Hundreds of fans missed ‘N Sync‘s sold-out show at the Route 66 Raceway in Joliet, Ill., August 2 thanks to a massive traffic jam on the highway leading to the site. Cars were backed up for almost five miles on Illinois 53 and some disappointed ticketholders reported being stuck so long they missed the show.

The concert was a make-up date for a gig postponed from June 23, when severe thunderstorms destroyed the stage during the load-in.

Brigitte Plesek of Hammond, Ind., drove her two daughters to the concert but ended up stuck on the highway after spending nearly $150 on tickets.

“We sat on that road for four hours. Kids were getting out of their cars and walking everywhere,” Plesek told the Chicago Sun-Times. “There were at least 500 people around us … Kids on bicycles were charging people to give them bike rides.”

Venue officials blamed the rush hour. The concert was originally scheduled on a Sunday, but the make-up date was booked for a Wednesday evening when there was much more commuter traffic.

Poor directions also caused problems, with radio stations directing people to Illinois 53, Joliet police Deputy Chief Bill Fitzpatrick told the paper.

Nearly 45,000 tickets had been sold to the show, which was only the raceway’s third concert, promoters told the Sun-Times.