My first time attending Summer Jam at MetLife Stadium was definitely one to remember. Although it most definitely was not as memorable of a concert as it probably was to those involved in the riots of 2015, some aspects of the night were very scary to me.

The first thing I smelt the moment I stepped out of the car was weed. Not just a faint odor lingering in the air, no, it was strong and pungent. Now that I think back to Sunday night, if I could describe my experience with smells, I would probably say weed, throw up, beer, and the smell of people just waiting for something crazy to happen. Don’t tell me that the last one doesn’t have a smell because it does and you clearly have not smelt it.

But anyways, the entire night wasn’t a mess. The security that should have been even tighter this year due to last year’s events was not. My two friends and I were able to score tickets with seats at the very back of the floor, but we ended up being able to walk all the way to the front without a care in the world. It was exhilarating, really. Once we got up to the barricade, I couldn’t stop thinking how crazy it was that we were so close. Thankfully, we didn’t get caught. It was a miracle!

I actually went absolutely crazy when the first acts came out on stage. Imagine a 16-year-old waiting at the barricade and staring at the stage when all of a sudden, Big Sean, Travis Scott, Pusha T, and more walk on stage. I ALMOST HAD A HEART ATTACK. I have been waiting forever to see them live, I screamed so loud I thought I was going to pass out. And now imagine me, already the most excited person in the world, singing along to the songs. Guess who came out of nowhere? Kanye. West. Kanye West. Kanye West!

I didn’t even realize at first, I was barely looking at the big screen until my friend pointed at the screen, where they had the camera trained on Yeezus. Now, I didn’t tell you this before but I had predicted it. I had tweeted just hours earlier, saying that if Kanye ended up making a surprise appearance at Summer Jam since his appearance at Gov Ball was cancelled, I would lose it. And what do you know?! I lost it. I just watched a video today of my reaction when he came out and let me tell you, it was not cute. I’m not even that crazy of a fan. But when it’s Kanye West, shit hits the fan.

And of course, Big Sean, Travis Scott, Bryson Tiller, I was equally as excited. I’ve been in love with all three of them for the longest time. But I wasn’t really expecting Kanye. It was a huge surprise.

Now let me get to the scary part of the story- the riot, or fight, or whatever it was. You may think that I’m exaggerating when I describe this story but ask anyone who was there and they will tell you that I am not. Out of nowhere, I felt like there was a bulldozer trying to separate the crowd. At first, I thought it was security trying to create a wedge where the aisle was, but it was much more than that. My entire section was literally shoved to the right, smushed into each other. I had no clue what was going on. People started screaming all at once, “Get out of here!” “Go!” “Move!” “We gotta get out of the stadium!” I felt like I was about to cry. Obviously, I assumed the worst. I thought there was someone dangerous in there, someone with a gun. I gripped onto the people around me for, quite literally, my life. The lady next to me was very kind and told me that everything would be okay- but the security guard told me the opposite. I turned to him and asked him if we would be okay, what was going on? He climbed up onto the ledge in front of the barricade and shrugged, “I have no idea,”. What kind of security guard says “I have no idea” to someone is clearly terrified for the sake of her life?

Thankfully, it ended up being fans rioting in the back, pushing to get to the front in anticipation of Future, the headliner. After a looooong break, Asap Rocky and Asap Ferg came out, who had a little bit of a hard time hyping fans up again after the scare, including me. I love both of them, but I was a little shaken up. By the time DJ Khaled came out, it was already 1 AM. The crowd had died down just a little, but still sang along. Future, the headliner himself, did not end up performing, which was a huge disappointment, but the experience was what counted.

I’m not sure if I’ll go again next year, it all depends on the artists that are performing, but Summer Jam is definitely not one to miss. Just having the experience to remember forever makes it all worth it.