The concert was held at Adityaram Palace in Chennai's Paniyur
The Tamil Nadu Police has launched a probe into the chaos at music maestro AR Rahman's concert in Chennai on Sunday. Tambaram Police Commissioner Dr Amalraj said they will investigate the reasons for traffic congestion, arrangements for parking, medical requirements and overall arrangements. He told NDTV that measures will be taken to avert a repeat.
The concert titled 'Marakuma Nenjam' turned out to be a ''traumatic'' experience for several fans who complained of overcrowding and a stampede-like situation and slammed the organisers for their horrible mismanagement. Many people took to social media to share videos of their ''bizarre'' and ''harrowing'' experiences, complaining about how they were not allowed to enter the venue, despite having valid tickets. Reacting to the posts, the composer offered help to those who could not attend the concert. "Let me be the sacrificial goat this time for all of us to wake up," Rahman said on social media.
Fans claimed that there was a stampede-like situation, resulting in women being harassed and children being separated and injured. Thousands of fans alleged that organisers oversold tickets, and expressed their disappointment on X demanding answers from ACTC Events.
One woman who left the venue without attending, alleged on a local television channel, "It's overcrowded, a stampede-like situation. No regulation at all". Another woman added, "We had paid five thousand for a ticket. But it was free for all, anybody could sit anywhere. They are answerable ". A family alleged saying, "There is no parking space as they had claimed. We parked our cars and walked 2 KM.''
A fan on X wrote, ''The most bizarre experience ever! It was the worst ever concert that I have attended. VIP zone tickets were priced at 25000 and 50000 and there was no security, every zone was one. The organisers over-sold the tickets. The seats were all off-center. Even in the VIP area, there was no stage view. No bouncers to man the areas!!! The entry demarcations were missing! everyone was entering from everywhere. It was like a stampede and no one to manage! What a disgrace.''
Watch the videos here:
The lack of proper parking facilities was also a major concern raised by many concert-goers who traveled for hours to reach the event venue. Some also complained about the low volume, making the performance barely audible for those away from the stage, and asked for a refund.
Another fan said it was "very badly organised" and a "waste of money and energy." She also mentioned that she felt stressed due to fights, in addition to poor sound quality. Some others shared experiences of suffering panic attacks and anxiety due to overcrowding.
A few called it ''the worst concert ever'', and even tore their tickets in rage.
Reaching out, AR Rahman asked fans who couldn't enter the venue on Sunday to mail their tickets and grievances to his team to respond. His response on X came after Organisors ACTC Events apologised for the ''overcrowding''.
The musician also took to Instagram and wrote, ''Some people call me G.O.A.T …………let me be the sacrificial goat this time for all of us to wake up ..let chennai's live art flourish with a world class infrastructure,increase in tourism, efficient crowd management,traffic management ,refining audiences to follow rules ..creating a safe and surreal experience for children and women ..Triggering a cultural renaissance at chennai celebrating our deserving ,illuminated local and international talent!''
Notably, AR Rahman, an Oscar-winning music composer is known for his work in films like 'Ponniyin Selvan' series, Rangeela, Bombay, Taal, Rockstar, and Slumdog Millionaire. Some of his upcoming projects include Ayalaan, Maamannan Maidaan, Pippa, Aadujeevitham, Laal Salaam, and Mani Ratnam's next with Kamal Haasan.