• 40
  • 1
  • 2179
www.fasterlouder.com.au

Promoter loses shit at"fence-sitting fans"

The promoter who was set to bring pop-punkers Cartel to Australian shores this month, has hit back at the band and “fence sitting” fans who don’t purchase tickets early.

Cartel posted an extensive statement on their Facebook announcing the cancellation of their upcoming Australian tour over the weekend claiming that, “The promoter we were going through completely screwed everything up and there’s no way to rectify the mistakes that were made in time to make it happen. We had been trying to finalize flights/permits/backline (all of which the promoter was to handle) for over 2 months and only heard from him intermittently (and never with any real information), until recently when we didn’t hear at all.”

Clearly in disagreement with Cartel’s version of events the Adelaide based boutique Management, Bookings and Publicity Agency Parallel Touring have now issued a statement in which they blame this year’s many festival and tour cancellations “on fence-sitting fans” who don’t purchase tickets.

The full statement from Parallel Touring:

As few may already be aware, the Cartel Headline Tour has indeed been cancelled.
Parallel found out via a Facebook update from the band, hours after the announcement.
Parallel had been in contact with 4 parties within their management and booking agency regularly, and everything was more than in motion to make the Tour happen.

Our sincere apologies to anyone who bought a ticket, they will receive a full refund at their point of purchase in the next few days, those who bought one via a credit card should have the amount refunded back through the same channels it was paid.

Although we must say, it does seem that more people have an opinion of the shock cancellation, than who had actually gone and bought a ticket to a show. It seems when something goes pear shaped in the Music industry, it’s better publicity than something that runs smoothly; and Parallel knows how Soundwave felt when it comes to a cancellation, as they too, copped more slack than praise for physically working with those bands, for months on end.

With Parallel’s interest to cancel the Tour weeks in advance, based on poor ticket sales, and very little promotion from the headlining act and many of the local supports, we were advised to push on through the tour from a few bands who have seemed to make it their life’s work to play alongside the headliners, with little care as to what damage it could do financially based on the afore mentioned sales.

So, yes, Cartel will not be returning to our shores this week, but we can guarantee they will be back, most likely through a much larger promoter on a Festival Tour.
People must understand there are many more contributing factors to the Tour cancellation, than a simple blame aim at the Promoter, followed by a few sympathetic online posts to win several fans over.

The Miracle Is Now will apparently be playing shows down the east coast, at various venues this week following the same time line as the Tour had. Get to a show and appreciate that they were about to Tour with Cartel, not that they no longer are, and that booking a Tour isn’t easy – finding out in a live feed your own Tour is cancelled is much worse.

Australia has some very cool bands heading through the country in the coming months. If you like them, purchase a ticket early, and don’t fence-sit. Alot of local music, and many international Tours are doing very poorly this year, purely based on fence-sitting fans, and heavy competition with Festivals. Head out to a 4 band bill of a band you like, at a Venue you once enjoyed.

Intimate shows should always come first, then save for a day of clashes, dust, and a list of acts you may not know.

Thanks for taking the time to read this.
Parallel

Social

  • sarahanne

Comments

www.fasterlouder.com.au arrow left
42142
sarcasm_mister

sarcasm_mister said on the 31st Oct, 2011

from one fail of a promoter to another. Metallica had 2 concerts scheduled in India this past week. the first in Bangalore (or whatever its called now) went to plan. the second.....not so much.....

Four of the organisers behind Metallica's failed show in Guargaon, India on Friday (October 28) have been arrested on fraud charges.

The metal titans had been due to play a gig in the country's Guargaon Stadium, but had to call off the show after a security barrier in front of the stage collapsed. This caused fans, who were already gathered in the stadium, to storm the stage and trash equipment. You can watch a fan shot video of this by scrolling down to the bottom of the page and clicking.The gig was then set to be moved to the following day (October 29), but was ultimately shelved after a permit for show could not be secured in time.

According to BBC News, local police revealed yesterday (October 30) that four executives of promoters DNA Entertainment Network had been arrested on fraud charges, after complaints were made that the group had refused to refund ticket money.

Metallica themselves issued a statement about the cancelled show on their official website Metallica.com, which reads as follows:

On Friday we were notified that there was a serious question as to whether the show could proceed with regard to the safety of the concert audience. And our first and foremost concern is always for the safety of you, the fans. Once we, along with DNA, the promoters of the show, determined that there was a failure of a security barricade in front of the stage that could not be adequately repaired, the promoter reluctantly announced the postponement of the show until Saturday. Unfortunately, on such short notice the promoters were unable to secure a permit for a show on Saturday.

which leads to this account of the events from a fan. i've highlighted some of the "fail" parts of the article.


Dear DNA Networks, Metallica Band Members and the Crew,

As I lie in bed and watch NDTV newsanchors blame the “rowdy” Gurgaon crowd for “vandalising” the Metallica concert stage and creating “chaos”, I’m only filled with more anger.

I strongly feel that what you got tonight, is less when compared to what you actually deserved. The concert you organized in Gurgaon was a mess from the start to the finish. It started with the open consumption of alcohol, hash and what not at the entrance of the venue. With absence of any real security, it was a free-for-all. The seeds were sown the moment the crowd tried to push itself inside the venue and you made them wait for hours together. A woman could be seen weeping, lying on the floor with a bruised foot.

Once you actually opened the gates, you started frisking people for cigarttes and other banned items. The irony of this whole drama is the fact that while the staff frisking at the gates confiscated the cigarettes, Marlboro had stalls put up inside the concert venue selling overpriced cigarette boxes.

Now, when the 20000+ crowd stormed inside the venue, you suddenly realised the barricades were way too close to the stage. Either you failed to count the number of tickets sold or you really didn’t care about anyone’s security. So, now, you ask one half of the intoxicated to sit on the floor. The other half, is asked to move back. By this time, due to the wait outside the venue, the enthusiasm all combined with intoxicants, the crowds refuse to budge. There isn’t any security staff equipped to handle the situation. Whatever security staff is present, is busy talking to the ladies in the crowd and handing them soda cans and water bottles.

This is the time when a guy, I’m presuming a member of the Metallica crew, dressed in a grey t-shirt snatches the microphone and starts to speak – “You guys better fuckin’ listen to me! Move back you buttheads! Move back!” Alright. This was unexpected. And as expected, the crowd is furious. Repeated attempts by the crew members now go in vain. A serious situation turned into a joke.

Finally, after an hour, the crowd did show support and moved back. The organizers quickly got to “fixing” their barricades. All this while, the crowd just sits on the floor. I believe we were there to listen to heavy metal and not attend a satsang.

So, let me sum up the things till this point – the crew has insulted the Indian fans, probably because of some “third-world” bias which makes them feel that Indians don’t understand what metal is and you can treat them like shit and get away with it.

Suddenly, the guy in the grey t-shirt is back. “I have an important announcement to make. Metallica is at the hotel, holding a press conference with the national television channels. Due to technical difficulties, the concert will now be held tomorrow”. He quickly hands over the mic to an Indian guy while the crowd went hysterical. All that could be seen was a sea of middle fingers. The crowds start shouting. Someone throws a bottle on stage. The Indian guy threatens that “we’ve waited 30 years for Metallica to come to India, if you continue this behaviour, they will not perform tomorrow as well”. This final threat was the trigger. It set off the bomb which Metallica, the organizers and the crew themselves very carefully built due to their own lack of respect for the audience and shoddy management skills.

There are now literally dozens of bottles flying on the stage. Someone, even more frustrated, throws a 20 litre water dispenser, prompting many others to do the same. All this while, an organizer is still trying to pacify the crowd. Too little, too late. The barricades, which never really existed, are brought down and a dozen men are now on stage. The gathering on the stage swells and all hell breaks loose. Equipment is thrown around, speakers are tossed and the stage is torn apart. The security guys run away. The police, present in small numbers outside the venue do nothing. Its a mini riot. There are no emergency exits and its at that point my friends and I decide to leave before it got too ugly.

You on the other hand, dear band members, were sitting in your hotel room, comfortably. You did not have the courtesy to apologise to your fans. Your crew treated the audience like dogs by hurling abuses at them and insulting them. After all of this, you expect the situation to go down well?

Had this been USA, UK or any other nation for that matter, you’d have not dare messed with the audience by way of insults. You would not have organized and participated in a concert that so blatantly compromised on security of everyone and possibly endangered so many lives. If there would’ve been a mistake, you would not have taken the audience for a ride, by making them wait for the entire day and very conveniently shooing them off in the end. You thought, well, this is India, a country filled with stupid, illiterate and downmarket people who really don’t get what were doing. So, let us just do our shit, because in the end, we’ll get away with it. You dissed the crowd, pissed them off with your arrogance and then sat on a time bomb waiting to explode.

The people waited for you for 30 years. You just never had the courtesy to show up. Fuck you.

I wish someone sues all of you into oblivion.

Yours truly.