Dave Chappelle fans planning to attend his next show in Central Texas should opt to get to the venue as early as possible. Long lines appeared to have delayed the entry of some attendees and even deterred at least one fan from staying for Chappelle’s show at the Moody Center in Austin.
Austinite Jeff Oji shared a video on Instagram of his experience waiting in line for “45 minutes to an hour” outside the venue on Monday, October 26. He said fans had to wait in a line that “wrapped around the building” to receive a paper for a locked pouch to secure their phones because the show follows a strict no-phones policy.
Ultimately, he decided to leave without seeing Chappelle because he believed the process was taking too long to get inside.
“People are still waiting. Nothing is happening. I got fed up. I’m going home,” Oji said in his video. “It sucks because this was my first time going to see Dave Chappelle and I’m not going to get to see him.”
Oji ended the video by calling out the Moody Center as he described his experience as “an abysmal way of handling an event,” in the caption of his post. MySA reached out to the Moody Center for comment, but did not hear back prior to publication.
“Moody Center, y’all gotta do better man,” he continued. “That’s a f****** mess, bro.”
It’s unclear if Chappelle’s show had already started by the time Oji left the line, but the venue encouraged attendees to leave their phones in their cars or at home because “anyone who brings a cell phone will be required to place it in a locked pouch,” per the venue’s website. However, many attendees had their tickets on their phones were required to wait in line as Instagram user @brian.parrett noted in Oji’s coment section.
“I love the Ticketmaster email I got yesterday… says leave my phone in my car because it’s a no-phone show but also says my phone is my ticket, WTF?!?!” Parrett wrote. Another Chappelle show attendee @bonfinicoaching joined the conversation adding, “It was bad, we waited and got in just as he was going on.”
Other attendees said they waited in line for 5 to 20 minutes before getting in, so it may all depend on what time you arrive. Chappelle will have a second show on Tuesday, October 27 at Austin’s Moody Center, which will also be a phone-free experience, according to the venue.