Bangalore:
All eyes are on Bangalore today as the city waits eagerly to welcome rock band Metallica. The group is scheduled to perform at the Palace Grounds late in the evening. The administration says all preparations are in place and so they are confident the show won't go the Gurgaon way.
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.
(Metallica's Delhi concert cancelled, organisers arrested)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.
(Metallica on why the Delhi show was cancelled)Taking lessons from the Gurgaon fiasco, the organisers are being extra careful in Bangalore - a three-layer barricade surrounds the make-shift stage. In Gurgaon, the barrier in front of the stage that kept falling had lead to chaos. The city police too is geared up. More than 1000 policemen will be 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. By the evening, the Palace Grounds is expected to be packed to capacity with fans coming from all over the country. "My friends are coming down from Chennai and Hyderabad. Just for this event. We are really looking forwards to this event and hoping it will be great fun minus any chaos," said Jeel, an excited Metallica fan.
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."