Of the 44,000 tickets sold for Freakfest, not all were bought to parade around State Street dressed in disguise, but instead were purchased to see the event's headlining band, Third Eye Blind.
Stacy Fierstein, a resident of Chicago, said she traveled to Madison just to see them play.
""I wouldn't be here otherwise,"" she said. ""This will be my 41st time seeing them in concert.""
Dee N., a Milwaukee resident, said she has never been to Madison for Freakfest and only made the drive to see Third Eye Blind.
The band, which began playing around 12:30 a.m., 30 minutes after they were scheduled to begin, captured the crowd's attention right away.
""This is my favorite day of the year and I had the time of my life,"" lead singer Stephan Jenkins said to the audience. ""This is not lost on us at all.""
""You made us feel like a brand new band,"" he added. ""I feel like a vampire with brand new blood in his veins.""
Although the band sang about starting riots, the crowd never fully got out of control. Band members instead said they tried to bring people together.
""I think you should all take care of each other,"" Jenkins said. ""If somebody falls, pick ‘em up.""
Sophie Lalambe, a concert-goer who saw the tail-end of the show, said it was pretty good, while Kristy Miller, also in the crowd, said the show was awesome.
Ald. Mike Verveer, District 4, said it was great to see a variety of different demographics present at many of the concerts.
He also said he would love to be able to create more space around the main stage in future years.
