SoFi Stadium Bans Music Stages At Elevated American Airlines Plaza

More than 100 noise complaints about last weekend’s HARD Summer festival outside SoFi Stadium in Inglewood have led to a ban on future music events at the area’s American Airlines Plaza.

The Mayor of Inglewood, James Butts, said in a statement that the elevated platform in the plaza is determined to be a “significant contribution to the issue” of noise complaints.

“Therefore, no stages will be allowed in this area for future events,” Butts said in his statement.

The HARD Summer festival featured four outdoor music stages set up outside SoFi Stadium in the surrounding parking lots.

Butts said the city is “confused” by the complaints, given the number of past outdoor concerts that have been held at the venue without incident. City officials worked with festival organizers between Saturday and Sunday to alleviate the problem, which centered on certain “bass waves.”

“Moving forward, and with the lessons we learned last weekend, we intend to better monitor and guide future event organizers to minimize the impact of noise and vibration on the off-site community,” Butts said.

The El Segundo Police Department noted to X that they received several calls about noise coming from the HARD Summer 2024 festival in Hollywood Park. The lineup was focused on electronic, house, techno, dubstep, drum and bass, and hip-hop spread across five stages. It later turned out that there were more than 100 noise complaints from El Segundo and other South Bay communities.

Acts that performed at the festival included Nelly Furtado, Sofi Tukker, Disclosure, Bunt, Camden Cox, Oppidan, Sosa, and Teko, among others.

“We are aware of the high level of noise affecting the city,” El Segundo department officials said last weekend. “From the music festival near SoFi Stadium, which is scheduled to be from 2:00 to 11:00 tonight and tomorrow. There is no need to call 911 to report it.”

The annual festival was scheduled from 2-11 pm last Saturday and Sunday. It was held for the first time at Hollywood Park, near the SoFi stadium in Inglewood, and is expected to draw up to 70,000 daily.

The show has previously been held at the Shrine Exposition Hall, the Forum (now the Kia Forum), the Los Angeles State Historic Park, the Whittier Narrows Recreation Area in El Monte, and the Fairplex in Pomona.