Sunday, October 30, 2011

Metallica: Cancelled Indian concert promoters arrested

There’s more fallout from the cancellation of the Metallica concert in Gurgaon, India.

NDTV reports concert organizers have been arrested for cheating the public.

The Gurgaon police said the operational head of DNA Entertainment Network for Metallica concerts, Rajesh Chandwani, and his team members - Umesh, Ashok Singh and Savio Faleio - were arrested on charges of cheating people and breach of trust.

The police said they had received several complaints after the show was cancelled; they allege that the organizers sold more tickets than capacity and that they were never informed before the cancellation was announced. The organizers had publicly cited "technical reasons" for scrapping Friday's gig.

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 Metallica was to play, the organizers 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.

The organizers have said all ticket holders will be refunded. They say full-page advertisements on refunds will be put out in the next 24 hours explaining all the details.

The police chief in Gurgaon said yesterday that the concert had been called off. "The organizers have to say why they cancelled (the show). They have to explain. They have cancelled it without taking the district administration into confidence," said Police Commissioner S.S. Deshwal. He said that fortunately, the crowd dispersed peacefully.

The concert was organized by DNA Entertainment Network; 25,000 thousand tickets had been sold for prices ranging from Rs. 1650 to Rs. 2750. (between $34 and $57 US.).

Metallica is in the country to perform as a part of F1 Rocks and is scheduled to perform in Bangalore on Sunday.


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