Bangalore:
A day after heavy metal giant Metallica's debut gig in Gurgaon was called off, the band rocked Bangalore today, amid tight security. Thousands of fans were seen screaming, cheering and head-banging as one of the world's best-known rock band sang some of their most iconic songs. The group performed at the Palace Grounds in the city.
The performance, which was to be the second for Metallica in India, turned out to be its maiden show following the abrupt cancellation of its concert at the Leisure Valley in Gurgaon on Friday over "security issues".
But there were no glitches in the band's performance in Bangalore today, as guitarist Kirk Hammett, drummer Lars Ulrich, lead vocalist James Hetfield and bassist Robert Trujillo regaled the packed audience.
To keep the large gathering engaged, two bands - Inner Spectrum from Bangalore and Guillotine from New Delhi - did an opening act and glued the fans to their music for over 90 minutes.
The crowd erupted in joy when Metallica finally took the stage to play some of their hits, much to the delight of their fans.
On Friday, Metallica cancelled their concert in Gurgaon near Delhi due to "technical difficulties leading to chaos and confusion." Over 25,000 people had gathered at the Leisure Valley Park in Gurgaon's Sector 29 to watch the concert. Less than two hours before the heavy metal band was to play, the organisers postponed the concert to 4 pm on Saturday. Then, after some angry fans trashed equipment, came reports that the Delhi gig had been cancelled altogether.
Four people, including a senior executive of DNA Entertainment Network - the event management company that has organised the Metallica concerts in India, have been arrested for cheating. Police allege that the organisers sold more tickets than the capacity of the park and that they were never informed before the cancellation was announced.
Taking lessons from the Gurgaon fiasco, the organisers were extra careful in Bangalore - a three-layer barricade surrounded the make-shift stage. In Gurgaon, the barrier in front of the stage that kept falling had lead to chaos. The Bangalore police was geared up too - More than 1000 policemen were on duty at the venue today to ensure the show goes on without any hindrance.
More than 20,000 tickets with prices ranging from Rs. 1650 to Rs. 2750 have been sold for the live performance of the American band.
In a message for Metallica lovers thronging the city, Police Commissioner Jyotiprakash Mirji said, "I request the youngsters to enjoy and not disturb or get disturbed." He, however, assured them that in case of any confusion, "we have extra barricades, we are going to present in huge numbers."
(
With PTI Inputs)