In case you missed the news, Chill On The Hill is back! And in case you missed the sound of millions of Bay View residents crying out in anger, Chill On The Hill is selling reserved-spot “season passes” for $450!
Yes, after a pandemic year off, the wildly popular free-to-attend-but-not-free-to-produce concert series in Humboldt Park will return Tuesday, July 13, with music from The Hungry Williams and Eric Blowtorch And The Bodyguards. But there’ll be a new wrinkle this year: folks who have donated $450 to the Bay View Neighborhood Association (the organizers of Chill) will be chilling in reserved hillside spots that can hold up to 10 people each. And they’ll be chilling in those same spots all season long (a total of 10 shows).
“We rely on community support to produce Chill on the Hill, and this year more than any other year, we need to lean on our biggest fans to help us fund this great event!” reads the Bay View Neighborhood Association’s website. “If you’d like to be an ‘Official Chiller’ you can donate $450 and get this great sign PLUS a reserved space on the Hill for the entire season that can accommodate up to 10 people! If you don’t need a reserved space, we are asking for a donation of $400.”
A Facebook post puts things in perspective:
Reactions to the “season pass” idea have been…mixed. “Wait so now you HAVE TO PAY TO GO TO THIS???? SO YOUR TELING ME THAT 10 OF THOSE SQUARES WONT FILL UP THE WHOLE F****** HILL???” reads a typical negative Facebook comment. “Wow amazing that truly ruined this whole event. Now the regulars of bay view cant go bcuz EVERY SQUARE INCH WILL BE SOLD OUT IN THE FURST HOUR. Y’all really ruined such a great thing.”
Another negative comment reads: “This is absolutely ridiculous. So where are those that can’t afford or don’t wish to pay $450 a year supposed to sit after you reserve football fields for the elite?”
But the comments haven’t been all bad. “Thanks Chill on the Hill and BVNA for using creativity and innovation to find ways to still put together a Chill season during these difficult times,” reads a positive comment. “I may not reserve a square but I’ll still come and do what I can to support this worthy event!”
“Do we have to provide our own armed guards or does that ‘private’ spot come with them??” reads one of the funnier comments. “Only Lacroix and Charcuterie boards allowed in these spaces,” reads another.
And yes, people are still complaining about dogs at Chill On The Hill.
For their part, Chill On The Hill organizers have been all over the Facebook comments (god help anyone wading into the comments on the Bay View Town Hall Facebook page), and have clarified that out of 75,000 square feet of chillable hill, 2,000 square feet have been reserved so far.
Anyway, here’s video of our Great Milwaukee Record Sausage Race, which we shot at Humboldt Park last year. [h/t Kevin Mueller]
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