The concert was held at the Adityaram Palace in Paniyur in Chennai
Music maestro AR Rahman held a concert titled ‘Marakuma Nenjam’ at the Adityaram Palace in Paniyur in Chennai on Sunday. However, the musical event proved to be a ”traumatic” experience for several fans who complained of overcrowding and a stampede-like situation and criticized the organizers for their terrible mismanagement.
Many people took to social media to share videos of their ‘bizarre’ and ‘harrowing’ experiences, complaining that they were not allowed to enter the venue despite having valid tickets. Fans also alleged that there was a stampede-like situation, with women being harassed and children separated and injured. Thousands of fans claimed that organizers had sold too many tickets and expressed disappointment that X was demanding answers from ACTC Events.
A woman who left the venue without being present claimed on a local television station: “It’s overcrowded, a stampede-like situation. No regulations at all.” Another woman added: “We paid five grand for a ticket. But it was free for all, anyone could sit anywhere. They are responsible.” One family claimed to have said: “There is no parking as they claimed. We parked our cars and walked 2km.”
A fan of X wrote: ”The most bizarre experience ever! It was the worst concert I have ever attended. VIP zone tickets cost 25,000 and 50,000 and there was no security, each zone was one. The organizers oversold the tickets. The chairs were all off-center. Even in the VIP area there was no stage view. No bouncers to man the areas!!! The entrance markings were missing! everyone came from everywhere. It was like a stampede and no one to manage! What a shame.”
Watch the videos here:
A stampede-like situation that occurs in #ARRahman concert.
Many are turned away from a concert.
Many are not allowed to enter, even though they have a pass.
All price category pass holders are mixed, without separating them into their respective pass category.
Parking is also an important… pic.twitter.com/qLmZRHbYZl
— Manobala Vijayabalan (@ManobalaV) September 10, 2023
#ARRahman
AR Rahman’s concert tonight was the most traumatic event I have ever been to. THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE WITH tickets were sent but were not allowed in because thousands of TICKETS WERE OVERSOLD. There was no one to show anyone the way, the counter was deserted. pic.twitter.com/dgZ9mmiCbt— Kamya Menon (@water_menon) September 10, 2023
The lack of proper parking facilities was also a major concern of many concertgoers who had to travel for hours to reach the event venue. Some also complained about the low volume, which made the performance barely audible to those not on stage, and asked for a refund.
Very very poor audio systems. I couldn’t hear any song or music. Too busy, worst organization, stampede, parking stuck, couldn’t even return, need refund.#MarakkaveMarakathaNenjam#arrahman | #isaipuyal | #marakkumanenjampic.twitter.com/ROHBCS5sTu
— Jay (@jp15may) September 10, 2023
Terrible experience @arrahman concert. Terrible sound systems, no crowd control and they sold way more tickets than capacity. All latecomers stood in front of those seated and standing on the path #ARRahman#arrahmanconcert you are the worst @actceventspic.twitter.com/xBn0KyGqNO
— Vishnu Manoharan (@Mvishnu699) September 10, 2023
@arrahman Absolute scam at Rahman’s concert in ECR. ECR is completely blocked with thousands of cars. Not exaggerated. We covered 6 km in 3 hours. 1 lakh tickets have been sold for a venue with only 10,000 occupancy. Couldn’t even enter the location, they were blocking at 7pm #ARRahmanconcertpic.twitter.com/yClAV3eeaj
— Siddarth Eswar (@siddarth55) September 10, 2023
Another fan said it was ‘very poorly organised’ and ‘a waste of money and energy’. She also said fighting made her feel stressed, in addition to poor sound quality. Others shared experiences of panic attacks and anxiety due to overcrowding.
Very poorly organized concert. Waste of money. Energy.
I felt an enormous sense of betrayal.
I felt so stressed than good, because of so many fights and shit going around!
Unfair max was Not a good sound!#actceevents#MarakkumaNenjam#ARRConcert@arrahmanpic.twitter.com/8a6LFvb6ms— Charulatha Rangarajan (@charuturfo) September 10, 2023
Some called it ‘the worst concert ever’ and even tore their tickets in anger.
Disappointed #ARRahman fan tore #MarakkumaNenjam concert tickets and says that this is indeed an unforgettable event and a worst gift from AR Rahman to the people. pic.twitter.com/XXNR42PWzW
— Manobala Vijayabalan (@ManobalaV) September 10, 2023
Meanwhile, AR Rahman has asked fans who could not enter the venue on Sunday to send their tickets and complaints to his team for response. His response to X came after organizer ACTC Events apologized for the “overcrowding”.
Dear Chennai Makkale, Those of you who purchased tickets and were unable to enter due to unfortunate circumstances, please share a copy of your ticket purchase to [email protected] along with your complaints. Our team will respond as soon as possible🙏@BToSproducties@actcevents
— ARRahman (@arrahman) September 11, 2023
Grateful for Chennai and the legendary @arrahman Sir! The incredible response and overwhelming audience made our show a huge success. For those who could not attend due to overcrowding, our sincere apologies. We take full responsibility and liability. We are on your side. #MarakkumaNenjam
— ACTC events (@actcevents) September 11, 2023
The musician also took to Instagram and wrote: ”Some people call me GOAT…let me be the sacrificial goat this time so we can all wake up. Let Chennai’s live arts flourish with world-class infrastructure, increase in tourism, efficient crowd management, traffic management, refining the audience to follow the rules…creating a safe and surreal experience for children and women…It bringing about a cultural renaissance in Chennai to celebrate our deserving, enlightened local and international talent!”
Notably, AR Rahman, an Oscar-winning 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 is next with Kamal Haasan.
