Downtown and order an Uber from a bar or restaurant, or arrange a ride home with a friend! We made the trek for the last two years and noticed way more people walking alongside us in 2023. #DreamvilleHike2024—who’s with us?!
