Sad But True: Metallica Fans Riot After India Dates Canceled
After first shows by the band in the country are called off at the last minute, mayhem ensues.
| Posted Saturday, Oct. 29, 2011, at 3:19 PM
Photo by Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/Getty Images for F1 Rocks in India with Vladivar.
It wasn’t quite “Kill ‘Em All,” but when Metallica and a concert promoter postponed the metal band’s first concert ever in India, angry fans reacted with a “Seek and Destroy” mentality. They rioted, trashed instruments, and even tore apart parts of the stage, according to the Huffington Post.
The promoter, DNA Entertainment Network, reportedly announced right before the gig was supposed to start at Leisure Valley Park in the city of Guragon that they would have to postpone it for a day due to a problem with security measures at the venue.
But some 25,000 fans had already pushed their way into the concert, and their angry reaction delivered the kind of carnage that one might expect from a crowd that loves bludgeoning music with punishing volume levels and lyrics about rage. Fans set banners on fire and trashed instruments on the stage, according to HuffPo. Videos like the one below have already surfaced online showing fans swarming the stage and throwing items into the crowd and at security members.
But hold your horses, Napster-lovers, this can't all be blamed on Lars Ulrich. NDTV reports that four people, including a senior executive from DNA Entertainment Network, have been arrested in the wake of the debacle and charged with cheating ticket buyers and a breach of trust. Authorities allege that the promoters sold tickets far beyond capacity and did not inform authorities of the cancellation.
A permit to hold the concert on Saturday could not be obtained on short notice, and the show was subsequently canceled. Promoters said they would refund all ticketholders. So much for "... and Justice for All."
In a statement posted to the band’s website, Metallica wrote:
“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. … We are deeply disappointed with this news as we were looking forward to our first experience in India as much as you guys were.”
Not exactly the best way to "Fade to Black." Couldn't somebody have just appealed to the "Master of Puppets"? Hopefully Metallica's new nickname in India won't be "The Unforgiven." Ok, we'll stop now, we promise. Sorry. We couldn't resist.
