Bryan Adams concert in Delhi falls on heap, new venue likely is Gurgaon

The Music stopped even before it started. As the organisers of the aborted Bryan Adams concert on Tuesday promised to announce a new venue (most likely in Gurgaon) and date (perhaps Sunday), for Delhi’s music lovers it was yet another confirmation of an uncomfortable fact — the capital of a young nation, doesn’t have systems in place to become an international entertainment destination.

Over the past few years, disappointment has been raining on the city, with top acts such as Iron Maiden, Shakira, Beyonce and the Black Eyed Peas preferring Mumbai and/or Bangalore over Delhi. The Bryan Adams show was to be Delhi’s Summer of 69 — bringing the city back on the map of big-ticket concerts.

Despite 10,000 passes being sold for prices going up to Rs.10,000, the show, to quote the official press release, was cancelled because of the “unexpected rains” and the venue becoming “unsafe” as a result of the “overwhelming public response”. Delhi Police sources, however, said the organisers had been denied permission on Thursday, February 10, to hold the concert.

The licencing branch of the Delhi Police did not grant permission after the venue, the NSIC Grounds in Okhla, was found unsuitable for a concert that was going to attract 10,000 people.

The traffic police also had their concerns. Joint commissioner of police (traffic) Satyendra Garg said the approach road to the grounds was small, so it was impossible for a concert to be held at the venue during peak traffic hours.

“We were initially informed that there were to be around 600 vehicles, but with the increased number of spectators, we expected the number of vehicles to be anywhere around 3,000,” Garg said. “On a working day it is not possible to manage this additional traffic.”

The city’s music community is not buying this line. “The cancellation will further ruin the reputation of Delhi,” said Subir Malik of Parikrama, one of the country’s foremost rock bands. “Many fans were travelling from Chandigarh and other nearby cities. Now, every concert promoter will think twice before scheduling Delhi as a venue for an international show.”

The rain factor cited by the organisers also hasn’t washed down well. Said a spokesman of the Mumbai-based band Pentagram, which is famous for its frontman Vishal Dadlani: “We have performed at the Glastonbury Festival in the UK, which is known for its torrential rains, but we have never seen a show being cancelled because of rains. At times we have performed in heavy rain, but the show didn’t stop.” The band’s experience at Sundance Festival in the US hasn’t been any different.

One of the country’s leading event managers, Wizcraft’s Viraf Sarkari, pointed to the irony of the situation. “The saddest part is that Delhi has a huge market for international concerts,” he said.

“We have been trying to convince the government to work out a single- window system with specific deadlines,” he added. Rahul Ram of Indian Ocean was perplexed at the timing of the cancellation: “If safety was a concern, why couldn’t it have been communicated well in advance?”

The entire episode, according to Sanjoy Roy, managing director, Teamworks Films, showed that systems weren’t in place for the fulfilment of the legitimate entertainment aspirations of a metropolis.

“Are we a tinpot democracy where clearances need to be given at the last minute?” Roy asked, demanding a single-window clearance for big-ticket events. At present, organisers need to secure clearances from five different agencies before they can think of getting anything off the ground. And as if red tape weren’t a putoff, the number of available venues, too, is shrinking with the government making it clear that the various stadiums upgraded for the Commonwealth Games will be used only for sports events.

“These venues have been built to conduct sports events. We cannot allow them to be used for music concerts,” H.S. Kingra, joint secretary of the Sports Authority of India (SAI), said.

He was echoing the sentiments of sports minister, Ajay Maken, who instructed SAI officials some time back that the stadiums being managed by it will be used only for running academies, conducting competitions and for training.

Does all this mean Delhi will continue to reel under a musical drought? “Yes,” said Euphoria’s Palash Sen. “As a nation we’re not prepared for big live concerts. If we were geared up for such events, the infrastructure would have fallen into place automatically.” Till that happens, Delhi won’t have its Summer of ’69.