As 9:00 o’clock rolled around we decided to check out the concert event for the night. Friday the 23rd was one of Hard Rock Park’s more promoted events, featuring George Clinton and Parliament/ Funkadelic (apparently those are the same bands only the go under different names for different record companies). George Clinton is billed as one of the originators of 70’s funk. The amphitheater was fairly big but far from colossal like I had been expecting, with cushioned folding chairs that could be removed for standing room only. That certainly wasn’t quite the case that night although it was still the most people I saw in the park that day. The music itself I thought was alright, it was nice being able to listen to it played live in the overall concert environment, but I wasn’t at all reluctant to leave after about 45 minutes to go back and do the 
rest of the park now that it was completely dark out. George Clinton didn’t even make an appearance for those first songs, which weren’t even really songs so much as the band just ‘doing their thing’ endlessly, whatever you want to call it (I haven’t been to many concerts, obviously). A couple of odd notes from the performance: the lead singer (or whoever he was) wore nothing but a giant diaper the entire time. Also at one point, this Snoopdogg-type-fellow came wandering out to the edge of the stage wearing white fuzzy clothing, did nothing, and then later was escorted back off by the guy in the diaper. I’m not sure the very WASPish crowds on vacation knew what to make of all that. In the end I may have enjoyed The Fab 2 better, I mean how can you beat The Beatles?
Back in the rest of the park, I can really say that the 1:00am closing time is great as nighttime is easily the best time to experience Hard Rock Park. Unlike other parks where you’ll be rushed to get in one or two rides after dark, if the park is open that late at all. It used to be no self-respecting major amusement park would dare to be caught closing before 11 or even midnight during the summer, but I guess the marginal profits just weren’t enough and now it’s hard to find a park that will be open much past 10 in the summer, let alone 7 or 8 during the early part of the season. I really hope that management will continue with these later hours in future years and not give in to shorter schedules like every other park has.
Speaking of which, one good reason to stay later in the day is the park’s Bohemian Rhapsody nighttime show. It’s not the biggest or the most sophisticated of shows, in fact it relies on pretty much four basic elements: fireworks, water fountains, a few lasers and (of course) Queen. One really good thing about the show that sets it apart from other park’s nighttime shows is that it can be viewed from anywhere around the central lagoon without missing out on very much. At only about 10 minutes long it’s really easy to stop whatever you’re doing in the park at the moment to check it out, and then just as easily go back to riding the rides. They even have audio announcements throughout the park letting you know how many minutes left to go before the show starts. The coasters are all very worthwhile to try at night, especially the Eagles with it’s final fireball, and I also felt that my best rides on Led Zeppelin were the last few I had before checking out for the day just before midnight. Despite criticisms that the park doesn’t have enough to do, I was amazed when I found myself wishing I could stay all the way to the 1:00am close time just to get more Zeppelin re-rides despite having already spent fourteen hours in a park with only three major adult rides open.
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