Demi Lovato is bringing the It's Not That Deep Tour to Madison Square Garden on Friday, April 24 — her first arena tour in eight years. If you're coming from Long Island, the show is a big deal. So is the Friday night commute into midtown.

MSG holds around 20,000 people. On a regular Friday, the LIE into the city is already a problem. Add a sold-out concert to the mix and you're looking at one of the trickier nights of the year to navigate from Nassau or Suffolk County.

Here's what to expect — and how to handle it.

The Friday Night Problem

The show starts at 8 PM. That means if you're leaving from Long Island at a reasonable time, you're driving into Manhattan right in the middle of Friday evening rush hour.

From Nassau County, you're looking at 45–60 minutes in good traffic. From Dix Hills, Melville, or Huntington in Suffolk — closer to an hour and fifteen. On a regular Friday afternoon, the Van Wyck and the LIE are already backed up by 4 PM. A sold-out MSG concert doesn't help.

A 5:30 PM departure puts you on the highway at the worst possible window. Leave at 6 and you're still in it. There's no magic time on a Friday in April.

Plan on leaving no later than 5:30 from Nassau, 5:00 from Suffolk, if you want to be in your seat by 7:30.

MSG Parking Is Not the Answer

Driving yourself to MSG is one option, but it comes with costs that most people underestimate until they're already in the city.

Parking near Madison Square Garden on a concert night runs $60–80 at the nearby garages. The closer the garage, the more you'll pay. Spots fill up early — if you're arriving after 7 PM, you may be circling blocks.

There's also the exit problem. After a show that lets out at 11 or 11:30 PM, you're sitting in a parking structure waiting for 20,000 people to clear the surrounding blocks. The distance from MSG to the LIE entrance isn't far, but the crawl through midtown after a major concert can add 30–45 minutes to a trip that should take ten.

The math adds up fast: $70 to park, $80 in gas and tolls round-trip, and an extra hour on the road. That's before you account for the stress of it.

The LIRR Option — and Its Limits

The Long Island Rail Road is the obvious alternative. Penn Station sits directly under MSG, which makes the connection as clean as it gets from a transit perspective.

The catch is the reality of Friday evening Penn Station. Arriving at peak rush hour in concert clothes, fighting through the crowds, then navigating to your entrance at MSG — it's doable, but it's not the smooth experience it looks like on paper.

The ride home is the bigger issue. After the show ends around 11–11:30 PM, the LIRR platforms fill up fast. You're standing with a couple thousand other people in the same boat, in dress clothes, waiting on whatever train is next. If you miss a connection, the gaps between trains at midnight can be 30–40 minutes.

For a night where tickets are averaging $475 on resale — this crowd spent real money — the LIRR at midnight isn't the right ending.

What Happens After the Show

This is where people don't plan far enough ahead, and it's the most important part of the night.

Demi Lovato's shows run long — figure 90 minutes to two hours of performance, with the opener. You're looking at getting out of MSG somewhere around 11:00–11:30 PM.

At that point, Seventh and Eighth Avenues around Penn Station turn into a wall of people and cars. Rideshare surge pricing after a major MSG concert reliably hits 3x to 4x normal rates. A ride back to Nassau County that would normally run $60–80 becomes $150–200, with a 20–30 minute wait on top of it. The math of 20,000 people requesting rides from a single building in midtown doesn't work in your favor.

We've done this run hundreds of times — after Knicks games, boxing nights, concerts of every size at MSG. The post-show scramble is predictable. The solution is planning ahead.

How a Car Service Handles the Night

When you book a professional car service for a Friday MSG show, the logistics change entirely.

Your driver knows the area. We're not using GPS to find Penn Station — we've been to MSG dozens of times and we know which entrance makes sense for your seats, where to drop without getting ticketed, and where to stage for pickup without getting caught in the post-show crowd.

On the way in, you're in a clean vehicle on a fixed route. No hunting for parking, no paying $70 for a spot. Your driver drops you at the door, and that's the last you think about transportation until the show ends.

Post-show pickup is coordinated. You text, your driver is already staged nearby, and you're in the car in minutes — not standing on 33rd Street watching a rideshare price go up on your phone while you wait.

The ride home from MSG to Long Island at midnight is one of the easier parts of the night when you have a car waiting. Traffic has cleared, the highway is light, and you're home in 45–60 minutes from when you walk out.

The Corporate Angle

Demi Lovato's first arena tour in eight years is the kind of event companies use for client entertainment. If you're taking a client or team members to this show, the logistics are part of the experience you're providing.

Nobody wants to spend the drive in talking about where to park. Nobody wants to stand on a corner in midtown at midnight trying to get a car. A chauffeur-driven vehicle, door to door from Long Island, handles all of it and lets the night be about the show.

We coordinate corporate rides to MSG regularly. Multiple pickups, coordinated drop-offs, flexibility around dinner reservations before the show. One call, one confirmation. Done.

Practical Details for April 24

Show date: Friday, April 24, 2026 Showtime: 8:00 PM at Madison Square Garden, 4 Pennsylvania Plaza, NYC Opening act: Adéla Recommended departure from Nassau County: No later than 5:30 PM Recommended departure from Suffolk County: No later than 5:00 PM Estimated post-show exit: 11:00–11:30 PM MSG parking: $60–80+ on concert nights, not guaranteed after 7 PM Rideshare surge risk: High — post-show surge routinely reaches 3x–4x

Book Your Ride

This is her first arena tour in eight years. The crowd going to this show drove from all over the tristate area, spent real money on tickets, and is planning a full night out. The transportation should match that.

If you're coming from Nassau or Suffolk County, the earlier you lock in your car service the better — Friday concert nights fill up.

Request a quote for your ride to MSG on April 24. We'll handle the driving. You handle the show.

Rafi has been running car service on Long Island for over 20 years. For airport transfers, corporate rides, and special events across Nassau County, Suffolk County, and NYC, visit Infinite Car Service.

Demi Lovato at MSG: What Long Island Fans Need to Know About Getting There and Back