Inglewood Residents Voice Concerns Over Noise from HARD Summer Festival and Lady Gaga Concert

Inglewood's streets reverberated with sound as the HARD Summer music festival coincided with Lady Gaga's concert at the Kia Forum, igniting a wave of complaints from local residents.

Thousands gathered at Hollywood Park, adjacent to SoFi Stadium, for the festival, while just a stone's throw away, Lady Gaga captivated her audience as part of "The Mayhem Ball Tour." The juxtaposition of these two major events has left some residents feeling overwhelmed.

"I just love the energy, trying to have a good time, going to have fun," said Armando Alvarez, who joined the throngs of festival-goers. "It doesn't matter where I am, just trying to have an adventure and go with the flow," he added, embodying the spirit of many attendees.

However, not all share Alvarez's enthusiasm. Latrice Bates, a nearby resident, described the noise as "a lot of banging, a lot of cheering and a lot of loud drumming." She recounted how last year's festival affected her son’s sleep patterns. "He tosses and turns. He wakes up and says he can't sleep," Bates lamented.

Last year’s event drew complaints from as far away as El Segundo and Redondo Beach, with city officials reporting over 100 noise grievances. This prompted a ban on performances at SoFi's American Airlines Plaza.

Inglewood Mayor James Butts expressed his desire for the city to thrive as an entertainment hub but assured residents that this year's festival would be different. "Last year, what happened was the main stage was American Airlines Plaza, 50 feet elevated from the floor of SoFi, and it was facing west," he explained. "That, combined with atmospheric conditions, allowed the bass frequencies to run along the clouds."

To address these issues, Butts mentioned adjustments in speaker placements and a new concert curfew aligned with the city’s 10 p.m. cutoff. "It ran over last year. It will not run over this year," he stated firmly. "If I have to pull the plug myself, it will end at 10 o'clock."

As promised, the concert concluded right on schedule at 10 p.m., with reporters present to witness the timely end.

Prior to the weekend's events, HARD Summer organizers acknowledged last year's complaints and claimed they had made "extensive efforts" to mitigate sound levels through operational changes.

Despite these assurances from city officials and event planners, some South Bay residents took to social media to express their dissatisfaction with the noise levels once again, indicating they might file further complaints.