Metallica’s first concert in Delhi, India, was cancelled at the last minute on Friday - so angry fans decided to ransack the stage and gear and several people were reportedly injured in the fray.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, the concert, which was part of Formula One's F1 Rocks festival and billed as the biggest music even of the year, was called off two hours before the metal legends were scheduled to take the stage. The organizers blamed "technical difficulties” and said the gig had been rescheduled for Saturday.
THR says “some of the 25,000 fans began to riot, trashing the stage and the gear. The ensuing chaos eventually led to the event being called off entirely with little hope of the concert taking place Saturday. Some TV reports claimed equipment worth $200,000 was damaged while many fans were reportedly injured in a stampede at the Leisure Valley venue.”
Video of fans trashing the stage made its way online and is posted below.
Attendee, Shouvik Roy, fractured his leg during the chaos. He told a newspaper, “I was pushed down a staircase. Many others were also injured in the melee. There were no marshals to guide people and few cops to help.” He told a newspaper adding that he saw many children and young adults also badly hurt and taken to hospital.
The Times of India later reported that the reason cited was “a broken front barricade” but that concert goers were blaming “gross mismanagement and neglect on part of the organizers.”
Attendees said the venue was overcrowded beyond capacity, that there were no security checks and that many entered without tickets. They told the Times that movement was impossible in the packed venue.
Metallica apparently said they were “deeply disappointed” in a statement.
