1. "Parking: $100." That’s the sign that greeted those who drove up to Allegiant Stadium for the venue’s first-ever concert on July 3. The days of parking at MGM Grand for free ahead of Las Vegas’ biggest concerts at the Grand Garden Arena have never felt like longer ago. Luckily, there were several other, more affordable parking options in the area, and most people appeared to take the widespread suggestion of walking over the Hacienda Avenue overpass from the Strip. Traffic wasn’t a major issue. Granted, Illenium drew a reported 35,000 fans—or about half of Allegiant’s maximum capacity—so challenges could still lay ahead, but this seemed like a promising debut from a logistical perspective.

2. Perhaps not including the group of friends circling the concourses chanting “Rai-ders,” some fans in the building were surely unaware that this was the first major open-to-the-public event in Allegiant Stadium history. There was no pageantry or mention of what was technically a historic moment with the unveiling of Las Vegas’ biggest venue, not even by opening act/Vegas native 3lau during his drop-heavy, sampling-fueled 50-minute set. It was difficult not to think back to the polar opposite nature of T-Mobile Arena’s first concert with The Killers, Wayne Newton and Shamir. More than five years later, that lives on as a special night that celebrated both Las Vegas’ past and future. By contrast, Illenium felt like another show.

3. In fairness, it was more than just another show for Illenium’s fans, which skew young, enthusiastic and eager to dance. There were as many Illenium baseball jerseys as there will be Raiders’ football jerseys on game days, and most of them were a fitting color for the venue: black. For the first time, Illenium performed all three of his studio albums in three separate sets as a celebration leading up to next week’s release of his fourth full-length. The energy was palpable beforehand, as fans predicted which set would be the best and traded stories of past performances.

4. The stadium went dark and a platform rose out in the middle of the floor before a spotlight shined on Nicholas Miller, aka Illenium, who yelled, “It’s good to be back,” and launched into a marathon 56-song setlist. After the thrilling start, the initial Awake set dulled as smoke, lasers, flashing wristbands and the novelty of playing on a perch among the fans could only carry the DJ so far. Perhaps Miller was pacing himself, because both his activity level and production improved as the night went on. Liberal amounts of pyro and fireworks enlivened the second set, for sophomore release Awake, and Miller seemed more comfortable at his new position in the front of the room. It was hard not to get swept into the way his every movement commanded a big reaction from the crowd, even if the sappiness of the music began to feel a little grating after the first 90 minutes.

5. Don’t worry about Allegiant Stadium’s acoustics. Illenium’s sound was importantly crisp and clear, though surprisingly not all that loud. It was easy to carry on a conversation during his set, at least in most of the seated areas. It didn't take away from the performance, but upon hearing that Allegiant was opening with an EDM show, it might have been easy to envision bass rattling the whole structure. In reality, the concessions directly behind the stage seemed to be the only parts of the arena shaking. The venue’s volume level will be something to monitor going forward.

6. Sadly, the night was marred by a shooting outside the venue toward the end of the concert, which hospitalized a police officer—a shocking occurrence, especially given the atmosphere inside. There were no signs of conflict in sight as Illenium flashed a message that read, “Be a good person,” on one of Allegiant’s big screens between sets. and his fans appeared to oblige. The only thing more upbeat than his songs was the joy emanating from their smiles. The music portion of Allegiant’s first concert can only be considered a success—hopefully the first of many in the new space.