Heavy metal band Metallica's concert in neighbouring Gurgaon was postponed at the eleventh hour on Friday much to the disappointment of thousands of fans who then vandalised the venue.
Announcing the postponement of the concert almost two hours before the band was scheduled to perform at Leisure Valley in Sector 29 of Gurgaon, the organisers said: “The concert is being postponed to Saturday due to some technical problems.”
Some of those present at the venue said a handful of fans broke through the barricade at the venue creating chaos and that could have forced the organisers to postpone the show.
No sooner was the announcement made, angry fans could be seen hurling water bottles towards the stage and some of them even tried to damage the equipment on stage.
“As soon as the announcement was made a large number of people climbed on to the stage and resorted to vandalism. They damaged the equipment and even tried to set the banners afire. It continued for over an hour, before the police intervened,” said Vineet, who was present at the venue.
Vivek, who had come from Chandigarh for the show, said: “It is very disappointing. I came all the way from Chandigarh to watch the legendary band perform live. But just two hours before the show, it was abruptly postponed. I have my doubts whether it would be held tomorrow at all.”
Technical difficulties
Later in an official statement, the organisers said: “F1 Rocks and Metallica regret to announce that due to technical difficulties, the Metallica show at Gurgaon has been postponed until October 29. F1 Rocks and Metallica apologise for any inconvenience caused.” Unconfirmed reports late at night said the show could well be cancelled.
Hitting out at the organisers for the abrupt postponement, Gurgaon Police Commissioner S.S. Deshwal said: “The organisers neither consulted us nor informed us about their decision to postpone the show. With an estimated crowd of over 20,000 people gathering at the venue in anticipation of a show and then being abruptly told about the postponement, it was understood that people would get angry.”
He added that the situation at the venue never went out of hand.
