If I may be bold to give my amateur 5 cents.

With the barricade, and only some of the people are looking to the right of the photo waiting for something, it tries to give a sense of expectation, but can't deliver because not all of them are looking in anticipation. Alot of them look like they are bored to me. With nothing there, and no real subject to focus on in the crowd, it becomes a trickle of humans drifting from one side of the photo to the other with nothing to grab me. If everyone head was avidly looking to the right, or left. I think this photo would work.

If you were going after the crowd, a much tighter shot perhaps,or focus on one particular feature of them, with alot less sky.

Not really sure, sort of addlibbing here, the photo doesn't really do alot 4 me, not 100% sure why.