Dead & Company fans frustrated after sitting in hours of traffic, missing show at Star Lake

BURGETTSTOWN, Pa. (KDKA) -- A concert at Star Lake is being called a disaster after people waited hours in traffic before giving up and going home. 

It was supposed to be a fun-filled time inside Star Lake to see Dead & Company, but for many people, they didn't even get in the gate because Route 22 and Route 18 were so backed up some people sat in more than five hours of traffic.

Video shot by fans shows the traffic nightmare.

"I've never seen a mess like this anywhere and I've driven in LA traffic. I've driven in D.C. traffic. I spent my youth driving through the Fort Pitt Tunnel at rush hour," Jennifer Kos said.

She waited for about four-and-a-half hours before calling it quits and going home.

"It was an actual disaster," Kos said over Zoom.

Everyone KDKA-TV spoke to left early to hopefully beat traffic, but once they got within a couple miles of Star Lake, it was a parking lot.

"It was bumper to bumper. It was horrible," Christian Fernandez recounted.

In some cases, people ditched their cars alongside the road and started walking to see the show. They simply pulled their cars off the road or pulled into people's driveways and yards.

"They just left their cars. Tons of people turned around. It was just a mess," Fernandez said.

Hanover police said they were working on the traffic detail and put out numerous posts to alert drivers about the traffic. With the frustrations of last night, many people blasted Live Nation and Star Lake on their social media.

In a statement, Star Lake said traffic delays can be frustrating. When there is a sold-out show, they try to encourage people to arrive early and carpool. They added they are making improvements to their parking situation but didn't go into detail.

"What happened? Did you just throw your hands in the air and say, 'it is what it is'?" Patrick Mercer said.

Refunds have not been easy either. Some have already been told no by Ticketmaster.

"I won't go back, but I think they should reimburse the people who didn't use their tickets," Karen Savitz said.

Fans should contact the venue directly for any refunds. They are done on a case-by-case basis.