As comedian Trevor Noah’s show in Bengaluru gets cancelled due to technical issues, here’s a look at other such instances where mismanagement led to disappointment

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There’s a lot that goes into making a show or concert successful. But when things do not go as planned, it’s the audience that feels betrayed. It is not always easy on the performing artiste either; all that planning and experience goes in vain if the show is cancelled at the last moment.

On Wednesday, comedian Trevor Noah’s Off The Record India tour was cancelled due to technical challenges at the Bengaluru venue. Here’s a look at other such instances in the past one year where the audience was left high and dry.

Technical issues

Bengaluru’s traffic woes must have given a fresh perspective to Trevor Noah for his future jokes on India. The comedian arrived 10 minutes late at his own show due to unavoidable traffic, but the common man and fans reached the venue after being stranded for more than three hours! The comedian also couldn’t perform due to mismanagement at the venue, technical issues being too glaring to be overlooked. He apologised to the audience and also issued a public apology on X. He wrote, “Dear Bengaluru, India, I was so looking forward to performing in your amazing city but due to technical issues we’ve been forced to cancel both shows. We’ll make sure all ticket holders receive a full refund...”

An ‘X’ user joked about the whole situation, “Bengaluru wanted to experience Trevor Noah, but Trevor Noah ended up experiencing Bengaluru.”

Shoddy affair

Earlier in September, a show of a music maestro AR Rahman, was totally ‘mismanaged’although not cancelled. The event company, ACTC, which Rahman partnered with for the Chennai show, titled Marakuma Nenjam, did not allow many valid ticket-holders to enter the venue. They sold more tickets than the venue could accommodate and women were allegedly harassed owing to the huge crowd.

Life lost

Singer KK (Krishnakumar Kunnath) lost his life due to a heart attack while performing in Kolkata in front of a huge crowd in June last year. He complained of pain in the arms and severe fatigue before the concert, and was sweating profusely while performing live. While autopsy report did rule out foul play and unnatural death, fans of KK still believe that overcrowded venue with no proper ventilation for a high energy performance was one of the reasons behind the tragedy.

Total chaos

In 2021, as many as 10 people died and hundreds were injured during a concert at the Astroworld Festival, a music event organised by American rapper Travis Scott. It was held at NRG Park, Houston, Texas, in his hometown. The massive crowd was uncontrollable and the reason behind the catastrophe. It was also believed that the crowd was under the influence of drugs and alcohol.