As recently as 10 September, the highly-anticipated ‘Marakkuma Nenjam’ concert in Chennai, too, left the audience with scarring experiences, both literally and figuratively.
Attendees faced issues, from traffic congestion and mismanagement, shortage of volunteers, incidents of molestation, stampede-like chaos, and subpar audio quality.
“The tickets were expensive and you need to deliver. In Bangalore, we have stadiums, Kanteerava and the Koramangla indoor stadium,” Charles, an expert in sound emphasises.
Bala S, a sound engineer talks about the Rahman concert, “In the ‘Marakkuma Nenjam’ concert, there was only one pair of speakers at very low height, which wasn’t sufficient.”
“Indoor auditoriums like Good Shepherd in Bengaluru, and Music Academy in Chennai, with the capacity for 2,000, have existing sound and light experience” asserts Charles B founder of Medai.
Ashwath, a curator of shows in Bengaluru and Chennai, details, “The organisers should have done their recce properly. It’s not a pre-recorded event that people are coming to watch.
While the recent incidents may be unforgettable for all the wrong reasons, here’s hoping that lessons are learned because the show must go on — for culture to nourish the human spirit!